A study published in the December 2009 issue of PM&R (Journal of Injury, Function and Rehabilitation) shows that running in modern running shoes exerts more stress on hip, knee, and ankle joints than running barefoot or even walking in high-heeled shoes.

The study revealed that while running shoes protect and support the feet, they lead to an increase in torque forces to ankles, knees and hips. The 36 to 38 percent increase to knee torque was significantly more than the 20 to 26 percent torque increase from walking in high-heels.

"Considering that lower extremity joint loading is of a significantly greater magnitude during running than is experienced during walking, the current findings indeed represent substantial biomechanical changes," said one of the study directors D. Casey Kerrigan in a press statement, adding that the goal of new footwear design should be to reduce joint torque so it is on a par with barefoot running, while not compromising other functions.

SOURCE: Medical News Today

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed