Lower risk of injury with minimal running shoes

[Michael Schwartz]

Just read this piece of news from from Dr. Weil on Best Running Shoe Choice.
“If you’re a regular runner, your risk of injury may be lower if your shoes have less cushioning. Researchers from the University of Exeter in the UK and Harvard Medical School recruited 29 runners to determine if wearing minimal running shoes with less than standard cushioning and landing on the ball of the foot leads to fewer injuries than wearing more cushioned shoes in which runners typically land on the heel. The researchers noted that three-quarters of runners typically suffer an injury annually, many of which are due to the “loading rate” – the force felt when feet hit the ground. The study found that running in minimal shoes and landing on the balls of the feet reduces loading rates, which may mean fewer injuries. The study participants – 22 men and 7 women – ran in both types of shoes. After each run, the researchers collected “ground force data,” which showed that wearing minimal shoes led to significantly lower loading rates than running in traditional running shoes. This is not likely to be the last word on the subject since earlier studies have suggested that the type of shoe doesn’t make much difference in terms of injury rates.” I think this would apply to walking/backpacking too. I’ve always wondered if the impact forces of hiking with the weight of backpack around 20lbs is similar to the forces an unladen runner experiences.

[Roger Caffin]

Hum ….
We run every two mornings out of three on everything from asphalt to grass. We totally disagree with Dr Weil. The new New Balance Fresh Foam shoes with improved heel cushioning seem wonderful to us.
Many runners suffer injury due to trying to do too much before their tendons and joints have strengthened. It’s very common for ‘weekend warriors’, and seems to happen a bit during short research projects as well.

Cheers

[jimmy b]

At least for BPing I’m all for a well cushioned shoe. The shock absorbing action of footwear with increasing amounts of EVA foam have worked great in keeping our feet and knees feeling much more refreshed at the end of the day. I believe a wider base also adds to distributing impact as well as overall stability. I haven’t felt that I was putting myself at any more risk of injury in fact I would argue that long term shock absorbing shoes would extend the life of ones joints.

[Ralph Burgess]

Andrew Weil is the king of anti-science quackery, so that isn’t a great preamble.
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2011/05/23/dr-andrew-weil-versus-evidence-based-med/

Do you have a link to the paper?  It’s sounds interesting, but it’s a rather extraordinary claim that less cushioning somehow reduces loading.   I’m skeptical that a brief study of “ground force” with N=29 is really going to tell us much about injury rates.  That would take a much larger sample size and a well-controlled long term study of, well, injury rates.

[Nick Gatel]

I have been backpacking with zero drop, non-cushioned cross country racing flats for almost 10 years without an injury.

[Roger Caffin]

Oh, he’s one of those is he? Sigh.

As Nick notes, there is a big difference between a weekend warrior and someone with a long history of fitness and experience. Nick has it; Weil does not.

Cheers

[Woubeir (from Europe)]

Don’t forget also that running and walking are two completely different things. And try walking with a forefoot strike ?

[Nick Gatel]

It is difficult to walk with a foot strike. Really not a natural stride. Running is different. With minimalist shoes you will run with a foot strike and for most people a foot strike will change the mechanics and areas of the legs that are not conditioned for foot strikes due to running in over-engineered shoes and a heel strike. Switching to minimal shoes requires a slow and steady conditioning period so your legs can adapt and “get into shape” otherwise you have a risk of injury.

Because I run in minimalist shoes it is easy for me to change my walking stride when going up hill. Shorter strides with a toe strike. Most people will find a toe strike walking uphill too tiring because they are using muscles that are not conditioned for this. I don’t consciously change my stride. It was pointed out to me by an engineer friend who was new to backpacking — he over analyzes everything and wanted to replicate what I was doing. I told him it was a bad idea to force the body to walk a certain way. Best to just walk and not think about it.

When Bowerman started designing running shoes he had one goal for his runners — lengthen their running stride. His theory was a longer stride at the same pace would enable runners to cover a longer distance in the same time, meaning faster times. He found longer strides forced his runners to switch from a foot strike to a heel strike; and injuries from an unnatural stride. Thus he came up with all the “improvements” that caused more injuries than ever.

Generally it is a bad idea to try and change your stride mechanics. Based on the conditions, footwear, and activity your brain will subconsciously adjust to what is best.

[Michael Schwartz]

Did my heel strike too heavily in my post? I posted the news clip because I know that many here use minimal running shoes and I thought the topic might be of interest. I, myself, am not a runner. I detest running, though I will run when I must. Seems like work to me, whereas I love to walk/hike all day, and sometimes into the night.
I have some minimal running shoes and like them for hikes, but no longer use them for backpacking trips, as I prefer more cushion and structure in a running shoe when I am carrying a bit of weight in a pack. I am now transitioning into zero-drop shoes and quite like them.
Beyond the ad hominem attacks on Dr. Weil (Weil didn’t do the study), here are some links for more info on the study:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27387292
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/featurednews/title_553474_en.html

Food for thought. Tread lightly.

[Roger Caffin]

here are some links for more info on the study:
And they all end up at paywalls. Most frustrating.

Lots of interesting things to read, but they are all pay-pay-pay. I welcome PDFs emailed to me.

Cheers

[Mark]

Is there any evidence that shows “ground force” and/or “loading rates” consistently causes injury?

A search brought up nothing.

On the usual running forums the most common injury i tend to read about is Plantar Fasciitis

Seems the “experts” disagree with the best ways to prevent that, the “solution” tends to depend on who’s funding or paying the wages of said expert, some say minimalist shoes condition our feet to be stronger thus preventing injury, others say various supports or cushioning is needed.

For the small amount of running i do i have noticed that if i wear 1 pair of shoes for several runs i tend to pick up niggly aches and pains.

For shoes with a lot of cushioning like Hoka’s i tend to get pains in my hips and knees, with minimalist shoes it’s my feet and ankles that seem to take a beating.

Doing the same monthly mileage over the same terrain i find if i rotate my footwear i no longer get these aches and pains.

 

[Roger Caffin]

Seems the “experts” disagree with the best ways to prevent that, the “solution” tends to depend on who’s funding or paying the wages of said expert, 
Exactly.

They are not ‘experts’, they are paid lackeys and shills. The tobacco industry had them, the coal industry, the salt industry, the sugar industry – they all have them. I have zero respect for any of them. Simple corruption.

Cheers

[Ralph Burgess]

Beyond the ad hominem attacks on Dr. Weil

Perhaps you are unaware of what ad hominem means?    An ad hominem attack seeks to discredit someone for reasons that are irrelevant to the matter at hand.  For example, it would be ad hominem to say that we should not listen to Andrew Weil’s views on biomechanics because he (hypothetically!) beats his wife.  On the contrary, I pointed out that Andrew Weil’s position as a prominent advocate of alt-med is avowedly anti-scientific, and I linked to an article explaining in considerable detail just why that’s the case.   You may not like the word “quackery”, but it’s still not ad hominem:  it’s slang for an anti-scientific embrace of alt-med woo, and that’s highly relevant to your mention of Weil as (presumably) an authority worth listening to on scientific matters with regard to biomechanics.

I’m nevertheless quite interested in reading the paper to assess it’s merits if you can find a non-paywalled link to it.   I’m just not prepared to trust Weil’s claim that there’s merit in the paper without seeing it for myself.

 

[Roger Caffin]

Yeah, I would like to read the paper as well.

Cheers

[Todd T]

My guess as to why so many studies disagree on this matter:  the thing that really matters is that running is an incredibly repetitive activity.  Repetitive stress, repetitive stress, repetitive stress…  My completely unscientific advice is to rotate between various kinds of shoes so you’re changing the stresses from day to day.

(I gave up running years ago because of the repetitive stress injuries.  Basketball, even three days a week on a concrete court, is less hurtful to my joints.)

[Rusty Beaver]

I started wearing zero drop minimalist shoes exclusively ~7 yrs ago. Years before that, I used to be a runner…running in “running shoes”. I began having knee issues that over the years resulted in painful flare ups by simply jogging across the street in a crosswalk.

For other reasons, I began going barefoot a lot and discovered, sorta by accident, that I could actually jog again, sans shoes, with minimal to no pain or flare ups. That’s when I got rid of all my shoes with lots of cushioning, heel rise, etc and began wearing “barefoot” shoes for everything, including backpacking. I love’em! My knees feel much better than before and after an untold number of hiking and backpacking miles…along with a few jogging miles…. in barefoot shoes, I have not had a single injury. I used to twist my ankles in regular running shoes. I rarely do now…and when I do, it seems I can stop it before my ankle rolls over and overly stresses things.

An observation I’ve noticed since making the switch is the width of my feet….or more specifically, what appears to me as a buildup of muscle…ie, my feet look more muscular. My theory is that before, wearing regular shoes was akin to having a cast on…and many of the little muscles that now get used going barefoot or when wearing barefoot shoes, were atrophied from under use wearing regular shoes.

[Roger Caffin]

what appears to me as a buildup of muscle…ie, my feet look more muscular.
Oh yes, indeed. Wrapped in solid tendons!

Cheers

[Woubeir (from Europe)]

For those who want to read it: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305036405_Footwear_Matters_Influence_of_Footwear_and_Foot_Strike_on_Loadrates_During_Running

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