Editing Running (section)

===Footstrike debate===
Recent research into various forms of running has focused on the differences in the potential [[injury]] risks and shock absorption capabilities between heel and mid/forefoot footstrikes.  It has been shown that heel striking is generally associated with higher rates of injury and impact due to inefficient shock absorption and inefficient biomechanical compensations for these forces.<ref name="Daoud 2012 1325–34"/> This is due to pressures from a heel strike traveling through bones for shock absorption rather than being absorbed by muscles.  Since bones cannot disperse forces easily, the forces are transmitted to other parts of the body, including ligaments, joints, and bones in the rest of the lower extremities up to the lower back.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Verdini|first=F.|title=Identification and characterization of heel strike transient|journal=Gait & Posture|year=2005|volume=24|issue=1|pages=77–84|doi=10.1016/j.gaitpost.2005.07.008|pmid=16263287|hdl=11566/25362 }}</ref> This causes the body to use abnormal compensatory motions in an attempt to avoid serious bone injuries.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Walter|first=N.E.|title=Stress fractures in young athletes|journal=The American Journal of Sports Medicine|year=1977|volume=5|issue=4|pages=165–170|doi=10.1177/036354657700500405|pmid=883588|s2cid=39643507}}</ref> These compensations include internal rotation of the tibia, knee, and hip joints.  Excessive compensation over time has been linked to a higher risk of injuries in those joints and the muscles involved in those motions.<ref name="Bergmann 2000 817–827"/> Conversely, a mid/forefoot strike has been associated with greater efficiency and lower injury risk due to the [[Triceps surae muscle|triceps surae]] being used as a lever system to absorb forces with the muscles eccentrically rather than through the bone.<ref name="Daoud 2012 1325–34"/> Landing with a mid/forefoot strike has also been shown to properly attenuate shock and allow the triceps surae to aid in propulsion via reflexive plantarflexion after stretching to absorb ground contact forces.<ref name="Ardigo 2008 17–22"/><ref>{{cite journal|last=Perl|first=D.P|title=Effects of Footwear and Strike Type of Running Economy|journal= Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise|year=2012|volume=44|issue=7|pages=1335–1343|doi=10.1249/mss.0b013e318247989e|pmid=22217565|s2cid=449934|doi-access=free}}</ref> Thus a mid/forefoot strike may aid in propulsion.
However, even among elite athletes, there are variations in self-selected footstrike types.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hasegawa|first=H.|title=Foot Strike Patterns of Runners at the 15-km Point During Elite-Level Half Marathon|journal=Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research|year=2007|volume=21|issue=3|pages=888–893|doi=10.1519/00124278-200708000-00040|pmid=17685722}}</ref> This is especially true in longer distance events, where there is a prevalence of heel strikers.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Larson|first=P.|title=Foot strike patterns of recreational and sub-elite runners in a long-distance road race|journal=Journal of Sports Sciences|year=2011|volume=29|issue=15|pages=1665–1673|doi=10.1080/02640414.2011.610347|pmid=22092253|s2cid=12239202}}</ref> There does tend however to be a greater percentage of mid/forefoot striking runners in the elite fields, particularly in the faster racers and the winning individuals or groups.<ref name="Cavanagh 1990"/> While one could attribute the faster speeds of elite runners compared to recreational runners with similar footstrikes to physiological differences, the hip, and joints have been left out of the equation for proper propulsion.  This raises the question of how heel-striking elite distance runners can keep up such high paces with a supposedly inefficient and injurious foot strike technique.