Joggers using cushioned trainers more likely to get injured reveals University of Exeter study
- Joggers using supported footwear land on their heels with each stride
- This increases their ‘loading rate’ – the impact of them hitting the ground
- Experts say this force makes them more likely get injured while running
- While running bare foot lowers the risk by landing on the ball of the foot
Stephen Matthews For Mailonline
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Running in cushioned trainers could make you more likely to hurt yourself, new research suggests.
This is because joggers tend to land on their heels, which increases their ‘loading rate’ – the impact of them hitting the ground.
Experts say this force makes them more likely to suffer an injury during their early morning run or late night jog.
While those who run bare foot or with minimal support put most of their body weight onto the ball of their foot and are at a much lower risk.
Running in cushioned trainers makes you more likely to hurt yourself, new research suggests
Researchers from the University of Exeter compared how quickly the force acts when runners’ feet hit the ground – which has previously been shown to influence injury risk.
They assessed 29 runners and found significantly lower rates for those who wore so-called minimal trainers and landed on the ball of their feet.
This was compared to those in normal running shoes – regardless of whether they landed on their heel or ball of their foot.
Lead researcher Dr Hannah Rice, of the University of Exeter, said: ‘So many people use running as a means of reducing the risk of chronic diseases, but about three-quarters of runners typically get injured in a year.
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‘Footwear is easily modifiable but many runners are misguided when it comes to buying new trainers.
‘This research shows that running in minimal shoes and landing on the balls of your feet reduces loading rates and may therefore reduce the risk of injury.’
Running continues to grow in popularity but injury rates have not fallen despite decades of research aimed at reducing them.
Modern-day runners in cushioned footwear tend to land on the heel – known as a ‘rearfoot strike’ – while those who run barefoot are more likely to land on the ball of the foot – a ‘forefoot strike’.
This is because joggers tend to land on their heels, which increases their ‘loading rate’ – the impact of them hitting the ground
Rearfoot strike runners experience an abrupt vertical impact force each time the foot lands on the ground.
This impact force is often missing when running with a forefoot strike but previous research has shown that forward/backwards and sideways forces can be higher with a forefoot strike, meaning the total force is similar.
Total force seems to be similar between foot strikes if wearing modern, cushioned trainers.
Dr Rice said: ‘This seems to suggest that, for runners in traditional, cushioned running shoes, foot strike pattern may not matter for injury risk.
‘However, we suspected that the same may not be true of runners who regularly use minimal shoes, which don’t have the cushioning provided by traditional running shoes.
‘Our research tells us that becoming accustomed to running with a forefoot strike in shoes that lack cushioning promotes a landing with the lowest loading rates, and this may be beneficial in reducing the risk of injury.’
Any transition to new footwear or to a different foot strike pattern should be undertaken gradually and with guidance, she added.
The paper, Footwear Matters: Influence Of Footwear And Foot Strike On Load Rates During Running, is published in the journal Medicine Science in Sports Exercise.
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