Which surface is the best to run on? The answer may surprise you!

Follow Tone and Tighten on Google +
for even more great workouts, motivation, and wellness advice!

As a physical therapist, I see a plethora (that’s right- a plethora) of running-related injuries. Just about everything from plantar fasciitis to hip pain has walked (or limped!) through my door at some time or another. During the course of these patients’ rehab, the question invariably comes up – “Which surface is the best to run on?” There are those who don’t dare to step off a track. Others say they can’t run on anything except for grass. Concrete, cement, dirt, asphalt, – you can really find just about everything! So which of all of these surfaces is really the best to run on? Which gives you the best shot at injury-free running? The answer may surprise you…

A recent study compared ground reaction forces among runners as they ran on three different surfaces: asphalt, acrylic, and a rubber-modified surface (like a track). While there were some subtle differences amongst the runners on these different surfaces these differences were not of meaningful significance. The authors concluded that:

“...although certain biomechanical characteristics are believed to predispose to the occurrence of specific overuse injuries, it is not possible to identify surface conditions most likely to cause injury occurrence.” (Dixon S, Collop A, Batt M. Surface Effects On Ground Reaction Forces And Lower Extremity Kinematics In Running. Med Sci Sport Exerc. Nov 2000)

Essentially: there are aspects of running that are going to give you an injury. This study didn’t find any relation to abnormal forces on different running surfaces.

The bottom line is that what you run on doesn’t matter nearly as much as how you run on it! The actual mechanics of your running style play much more important role than where you choose to do your running. Consciously or subconsciously you’re going to run a little bit differently on the grass or on the trail than you would if you were on the sidewalk or open road. Concrete, cement, asphalt, etc is typically laid out nice and flat with very little variations in the surface. This allows you to slip into “autopilot” and let your run loosen up a bit. This “automatic” or “loose” style of running typically means that you start absorbing impact through bones, ligaments, and joints as you’re mechanically plodding along. These structures are not designed to absorb this impact and therefore things start to get painful (like driving a car with no shocks – lots of vibration and impact). Contrast that with running on the grass or dirt. All of the sudden you need to be concerned about foot placement. You’re watching where you’re going in an effort to look out for your safety. The uneven surfaces require your attention and now you start to run differently. All of the sudden muscles are much more active and you’re running pattern becomes much stronger. It’s this change that is the key. Making your running style “stronger” and “more active” shifts the load from non-contractile tissues like muscles and ligaments and puts it into muscles and tendons that are designed to be dynamic and accept impacts (like putting new shocks on the car – smooth ride now!). You may feel your run a little more in your muscles, but this does wonders for any pain you may be experiencing while running.

Try keeping these principles in mind during your next run – “tighten” things up a bit and see how far you can really go!

Looking for more great running advice?

How To Start Running