LAUSR

It is generally known that the foot strike pattern during running relates to initial foot and ankle kinematics and impact intensity (Breine et al., 2016). Most researchers observed higher impact intensities in rear-foot strike patterns (RFS) when compared with mid-foot (MFS) or forefoot strike patterns (FFS). In a previous study (Breine, Malcolm, Frederick, & De Clercq, 2014) we have distinguished Typical and Atypical RFS, based on the centre of pressure (COP) trajectory. An Atypical RFS is identified by an initial COP position at the lateral side of the rear-foot immediately followed by a fast anterior displacement along the lateral shoe margin towards the mid-foot zone, resulting in an early first metatarsal contact. The relevance of distinguishing Atypical and Typical RFS is that these Atypical RFS showed the highest impact intensity, measured with the vertical instantaneous loading rate of the ground reaction force (GRF). Impact intensity is an important variable as an high impact intensity has been related to an increased stress fracture injury susceptibility (van der Worp, Vrielink, & Bredeweg, 2016). Information about the magnitude and spatial distribution of the impact intensity under the shoe sole in different foot strike patterns could be used in the design of foot strike-specific footwear. The shoe zones with the highest impact intensity could be targeted for adding passive cushioning for impact intensity reduction.