While stride length can be ascertained taking height and limb length into consideration, most regular runners tend to establish a comfortable stride length that falls within the optimal range.
A beginner typically takes short strides and runs more slowly. However, after a few training sessions the stride becomes longer and the speed increases as well.
A measure of good running technique can be gauged by the almost noiseless contact with the surface. Be it the ground or treadmill belt, if you can hear the thump, thump of your feet, you should make an effort to land more softly.
Try not to force your body into a specific stride length — it can result in an uneconomical expenditure of energy apart from upsetting form and causing injury. Run naturally, without extra effort, and you are likely to find your optimum stride length.
Secondly, a good knee lift is recommended, again one that is maintained naturally to accomodate stride length.
There are 2 ways that runners can hit the ground: With the ball of the foot (pedal style) or on the heel (stride style). Long distance runners tend to adopt the heel posture for bio-mechanical reasons.

Question: My doctor has told me that I have Milroy’s disease of the leg. Could you please explain this to me?
Milroy’s disease is a rare condition in which the lymphatic system in one or both legs is faulty, and fails to remove the waste products from the leg. As a result, the leg becomes swollen, puffy and uncomfortable. The condition is hereditary (tends to pass from one generation to the next), and usually starts at puberty (12 to 14 years of age). It is far more common in women than men.
The lymphatic system is an incredibly fine network of tubes that parallel the veins throughout the body, and take some forms of waste from every cell back into the bloodstream. The lymphatic system eventually drains into a main vein near the heart.
The only treatment is elevation of the leg as much as possible, and wearing a firm elastic stocking. The main complication is infections of the swollen tissue, which must be treated with antibiotics. Some patients require constant antibiotics to prevent these infections.

Question: Every night, I am woken between midnight and 2 am with agonizing pain in my left leg. I can’t cope with this any more, and nothing seems to help. What can cause my leg muscles to go into spasm?
Night time leg cramps are a very common problem. It worsens with age and pregnancy, and most commonly they occur after heavy exercise during the day. Some hours after ceasing the exercise, the muscles in the leg go into painful spasm, causing you to leap from your chair or bed. Stretching the affected muscles by standing on tip toe or pushing against an immovable object often eases the pain.
The spasms are caused by a combination of minor muscle injury, a build up of waste products in the muscle and dehydration—all of these problems being caused by the exercise. Prevention is better than cure, and taking adequate amounts of fluid during and after the activity may wash away excess waste products and prevent dehydration.
If this simple measure is insufficient, medications can be prescribed to be taken after sport to prevent the cramps. Quinine and Akineton are the drugs most commonly used. The two methods of prevention can be simply prescribed if tonic water or bitter lemon is drunk after exercise. These drinks contain quinine to give them the bitter taste, and so acts to prevent dehydration and muscle spasms.

Question: I am 76 years old and two years ago I had a knee replacement operation. It was not a success, and after two years of pain and not being able to walk any distance, my surgeon wants to open it up again and cement it. I am very apprehensive about this operation, and would like your opinion on how necessary it is.
Unfortunately, not all operations turn out the way that the surgeon (or patient) would wish. Knee replacement operations have a very high success rate, and often give dramatic relief from chronic, severe arthritis. People who have been barely able to walk find themselves to walk freely for long distances within a few months of the operation.
You have been one of the unfortunate failures. This is probably a matter of bad luck, not incompetence on the part of the surgeon, nurses or hospital. After two years, your knee is not going to improve, and it is reasonable to let the surgeon try to correct the problem that has developed. Loosening of the joint, so that the artificial joint is not firmly cemented to the bone, is one of the commonest complications, and can usually be corrected without too much trouble.
Without further surgery you will continue to suffer constant knee pain. With surgery, you have a chance of significantly improving the knee discomfort, and possibly recovering completely. At worst, the operation cannot make your knee more painful than it is now.

Question: What can cause pain in the front half of the foot? I cannot recall injuring it in anyway.
Gout is a severe and obvious cause of foot pain, but there are several other common causes.
Metatarsalgia is a condition common in athletes. It is an inflammation of the bones that form the ball of the foot, and is due to prolonged running, jumping or walking, usually on hard surfaces. Soldiers on route marches may develop the condition. Severe pain may develop in the ball of the foot, and the treatment is primarily rest, and anti-inflammatory medications. A ‘march fracture’ of the fore foot bones, due to the stress of continued walking or running on the foot may be another cause. There are minimal changes on x-ray, but excruciating pain on attempting to walk. Six weeks rest heals these fractures. In the elderly, foot pain may be the first sign of poor circulation, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or neuralgia.
Because these conditions can be serious, the cause of the pain must be investigated by a doctor and the correct treatment started.

Question: I have two bunions on each foot on the large toes. They give me pain. Would you advise operation? If so, could I have them done at the same time?
If the big toe is constantly pushed across towards the smaller toes by high-heeled shoes, tight shoes, or a poor way of walking, the big toe may become semipermanently deformed in this direction. The end of the long bone behind the two big toe bones in the front half of the foot (called a metatarsal) is exposed by the deflection of the toe bones, and starts pushing against the skin.
A protective, fluid-filled sac (called a bursa) forms between the bone end and the skin to protect the bone. This sac slowly enlarges to cause a lump that may become tender and painful. This is a bunion. Bunions are becoming less common with more sensible and better-made footwear, and a wealthier society in which correctly fitted shoes can be purchased regularly for a child’s growing feet. Bunions usually start in childhood, but may not cause significant discomfort until adult life.
A number of surgical procedures are available to cure a bunion, but in elderly people, it may be preferable for a protective pad to be worn inside soft or specially made shoes. When bunions are repaired, it is normal for only one side to be done at a time, but in elderly people, in whom immediate mobility is not a concern, both sides can be done at once.

Question: I suffer constantly from cold feet, mainly when in bed, and have been told it is a medical problem. I await your comments.
Cold feet are usually due to poor circulation of blood to that area. If insufficient warm blood reaches your feet, they will feel cold, and may be white or blue, and painful. In older people, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), heart failure and diabetes are the main causes of poor circulation, while in younger people, spasm of an artery may be responsible. Raynaud’s phenomenon is a condition in which arteries go into spasm, narrow down, and fail to supply adequate blood to the hands or feet, which become cold and painful.
As you can see, a number of conditions may be responsible for your problem. You will need to be investigated to determine which problem is affecting you. Once this is known, the appropriate treatment can be given to cure or control the disease.