Effects of intrinsic foot muscle training on shank, rearfoot and forefoot coordination and its variability in male runners with non-rearfoot strike pattern: A randomized controlled trial.

Runners who land on their forefoot or midfoot rather than their heel move differently through the foot and lower leg, and researchers wanted to know whether strengthening the small muscles inside the foot could change how those segments coordinate their movement during a stride. This trial compared eight weeks of intrinsic foot muscle training against a control group in forty male runners who habitually use a non-rearfoot strike pattern. The broad result was that the training group showed more consistent, more coordinated movement patterns between the shank, rearfoot, and forefoot, particularly a shift toward more anti-phase movement patterns during parts of the stance phase, along with reduced variability in how these segments moved together in several comparisons.

This is interesting because coordination and its variability are thought to relate to how load is managed and distributed during running, though the study did not measure injury or performance outcomes directly. The main limitation is the small sample size of forty runners, which means these coordination changes need replication before their practical importance for injury prevention or performance can be confirmed.

If you're a runner who lands on your forefoot or midfoot rather than your heel, you might wonder whether working on the small muscles inside your foot could change how your foot and lower leg move together while running. This study looked at exactly that question, comparing runners who did eight weeks of intrinsic foot muscle training against a group who did not. The runners who did the training showed changes in how their shank, heel, and forefoot moved together during different parts of each stride, generally becoming more coordinated and less variable in these movement patterns compared to the control group.

This matters because smoother, more consistent coordination between foot and leg segments is thought to relate to how running load is handled, though this study did not directly test whether these changes reduce injuries or improve running performance. It's worth keeping in mind that this was a small study, with only forty runners split between the two groups. That means the findings offer an early signal rather than a settled answer, and larger studies would help confirm whether these coordination changes translate into real benefits for runners.

This is a summary of research, not medical advice. Talk to your own healthcare provider about anything affecting your care.

This randomised controlled trial examined whether eight weeks of intrinsic foot muscle (IFM) strength training alters inter-segmental coordination and its variability in the shank, rearfoot, and forefoot among habitual non-rearfoot strike (NRFS) male runners, using a control group for comparison, in a sample of 40 participants. Following training, the intervention group showed an increased proportion of anti-phase coordination in frontal rearfoot-transverse shank and frontal rearfoot-sagittal forefoot couplings during early stance, alongside reduced coordination variability across stance phases. Between-group comparisons showed the intervention group had greater anti-phase, distal-dominant coordination in frontal rearfoot-transverse shank (mid stance) and frontal rearfoot-sagittal forefoot (late stance), reduced anti-phase distal dominance in frontal rearfoot-transverse forefoot (mid stance), and lower coordination variability in frontal rearfoot-frontal forefoot (early and late stance) and frontal rearfoot-transverse forefoot (early stance). These findings suggest IFM training can modify neuromuscular coordination strategies distal to the ankle in NRFS runners, but the sample size is modest and the abstract does not report injury incidence, running performance, or longer-term follow-up, so the clinical relevance of these biomechanical shifts for injury prevention or performance remains unestablished.

No adverse events were reported.