I have to come clean about something before we get into this week's study. The lead researcher, Dr. Bryan Heiderscheit, was my advisor when I was in PT school at UW Madison. We spent a lot of time talking about running research and effective treatments together, so I'm biased here. I love this study, both as a research nerd and as a clinician who uses it constantly.
ARTICLE BELOW:
The Research
Forty-five recreational runners ran on an instrumented treadmill covered in motion-capture markers while researchers measured exactly how much force their hips, knees, and ankles absorbed on landing. Each runner ran at their own normal pace under five cadence conditions, their natural rate, plus and minus 5%, and plus and minus 10%, using a metronome to hit each target.
Here's the key design choice that makes this study clinically useful. Everyone ran at the same speed the entire time. That matters more than it sounds like it should.
What They Found
The research suggests these are the key takeaways
A 5% increase in cadence reduced knee joint loading by about 20%. A 10% increase reduced it by about 34%
The knee was the most sensitive joint, showing benefits at every level tested, more than the hip or ankle
The hip only showed reduced loading at the larger 10% increase
Going the other direction, a slower cadence increased loading at every joint, worse, not better
A faster cadence also reduced hip adduction, the inward hip collapse pattern linked to IT band syndrome and anterior knee pain
Perceived effort only went up at the largest change tested, and even then, other research shows no real increase in oxygen cost or heart rate at a 10% bump, it's likely just the unfamiliar feeling of a new pattern
🟢 A well-powered, rigorously measured study, one of the better-designed pieces of biomechanics research in this space
What This Means For You
This is one of the first tools I reach for with runners dealing with knee pain, alongside hip and lower leg strengthening. In the clinic, I'll get someone on a treadmill for a gait assessment. I'm looking at where their foot lands relative to their center of mass, their foot inclination angle, their tibial shaft angle, and their cadence. Overstriding shows up constantly in runners with knee pain, and it's exactly what this study addresses.
Here's the part I really want you to walk away with. Speed equals stride length times stride frequency. If you notice your cadence is low and you go outside and just run faster to fix it, you haven't actually changed your biomechanics. Your stride length hasn't shortened the way it needs to. That's why the treadmill mattered in this study, holding speed constant is what forces the stride-shortening effect that reduces the load on your knee. Try this outside without controlling for pace, and you're not getting the same benefit.
With most of these patients, the goal isn't to stop them from running. It's modifying volume, modifying intensity, adding cadence work and strength training, and keeping them moving. That keeps their tissue capacity intact, and it matters for more than just the physical side. Running is often a stress reliever, so keeping someone running, even in a modified way, supports them mentally too.
🏆 How To Apply It
Check your current cadence using your running watch, most track this automatically
Try a 5% increase first, that's where the knee benefit shows up most consistently. A 10% increase adds hip benefits too, but expect it to feel harder at first
Practice this on a treadmill or with a pace-controlled effort, not by simply running faster outside, holding your pace steady is what actually shortens your stride
A metronome app or a cadence-based playlist makes it easier to lock into a new target rate
Pair cadence work with hip and lower leg strengthening rather than treating it as a standalone fix
If you're dealing with knee pain and want help building an individualized plan around this, hit reply, I'm happy to walk through it with you. We can look at a gait assessment and program development to KEEP you running! Just reply to this email and we will get in touch.
-Keep running happy, healthy, and strong
Spencer
Know a runner who would love some more evidence based feedback. Share the link HERE. and don’t forget to remind them they might have to double opt in :)
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