Injury Rates among Long Term Minimally Shod Runners
Numerous studies have examined how standard shod runners transitioning into minimal shoes experienced changes in their landing kinematics, foot musculature, and arch conformation (Miller, Whitcome, Lieberman, Norton, & Dyer, 2014). Although many studies show how standard shoes can negatively affect feet musculature, arch conformation, and change landing, no studies show whether transitioning into minimal shoes actually leads to less injury. Minimal running shoes mimic barefoot running form, which is thought to have occurred through millions of years of natural selection enabling humans to run barefoot and survive (Daoud, Geissler, Wang, Saretsky, Daoud, & Lieberman, 2012). The standard running shoe has changed this natural form and musculature, but there are no long term studies that show that this change leads to more or less injury. This study will allow us and others to better understand the effects of standard and minimal running shoes, and which has higher injury rates. This research will not only be beneficial to endurance runners, but it will also give insight into those who wear tennis shoes every day. Although there are millions of individuals that are injured every year while running in either shoe, there are also millions who are not. The goal of this study is to better understand these injuries and whether they are occurring at a greater rate in either minimal or standard shoes. Injuries are highly multifactorial, so research must be long term and precise to be able to differentiate whether or not the cause of injury is due to the shoe or other factors. This study will not only be beneficial per individual but also to shoe companies. This could potentially lead to production of a higher quality shoe design. A serious question on the minds of many coaches, runners, physical therapists, trainers, and physicians is whether running barefoot actually reduces the injury rates. An evolution perspective that humans evolved to run barefoot and therefore acquire less injuries in minimal shoes challenges the assumption that shod running is less injurious. But this is a naive question given that injuries are complex and highly multifactorial. In this study we aim to identify common injuries in elite runners who have worn conventional or minimal shoes for the last five years by tracking their information at baseline and after five years. This will help us to not only understand common injuries of both runners, but also if injuries occur at higher rates in one of the two groups. I hypothesize that conventional shod runners will acquire injuries more frequently in their lower back, hips, knees, …show more content…
For example, shod running is associated with an increased peak torque at each of the three lower extremity joints when compared to minimal or barefoot running. The most prominent increases occur at the hip and knee joints. More importantly, disproportionately large increases in the hip internal rotation torque and in the knee flexion and knee varus torques. An increase in the three joints showed weak correlations with increase stride length observed in shod runners, but an increase in the external knee varus torque was found to significantly correlate with the increase in stride length. This was found to only explain 8% of the variance in the increase while shod running (Kerrigan, Franz, Keenan, Dicharry, Della Croce, & Wilder, 2009). This gives confirmation that one of the effects of the modern day running shoe is to increase joint torques at each of the 3 lower extremity joints. It is hypothesized that these increases are due to the elevated heel and arch support (Kerrigan, Todd, & Riley, 1998). Research observed a 36% increase in the knee flexion torque with modern day running shoes which potentially increases the load of the quadriceps muscle, increases strain through the patella tendon, and increases pressure across the patellofemoral joint (Reilly, & Martens, 1972). Furthermore, the large increase in the hip internal rotation torque, 54%, may lead to high clinical relevance, since previous findings show that competitive running may increase the risk of osteoarthritis of the hip joint (Schmitt, Rohs, Schneider, & Clarius, 2006). Current studies have shown the significant changes occur in standard running shoes, but have yet to conclude whether changing to minimal shoes actually leads to greater benefits and less
Numerous studies have examined how standard shod runners transitioning into minimal shoes experienced changes in their landing kinematics, foot musculature, and arch conformation (Miller, Whitcome, Lieberman, Norton, & Dyer, 2014). Although many studies show how standard shoes can negatively affect feet musculature, arch conformation, and change landing, no studies show whether transitioning into minimal shoes actually leads to less injury. Minimal running shoes mimic barefoot running form, which is thought to have occurred through millions of years of natural selection enabling humans to run barefoot and survive (Daoud, Geissler, Wang, Saretsky, Daoud, & Lieberman, 2012). The standard running shoe has changed this natural form and musculature, but there are no long term studies that show that this change leads to more or less injury. This study will allow us and others to better understand the effects of standard and minimal running shoes, and which has higher injury rates. This research will not only be beneficial to endurance runners, but it will also give insight into those who wear tennis shoes every day. Although there are millions of individuals that are injured every year while running in either shoe, there are also millions who are not. The goal of this study is to better understand these injuries and whether they are occurring at a greater rate in either minimal or standard shoes. Injuries are highly multifactorial, so research must be long term and precise to be able to differentiate whether or not the cause of injury is due to the shoe or other factors. This study will not only be beneficial per individual but also to shoe companies. This could potentially lead to production of a higher quality shoe design. A serious question on the minds of many coaches, runners, physical therapists, trainers, and physicians is whether running barefoot actually reduces the injury rates. An evolution perspective that humans evolved to run barefoot and therefore acquire less injuries in minimal shoes challenges the assumption that shod running is less injurious. But this is a naive question given that injuries are complex and highly multifactorial. In this study we aim to identify common injuries in elite runners who have worn conventional or minimal shoes for the last five years by tracking their information at baseline and after five years. This will help us to not only understand common injuries of both runners, but also if injuries occur at higher rates in one of the two groups. I hypothesize that conventional shod runners will acquire injuries more frequently in their lower back, hips, knees, …show more content…
For example, shod running is associated with an increased peak torque at each of the three lower extremity joints when compared to minimal or barefoot running. The most prominent increases occur at the hip and knee joints. More importantly, disproportionately large increases in the hip internal rotation torque and in the knee flexion and knee varus torques. An increase in the three joints showed weak correlations with increase stride length observed in shod runners, but an increase in the external knee varus torque was found to significantly correlate with the increase in stride length. This was found to only explain 8% of the variance in the increase while shod running (Kerrigan, Franz, Keenan, Dicharry, Della Croce, & Wilder, 2009). This gives confirmation that one of the effects of the modern day running shoe is to increase joint torques at each of the 3 lower extremity joints. It is hypothesized that these increases are due to the elevated heel and arch support (Kerrigan, Todd, & Riley, 1998). Research observed a 36% increase in the knee flexion torque with modern day running shoes which potentially increases the load of the quadriceps muscle, increases strain through the patella tendon, and increases pressure across the patellofemoral joint (Reilly, & Martens, 1972). Furthermore, the large increase in the hip internal rotation torque, 54%, may lead to high clinical relevance, since previous findings show that competitive running may increase the risk of osteoarthritis of the hip joint (Schmitt, Rohs, Schneider, & Clarius, 2006). Current studies have shown the significant changes occur in standard running shoes, but have yet to conclude whether changing to minimal shoes actually leads to greater benefits and less