Running injuries: cadence and minimalist shoes

Sports & Exercise
2

Hi DN.
A higher cadence is definitely helpful, because it puts less stress on your joints. The thing to look at is where your feet are landing when you take a stride. They should be landing below your hips, not in front of them. If you take more small steps (higher cadence), you will see that your shorter strides make your landing closer to below your hips instead of out front.

BTW, a while ago (August!) I was asking you to check your cadence.
From August:

At the time your cadence was fine. 180 is great. But it was before you were hurt. Your lower cadence now is because you are compensating for the injury, and running differently. So I think the lower cadence is not a cause of your injury, but a result. If that makes sense.

I don’t think you need a minimalist shoe to change your cadence. You can get a shoe with less heel drop and less cushioning, but you don’t necessarily need that. I think the minimalist shoes are somewhat gimmicky. As long as your cadence is good, you can run with a more supportive shoe, and I don’t think that hurts you one bit.

BTW, your Garmin watch has your cadence. You can use that and set an alarm so that it will beep whenever your cadence drops below a certain number. It is usual to have a change in cadence as you become more tired, and it takes practice to keep your cadence high.

I still think you should go to the running clinic at UVA.

Any of the minimalist shoes are okay to try. But keep in mind, those shoes really don’t fix anything. They may force you to run a certain way, but it is the change in mechanics that is important, not the shoe. I think more support offers more protection in the long run. But certainly it is worth a try.

So in summary, I would say:

  • yes, low cadence can cause injuries, but I don’t think it caused yours

  • your cadence was better a few months ago, is probably worse now from the injury, so your cadence change was the effect of the injury not the cause

  • a higher cadence is better, so keep an eye on it

  • minimalist shoes - sure try them, but they do not work miracles

  • go to the running clinic and see what they tell you

  • small little runs are good, but keep them short and easy

  • set your Garmin to beep when your cadence is too low

Did I get it all?

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