Overstriding while walking creates braking forces that can quietly overload the hips, knees, shins, and even the low back. For patients who develop pain with walking, hiking, or prolonged standing, overstriding is often a hidden contributor.
Overstriding occurs when the foot lands too far in front of the body’s center of mass. While a heel strike is normal in walking, an overstride is defined by where the heel lands- not how it lands.
You can heel strike without overstriding.
You can also overstride badly because of an exaggerated heel strike.
The problem isn’t the heel- it’s the distance between your body and your foot at contact.
When the foot lands far ahead of the body:
Forward momentum is abruptly slowed
Ground reaction forces oppose forward motion
Muscles and joints must absorb this “braking” load repeatedly
Walking may be low impact, but it is highly repetitive. Thousands of braking steps per day add up.
Longer steps feel efficient, but they:
Increase braking forces
Increase joint loading at initial contact
Reduce the body’s ability to roll smoothly forward
People often overstride unconsciously when:
Trying to “walk faster”
Fatigued
Wearing stiff or heavy shoes
A more upright or backward-leaning trunk:
Shifts the center of mass behind the foot
Encourages the foot to land farther forward
Increases braking forces
A slight forward inclination from the ankles (not the waist) reduces overstriding by keeping the body moving over the foot.
Low cadence (slow step rate) encourages:
Longer steps
More time spent decelerating each stride
Greater peak loads per step
Slightly increasing cadence:
Shortens step length naturally
Reduces braking forces
Improves flow through the gait cycle
Increased tibial loading at heel contact
Higher stress on the anterior tibia
Contributes to medial tibial stress syndrome (“shin splints”)
Greater knee extension at contact
Increased patellofemoral joint stress
Higher quadriceps braking demand
This often presents as:
Anterior knee pain
Pain during longer walks or downhill walking
Discomfort after activity rather than during
Increased hip flexor and anterior hip strain
Reduced glute contribution during push-off
Altered pelvic mechanics
Over time, this can aggravate:
Hip flexor tendinopathy
Anterior hip pain
Low back symptoms from poor load transfer
Overstriding is subtle at walking speeds:
No obvious limp
No dramatic collapse
No immediate pain
But repetitive braking forces accumulate quietly. Many patients report:
Pain after walks, not during
Symptoms that worsen with longer distances
Relief with rest but recurrence when walking resumes
Heel strike is normal in walking.
Overstriding is optional-and problematic.
The goal is not to eliminate heel contact, but to:
Land closer to the body
Reduce braking
Allow smooth forward progression
Trying to “walk on your toes” or force a midfoot strike often creates new problems.
Loud or heavy foot contact
Feeling like you’re constantly “slowing down” each step
Knee pain after walking downhill
Shin discomfort without running
Fatigue in the hips or low back after walks
Overstriding is not just a running problem
Walking can create meaningful braking forces
Stride length, trunk position, and cadence matter
Pain often reflects load management—not damage
Small gait changes can significantly reduce symptoms
Walking is foundational- but it’s not automatically benign. Overstriding turns walking into a repeated braking task that stresses joints and tissues upstream and downstream. From a sports medicine standpoint, many walking-related injuries improve not by resting more, but by walking differently.
Fix the stride, reduce the braking forces, and walking becomes what it’s meant to be: efficient, sustainable, and pain-free.
At Fuse Sports Performance and Princeton Sports and Family Medicine, P.C., our professionals specialize in sports medicine services, including gait specific evaluations and training to assess your risk for injury and assist in your performance goals.
