The effect of two retraining programs, barefoot running versus increasing cadence: a randomised controlled trial

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of two 10-week non-laboratory based running retraining programs on foot kinematics and spatiotemporal parameters in recreational runners. One hundred and three recreational runners (30 ± 7.2 years old, 39% females) were randomly assigned to either: a barefoot retraining group (BAR) with 3 sessions/week over 10 weeks, a cadence retraining group (CAD) who increased cadence by 10% again with 3 sessions/week over 10 weeks and a control group (CON) who did not perform any retraining. The footstrike pattern, footstrike angle (FSA) and spatial-temporal variables at comfortable and high speeds were measured using 2D/3D photogrammetry and a floor-based photocell system. A 3x2 ANOVA was used to compare between the groups and 2 time points. The FSA significantly reduced at the comfortable speed by 5.81° for BAR (p < 0.001; Cohen’s d = 0.749) and 4.81° for CAD (p = 0.002; Cohen’s d = 0.638), and at high speed by 6.54° for BAR (p < 0.001; Cohen’s d = 0.753) and by 4.71° for CAD (p = 0.001; Cohen’s d = 0.623). The cadence significantly increased by 2% in the CAD group (p = 0.015; Cohen’s d = 0.344) at comfortable speed and the BAR group showed a 1.7% increase at high speed. BAR and CAD retraining programs showed a moderate effect for reducing FSA and rearfoot prevalence, and a small effect for increasing cadence. Both offer low-cost and feasible tools for gait modification within recreational runners in clinical scenarios.