Barefoot and minimalist shoe wearers
reported a more anterior footstrike than traditionally shod runners, say
authors of an article
that will be published in the October-December issue of the US Army Medical Department Journal.
Traditionally shod runners were more likely to report injuries of the lower
extremities than runners who wear minimalist shoes.
For this retrospective descriptive epidemiology survey, the authors
recruited 2,509 runners (1,254 male, 1,255 female) aged 18 to 50 to complete an
anonymous online survey. The survey assessed running tendencies, footstrike
patterns, shoe preferences, and injury history. Reported footstrike patterns
were compared among 3 shoe groups: traditionally shod, minimalist shoes, and
barefoot runners. Overall and specific anatomical injury incidence was compared
between traditionally shod and minimalist shoe-wearing runners. They did not
include 1,605 runners in the analyses due to incomplete data or recent changes
in footstrike patterns and/or shoe selection.
Shoe selection was significantly associated with reported footstrike (χ²
(4df) =143.4). Barefoot and minimalist runners reported a more anterior
footstrike than traditionally shod runners. Traditionally shod runners were
3.41 times more likely to report injuries than experienced minimalist shoe
wearers (46.7% shod vs 13.7% minimalist, χ² (1df) =77.4, n=888). Minimalist
shoe wearers also reported fewer injuries at the hip, knee, lower leg, ankle,
and foot than traditionally shod runners.
Additional longitudinal prospective research is required to examine injury
incidence among various footstrike patterns and shoe preferences, the authors
add.
The article was written by APTA members Donald
L. Goss, PT, DPT, PhD, OCS, ATC, and Michael
T. Gross, PT, PhD, FAPTA.
I can only speak for myself. I am 57 years old and have been running consistently since my early 20s. 3.5 years ago I made the transition to running barefoot. The changes in my feet and reduction of injury has been nothing short of miraculous. I am now running 80-100 miles a week consistently with no problems. I have never had this much fun running. I did face some initial challenges, mostly from a bunion on my left big toe, but I proceeded with caution and worked through it. Now the bunion is gone and my toe continues to straighten out. My only regret is that I did not take a weekly photo to document the dramatic changes in my feet. When I'm not running in my bare feet, my shoe of choice is the Invisible Shoe. All the fun and benefits of being barefoot, while providing a layer of protection. Awesome product!
Posted by bill
on 9/27/2012 5:13 PM
Like Bill (from 9/27 post) I can speak from a sample size of one. I am a "clydsedale", weighing around 200 pounds, so I had always subscribed to the "more is better" philosophy regarding cushion and support shoes. I have made a gradual progression to mininmal shoes and plan to continue to bare foot eventually. I am faster and have less aches and pains with minimal footwear, with one exception. About a year into my transition I tore a calf muscle 12 miles into a half marathon. I attribute this injury to the classic "too much, too soon" rule regarding my speed and mileage. So my take home point is that, while I'm convinced that minimal is the way to go, we have to be careful (and advise our clients likewise) and bear in mind that most of us have to re-learn to walk and run barefoot.
Posted by Jake
on 10/8/2012 2:53 PM
I find the whole barefoot/minimalist running fad comical. Anyone who has run track, with good coaching and mechanics, knows about fore/midfoot running. Look at the bottom of track shoes, where are the spikes? In the forefoot! And we ran on dirt or now synthetic surfaces to avoid overstressing our metatarsals (to a degree). And we ran on the road with the same mechanics, without heel striking. But recreational folks feet are not prepared to handle concrete barefoot or in minimalist shoe, unless they have good mechanics, strong calf musculature and have gradually progressed into fore/midfoot running. This progression can take months to over a year to tolerate.
Posted by Ken B
on 10/10/2012 1:11 AM