check THIS out wrote:
trackhead wrote:These are some good studies:
http://nhscc.home.comcast.net/l3_paper.htmhttp://www.sportsci.org/jour/0103/mw.htm
nice - some actual real studies. interesting conclusions from the last article.
Check this out:
Did you read these studies? As Caroline Burge the reviewer of the article you cite points out:
"As acknowledged in the present review, evidence that barefoot running reduces risk of injury appears to be entirely observational. As such, it is premature to recommend barefoot running for reducing the incidence of running-related injuries."
She further points out that:
"Also not addressed in this review is the issue of the role of shoes in the etiology of stress fractures, a common injury in distance runners...."
And
"Not wearing shoes may also accelerate development of other injuries in vulnerable runners. Some of the common and most difficult injuries of the foot to diagnose and treat, particularly if the injury becomes chronic, are presented below."
Futher point: Google is not a reliable search engine for refereed scholarly work.
For example, it would never turn up an article I found in BIOMECHANICS May , 2004 by Ben Patritti, which claims that cushioning HELPS to reduce injury and improve economy in distance runners:
Some quotations from Patritti's article:
"When there is no cushioning layer at the foot-ground interface, as in barefoot running, the severity of impact is much greater than during shod running. This is typified by higher rates of loading11-13 (Figure 1) and greater peak shock to the lower leg.11,14 Although mechanical impact tests and simulations of foot-ground impact in running have predicted that more cushioning will result in reduced peak impact forces,6,12 this has not always been demonstrated experimentally.11,15 Researchers have suggested that adjustments in lower limb kinematics at foot strike may affect the expected reduction of peak loads.16 In fact, it has recently been suggested that peak impact force is not an appropriate index for characterizing the cushioning performance of running shoes.17,18
By comparison, the cushioning effects of athletic shoes and sports surfaces are well differentiated by the rate of change and frequency characteristics of impact loads.11,12,15,19,20 The observed changes are generally consistent with the mechanical force-deformation properties of the midsole materials.11 Similar findings have been reported for simulations of ground contact21 and impacts under controlled conditions using a "human pendulum" apparatus.22,23 Rate of pressure increases, rather than peak pressures, under the heel on impact are also sensitive to differences in cushioning.24,25 Relative differences in impact severity of up to 25% may be shown by the rate of loading depending on the level of cushioning in question.22 These findings further support the observation that shoe cushioning does influence the loading of the body and can provide a protective function. "
And
"The adaptation of leg stiffness to cushioning at the foot-ground interface likely explains the influence of shoe midsoles and sports surfaces on running economy, as measured by oxygen consumption at a given running speed.33,42-44 The greater knee flexion velocities and accompanying decreases in leg stiffness associated with running in harder midsole shoes necessitate increased eccentric muscle action and impose a greater metabolic demand on the body. Running in soft-soled shoes can reduce oxygen consumption by 1% to 2% compared to running in hard-soled shoes,42 and it has been shown that a greater leg stiffness when running on softer surfaces can reduce the metabolic cost to the runner by up to 12%.43 "
There are lots of good databases for finding research in this area. Google isn't one of them!
Above all: listen to your body.
Johnston.
ps -- though I use trainers, just got back from a sweet tempo run in some very low flats (nb 950s.) Through experimentation (and injury) I've found that a mix of low heeled trainers, spikes & flats works best for me.