Rearfoot Strike Run Retraining for Achilles Tendon Pain: A Two-patient Case Series.

Introduction: Running-related injuries are prevalent in the military and are often related to physical fitness test training. Non-rearfoot striking while running is known to increase the risk of Achilles tendon injuries because of the high eccentric energy absorption by the elastic components of the planarflexor muscle-tendon complex. However, there is limited evidence to suggest benefits of converting runners with Achilles tendon pain to use a rearfoot strike.
Methods: This is a case series of two active-duty Service members with chronic, running-related Achilles tendon pain that utilized a natural non-rearfoot strike pattern. Both patients were trained to utilize a rearfoot strike while running through the use of real-time visual feedback from wearable sensors.
Results: The trained rearfoot strike pattern was retained for over one month after the intervention, and both patients reported improvements in pain and self-reported function.
Conclusions: This case series demonstrated the clinical utility of converting two non-rearfoot strike runners to a rearfoot strike pattern to decrease eccentric demands on the plantarflexors and reduce Achilles tendon pain while running.
(Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2023. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.)