Biomechanical Strategies to Improve Running: Cadence, Footwear, and Orthoses—A Quasi-Experimental Study

<b>Background:</b> Running-related injuries are often associated with biomechanical inefficiencies, particularly in the sagittal and frontal planes. This study evaluates the effects of three interventions-reduced heel-to-toe drop (HTD) shoes, increased cadence, and inversion foot orthoses-on key kinematic parameters: ankle dorsiflexion, knee flexion, and hip adduction (measured at foot strike and at their respective peak joint angles during the stance phase). <b>Methods:</b> Nineteen recreational runners (ten males and nine females; mean ± SD: age 26.4 ± 4.3 years; height 174.2 ± 7.8 cm; weight 68.3 ± 9.6 kg; BMI 22.5 ± 2.1 kg/m²) participated in a 3D motion capture study under five experimental conditions: baseline (10 mm HTD, no cadence adjustment, no foot orthoses), full intervention (5 mm HTD, +10% cadence, orthoses), and three partial interventions: HTD combined with orthoses, HTD combined with increased cadence, and cadence increase alone. Kinematic changes were analyzed for statistical significance. <b>Results:</b> The full intervention significantly increased ankle dorsiflexion at foot strike (from 8.11° to 10.44°; <i>p</i> = 0.005) and reduced peak knee flexion (from 45.43° to 43.07°; <i>p</i> = 0.003). Cadence adjustments consistently produced improvements, while orthoses and HTD alone showed effects on ankle flexion only. <b>Conclusions:</b> Combining structural (HTD and orthoses) and dynamic (cadence) modifications optimizes running biomechanics, providing evidence-based strategies for injury prevention and performance enhancement.