Training Load, Cadence and Running Injuries: Useful Clues, Not Simple Causes
By Toby Sullivan, MCSP - Chartered Physiotherapist
When someone comes in with a running injury, the first question is often: “What’s wrong with my technique?”
Running technique can sometimes be relevant, but it is rarely the only place to look. How much running someone has been doing, how recently that changed, their previous training history and their current physical capacity usually provide a more useful starting point.
Training load matters, but there is no single formula
Tendons, bones and muscles adapt to running, but they need sufficient time and recovery to do so. Problems can develop when the demands of training exceed what the body is currently able to tolerate.
This may follow a sudden increase in mileage, the addition of faster sessions or hills, or a transition from occasional running into a structured marathon plan. Sometimes it is not one dramatic change, but the combined effect of several smaller changes alongside reduced sleep, recovery or strength training.
That does not mean every increase in training causes injury, or that there is a perfect weekly percentage that guarantees safety. Running injuries are multifactorial. Training history, previous injury, recovery, health, nutrition and the type of tissue involved can all influence how much load someone can tolerate.
Where cadence fits in
Cadence is the number of steps taken per minute. A lower cadence does not automatically mean that someone is running incorrectly, and it has not been shown to cause injury by itself.
There is also no single “correct” cadence that everyone should aim for. Cadence naturally varies with running speed, leg length, terrain and the individual runner.
However, when a runner is overstriding or experiencing load-sensitive symptoms, a small increase in cadence can sometimes be useful. Increasing someone’s normal cadence by around 5-10% may shorten their stride and alter the load passing through certain joints and tissues.
This can make cadence a useful symptom-modification and return-to-running tool. For example, it may allow someone to run with less discomfort while their training volume and physical capacity are gradually rebuilt. It should be introduced for a specific reason, rather than simply because a watch has labelled someone’s cadence as “low”.
The strength and capacity question
Strength training cannot prevent every running injury, and weakness is not necessarily the cause of someone’s pain. However, appropriate strength work can improve the capacity of muscles and tendons to tolerate force and can be particularly valuable during rehabilitation or following a break from running.
The important question is not whether someone is generally “strong” or “weak”. It is whether their current capacity is sufficient for the running they want to do.
This may include calf, quadriceps, hamstring and hip strength, but also power, balance and the ability to repeatedly produce force. These qualities can be assessed and compared with the demands of the runner’s training and goals.
How this is assessed properly
A running assessment should involve more than simply watching someone on a treadmill.
I look at the recent training plan, changes in mileage or intensity, previous injuries, recovery and the relationship between running and symptoms. Cadence and running technique may be considered where relevant, alongside objective strength and jump testing.
No individual measurement can identify the cause of an injury with certainty. However, combining the training history, symptom behaviour and physical testing can identify the factors most likely to be limiting recovery and help guide a sensible return-to-running plan.
What this means practically
If you are dealing with a running injury, it is worth considering:
• whether your weekly mileage, longest run or running intensity has recently changed;
• whether faster sessions, hills or additional training have been introduced;
• whether recovery, sleep or nutrition have changed;
• whether you have returned after a break or previous injury; and
• whether a temporary adjustment to running volume, speed or cadence makes the symptoms easier to manage.
The aim is not always to stop running or completely change your technique. It is to find a level and style of running that the injury can tolerate, then progressively rebuild from there.