Running Cadence: Research and Injuries

Running cadence gets mentioned as a "fix" for every running related injury. I break down what the current research says about running cadence, injuries, running economy, and how to safely change yours if needed. Check out my website: www.temporehab.com "Outro music: "Room" by Options Check out more of his music: http://sethengel.org/" Disclaimer: The information in this video is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have health concerns or questions about an injury, consult a licensed healthcare provider. In a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number. This video does not establish a provider-patient relationship of any kind, and this content is not a substitute for a personalized medical evaluation or treatment plan. Reference: Anderson, L. M., Martin, J. F., Barton, C. J., & Bonanno, D. R. (2022). What is the effect of changing running step rate on injury, performance and biomechanics? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine - Open, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-022-00504-0 Chan, Z. Y., Zhang, J. H., Au, I. P., An, W. W., Shum, G. L., Ng, G. Y., & Cheung, R. T. (2018). Gait retraining for the reduction of injury occurrence in novice distance runners: 1-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 46(2), 388–395. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546517736277 Conley, D. L., & Krahenbuhl, G. S. (1980). Running economy and distance running performance of highly trained athletes. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 12(5), 357–360. Doyle, E., Doyle, T. L. A., Bonacci, J., & Fuller, J. T. (2022). The effectiveness of gait retraining on running kinematics, kinetics, performance, pain, and injury in distance runners: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 52(4), 192–205. https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2022.10585 Figueiredo, I., Reis, M., & Sousa, J. E. (2025). The influence of running cadence on biomechanics and injury prevention: A systematic review. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.90322 Heiderscheit, B. C., Chumanov, E. S., Michalski, M. P., Wille, C. M., & Ryan, M. B. (2011). Effects of step rate manipulation on joint mechanics during running. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(2), 296–302. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e3181ebedf4 Lally, E., Ericksen, H., Azen, R., Huddleston, W., & Earl-Boehm, J. (2025). In-field temporospatial gait retraining adherence improves with music auditory cueing. Journal of Sports Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2025.2568250 Lally, E., Ericksen, H., Azen, R., Huddleston, W., & Earl-Boehm, J. (2025). Running step rate can be increased with both metronome and music auditory cueing. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsr.2024-0392 Nijs, A., Roerdink, M., & Beek, P. J. (2020). Cadence modulation in walking and running: Pacing steps or strides? Brain Sciences, 10(5), 273. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10050273 Van Dyck, E., Buhmann, J., & Lorenzoni, V. (2020). Instructed versus spontaneous entrainment of running cadence to music tempo. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1489(1), 91–102. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14528