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Your feet may love running shoes. But what about the rest of your body? New research finds that running shoes actually increase the pressure on ankles, knees and hips—more than high heels can during walking. That’s according to a study in the Journal of Injury, Function and Rehabilitation.
Researchers enlisted 68 injury-free runners who normally logged at least 15 miles a week. The subjects ran at their own pace on a treadmill, first in modern running shoes and then again barefoot. It turns out that running shoes upped the pressure, or torque, on knee joints by 38 percent over bare feet. Hips experienced a pressure increase of 54 percent. Walking in inch-and-a-half high stilettos only worsened knee torque by about 20 percent in previous studies.
Since stressful joint pressure can cause osteoarthritis, should runners start hitting the pavement in bare feet? Probably not. True, some elite marathoners do run sans sneakers. But apparently letting the rubber hit the road is like various spiritual rituals: tough on the body, but good for the sole.
—Molly Webster
[The above text is an exact transcript of this podcast.]
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10 Comments
Add CommentDoes the same hold true for walking shoes. Is it better to walk barefoot on a treadmill?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDoes the same hold true or walking shoes? Is it better to walk on the treadmill barefooted?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisthere's a significant body of literature surrounding barefoot running, running shoes, and proper running techniques - and it's pretty well established that shoes engender heel strike which causes jarring and joint damage - I think this suggests the 68 subjects would need to be screened and controlled for having proper running technique (injury free running given a certain level of performance and achievement) ..
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt’s really quite simple. If you take a well-engineered system, and remove the feedback, the system goes out of control even at the risk of damaging itself.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt’s really quite simple. If you take a well-engineered system, and remove the feedback, the system goes out of control even at the risk of damaging itself.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is pretty poor reporting. The study only used one running shoe and, according to other reports, doesn't take into account factors such as pronation, so the conclusion isn't supported by the evidence presented. It's also unclear if it took into account running technique. Having run for more than 10 years I've long since discovered the degree to which the way I run affects the impact on my body. Also, it's known amongst sports doctors that running on a treadmill is a good source of running injury. How much of the difference in impact was caused by how the runners ran on a treadmill vs. how they run on whatever their normal surface is?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisChristopher McDougall's book, 'Born to Run' inspired me to get the Vibram 5 finger running shoes which are gloves for the feet and a plastic/rubberized sole for protection. My hip, knee and back problems went away but as this was late in the season, I had an achilles tendon injury which ended this last season. I'm preparing for this next season on my Stepmill 5000 to strengthen the achilles tendons which the heel cushioning of my previous running shoes left vulnerable thru lack of extension during exercise.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow odd that the author backpedals at the end of the article.... Instead of dismissing this strain as "good for the sole," perhaps it's time to remodel our idea of footwear. Shoes should have absolutely no heel, a flexible sole, and a toe box that is wide at the end of the toes. Look me up online if you would like a copy of an article I wrote about this, and a link to a list of recommended shoes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlso, there is a related study that you might like, called 'Walking Barefoot Decreases Loading on Lower Extremity Joints in Knee Osteoarthritis' published in "Arthritis and Rheumatism" Sept 2006. Seventy-five subjects walked over a force plate instead of running on a treadmill, and used several types of shoes. They measured multiple gait factors (though not pronation). So this study may satify some of the concerns mentioned by TheGoose in a previous comment.
Although there are a few recent research articles, which have received a lot media attention, i wouldn't cal it a significant body of research. I wouldn't make the conclusion that running shoes somehow contribute to osteoarthritis of the knee, as some have alluded to. There have been a couple of studies that indicate that long distance runners have fewer problems with arthritis in the knees and less pain in late age. the latest research in this realm was a long a 14 year study, if memory serves me. As i recall,none of the runners in that study were barefoot. This seems to contradict the idea that running shoes cause injuries. There have been many conclusive leaps on too little science on this issue, especially when there is abundant research available on boimechanics of running. Just take a look at Pubmed and you'll be busy for days reading it all. I have many questions about the way in which the research was conducted, especially when i hear that treadmills were used. Although I'm inclined to agree that barefoot running is probably better for you, i would like to see a little less hyperbole from research.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhen most people think about the latest technology, walking shoes are not what first comes to mind. However, many companies have realized that there are new scientific studies as well as new materials available that will allow them to make walking easier on the human body and less likely to cause injury.
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