Running Study for Runners With Chronic Knee Pain

The purpose of this study is to determine whether changing foot strike pattern from a rearfoot strike to a forefoot strike reduces chronic running-related knee pain. It is believed that switching foot strike pattern from a rearfoot strike to a forefoot strike pattern will reduce associated running-related patellofemoral knee pain.

Runners will come to the Gait Analysis Lab on north campus of the University of New Mexico, HSSB 168, for the first running trial. During this time you will fill out a health questionnaire, receive an assessment by a physical therapist, and be given a new pair of running shoes to use for the duration of the study. Runners will be equipped with several reflective markers, which will be placed on your lower body. Runners will then complete several passes across a runway while we record your running with a motion analysis system. Runners will be equipped with a mouthpiece and nose clip. You will run for 10 minutes while we collect the gases you breathe.Twenty-four hours after you complete this running trial, you will come to our Exercise Physiology lab in Johnson Center, B143 to perform the training sessions. During this time you will run for about 10-30 minutes in front of a mirror and receive feedback from the research team. You will perform these training sessions eight times over two weeks. Twenty-four hours after your last training session, you will perform another follow-up running trial, which will be the same as the first trial. After completing the second running trial, you will be allowed to return to your normal running routine for about one month. After one month, you will return to the Gait Analysis lab to perform a final running trial, which will be the same as the first and second running trials.

Inclusion Criteria: Presence of patellofemoral pain No history of any cardiovascular issues. Currently running as part of training program Exclusion Criteria: No patellofemoral pain present. Not currently running as part of training program Other lower extremity pain and/or injury that interferes with ability to run. Pregnant Not in the selected age ranges Presence of cardiovascular or cardiopulmonary diseases

Relph N, Greaves H, Armstrong R, Prior TD, Spencer S, Griffiths IB, Dey P, Langley B. Running shoes for preventing lower limb running injuries in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Aug 22;8(8):CD013368. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013368.pub2.

Roper JL, Harding EM, Doerfler D, Dexter JG, Kravitz L, Dufek JS, Mermier CM. The effects of gait retraining in runners with patellofemoral pain: A randomized trial. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2016 Jun;35:14-22. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2016.03.010. Epub 2016 Apr 7.