Cadence matters: Influence of cadence on spinal load during running

Running exposes the body to physiological and mechanical stresses that generate musculoskeletal injuries, such as low back pain due to large spinal loading. Increasing running cadence may reduce impact forces and spinal shrinkage.

This study aimed to determine the relationship between spinal loading and running cadence.

This cross-sectional study included 15 runners from the local community (36 ± 11 years; 23 ± 2 kg.m^-2, and 8 ± 9 years of running experience) who ran for 30 min (R30) and 60 min (R60) at a constant speed (10 km.h^-1). The spinal loading was assessed via fine stature variation measurements before the run (baseline) at R30 and R60. Cadence was monitored via a wristwatch. The cadence ranged from 150 to 180 steps.min^-1. A t-test was used to compare stature loss between R30 and R60 (relative to baseline), and a stepwise linear regression equation was used to identify the relationship between cadence and stature variation in each instant.

There was a stature loss throughout the race (R30 = 5.27 ± 1.92 mm and R60 =7.51 ± 2.51 mm). A linear regression analysis revealed a negative relationship between stature loss and cadence, indicating that running at a faster cadence produces smaller spinal loading than running at slower cadences after R60 (R² = 0.38; p<0.05).

Increasing running cadence might cause less spinal loading than running with a slower cadence, which may reduce the risk of injury and back disorders in runners.