Background: Running-related injuries affect 50–70% of recreational runners annually, with the knee joint accounting for the greatest proportion of injury sites. Foot strike pattern specifically forefoot strike (FFS) versus rearfoot strike (RFS) is hypothesized to substantially modulate knee joint loading mechanics; however, comparative three-dimensional kinematic data in recreational runners remain limited.

Objective: To quantitatively compare knee joint kinematic parameters peak valgus angle, internal rotation, and knee flexion angle at initial contact between forefoot and rearfoot strikers during overground running at preferred pace.

Method: Thirty recreational runners (15 forefoot, 15 rearfoot strikers; confirmed by force plate analysis; Mage = 26.7 ± 3.9 years; weekly mileage 25–50 km) underwent three-dimensional kinematic analysis using a 10-camera Vicon motion capture system at 200 Hz with 16-marker lower extremity protocol. Statistical comparisons employed independent samples t-tests with Bonferroni correction. This study uses a simulated dataset created for academic training purposes.

Key Results: FFS runners demonstrated significantly lower peak knee valgus angles (4.2° ± 1.8° vs. 7.1° ± 2.4°; p = 0.001) but higher ipsilateral hip adduction loads. RFS runners exhibited greater knee flexion at initial contact (14.3° ± 3.1° vs. 7.8° ± 2.6°; p < 0.001) and higher peak vertical ground reaction force loading rates.