Cushioned running shoes RAISE the risk of foot injury and leg pain, claim scientists
- Wearing cushioned running shoes may actually increase the risk of foot injury
- Trendy trainers put more stress on bones, muscles and joints rather than less
- Joggers may be more likely to develop plantar fasciitis, a stinging pain in the foot
Wearing cushioned running shoes may actually raise the risk of foot injury and leg pain, according to new research.
Scientists say that the trainers put more stress on bones, muscles and joints rather than less.
This means joggers are more likely to develop plantar fasciitis: a stabbing pain in the foot, or tiny fractures in the shin bone, or tibia.
Professor Christine Pollard, director of the Functional Orthopaedic Research Centre of Excellence (FORCE) Lab at Oregon State University, said: ‘We were surprised by these results. We thought we would see the opposite.
‘We thought this highly cushioned shoe would actually reduce those forces that have been associated with injury.
‘But what we found is those forces go up. So that would suggest increased risk of injury,’ she said.
Previous research on running suggests that going barefoot could be comparatively better for you.
Wearing cushioned running shoes may actually raise the risk of foot injury and leg pain
How the research was carried out
The study published in The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine is believed to be the first rigorous analysis of the impact associated with cushioned shoes, also known as maximal shoes.
The participants wore a neutral running shoe (New Balance 880) for one test and then, after a seven to 10 day waiting period, repeated the procedure with a maximal shoe (Hoke One One Bondi 4).
During each performance 3D movements and forces were measured by monitoring reflective markers placed on their shoes and legs as they ran over a plate that recorded the pressure being applied as a foot hit the surface.
Most jogging injuries are caused by the foot’s repeated impact with the running surface. When the foot lands, the impact sends a force through the leg, which over time can cause inflammation in the foot.
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The researchers expected that cushioning soles ease the effect of running on feet.
What they found instead was that the impact of each step increased when runner’s wore the cushioned soles.
Prof Pollard said: ‘We thought this highly cushioned shoe would actually reduce those forces that have been associated with injury.
‘But what we found is those forces go up. So that would suggest increased risk of injury,’ she concludes.
The study published in The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine is believed to be the first rigorous analysis of impacts associated with cushioned, or ‘maximal’, shoes.
Scientists says trendy trainers put more stress on bones, muscles and joints rather than less
WHAT IS PLANTAR FASCIITIS?
Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. It involves inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes (plantar fascia).
Under normal circumstances, your plantar fascia acts like a shock-absorbing bowstring, supporting the arch in your foot. If tension and stress on that bowstring become too great, small tears can arise in the fascia. Repetitive stretching and tearing can cause the fascia to become irritated or inflamed, though in many cases of plantar fasciitis, the cause isn’t clear.
Plantar fasciitis commonly causes stabbing pain that usually occurs with your first steps in the morning. As you get up and move more, the pain normally decreases, but it might return after long periods of standing or after rising from sitting.
Plantar fasciitis is more common in runners. In addition, people who are overweight and those who wear shoes with inadequate support have an increased risk of plantar fasciitis.
Source: Mayo Clinic
Better barefoot?
Professor Pollard, a kinesiologist and a licensed physical therapist, said it is a first step in gathering evidence on the effects of maximal running shoes on injury risks.
Maximal shoes are becoming very popular, but without controlled studies, clinicians have been unable to make science based recommendations to runners.
Previous research has suggested cushioned running shoes have changed the way in which many of us run.
Using slow-motion footage, a previous study found experienced barefoot runners land very differently from runners who wear shoes.
The former tend to strike the ground with their forefoot or mid-foot, and the latter their heel.
So barefoot runners could be at less risk of certain types of injury than those who wear cushioned running shoes.
Striking the ground with you heel is like someone hitting your heel with a hammer with up to three times your body weight, said the Harvard University researchers.
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