Running with a Stroller May Reduce Impact and Injury Risk for Runners

For many parents who enjoy staying active and want to include their children in their fitness routines, running with a stroller is a common choice. While pushing a stroller adds extra weight and can alter the running experience, recent research from Pennsylvania State University suggests that running with a stroller might actually reduce certain impact forces on the body, potentially lowering the risk of injury.

The study, published in the journal PLOS One, investigated how stroller running changes biomechanical loading on the legs. The researchers observed that when runners push a stroller, there is a significant decrease—between 8% to 17%—in vertical loading, which corresponds to the impact forces transmitted through the legs during each stride. This reduction likely occurs because runners tend to lean forward and shift weight onto the stroller via the handlebars, effectively unweighting their legs.

However, the study also found that this activity increases torsional or twisting forces in the lower limbs—sometimes by more than four times. These twisting motions are caused by natural upper body rotation needed to counterbalance the movement and direction of the stroller. While increased twisting forces could potentially be linked to certain injuries, current evidence suggests they are less common or less well-understood as injury risk factors compared to impact forces.

Researchers believe that this biomechanical trade-off could inform the design of strollers, coaching strategies, and injury prevention protocols for runners who use strollers regularly. The study included 38 healthy, injury-free runners who ran with and without a stroller over a force plate to measure impact forces.

The findings indicate that stroller running may offer an injury-reducing benefit by decreasing impact forces on the legs. As one of the study's authors, associate professor Allison Altman Singles, explained, "When running with a stroller, we tend to unweight ourselves vertically because we lean into it, allowing some of our body weight to be transferred through the stroller."

Despite the increase in twisting forces, the researchers emphasized that stroller running is generally safe and could even be advantageous in reducing overuse injuries like stress fractures, knee pain, and plantar fasciitis. They are continuing to study this activity further to understand the full scope of biomechanical effects and injury risks.

In conclusion, runners who frequently use strollers may benefit from a reduction in impact-related injury risks. Further research into stroller design and running techniques could help mitigate potential torsional stress, making stroller running an even safer and more accessible form of exercise for parents and fitness enthusiasts alike.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-10-stroller-lowers-impact-potential-injury.html