Individual Responses to a Barefoot Running Program Insight Into Risk of Injury

NewsBot · Jan 8, 2016

Members do not see these Ads. Sign Up.
Individual Responses to a Barefoot Running Program
Insight Into Risk of Injury
Nicholis Tam, Ross Tucker, and Janie L. Astephen Wilson
Am J Sports Med January 7, 2016

Background: Barefoot running is of popular interest because of its alleged benefits for runners, including reduced injury risk and increased economy of running. There is a dearth in understanding whether all runners can gain the proposed benefits of barefoot running and how barefoot running may affect long-term injury risk.
Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to determine whether runners can achieve the proposed favorable kinematic changes and reduction in loading rate after a progressive training program that included barefoot running. It was hypothesized that not all individuals would experience a decrease in initial loading rate facilitated by increased ankle plantar flexion after a progressive barefoot running program; it was further hypothesized that relationships exist between changes in initial loading rate and sagittal ankle angle.
Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study.
Methods: A total of 26 habitually shod runners completed an 8-week, progressively introduced barefoot running program. Pre- and postintervention barefoot and shod kinematics, electromyography, and ground-reaction force data of the lower limb were collected. Ankle and knee kinematics and kinetics, initial loading rates, spatiotemporal variables, muscle activity during preactivation, and ground contact were assessed in both conditions before and after the intervention. Individual responses were analyzed by separating runners into nonresponders, negative responders, and positive responders based on no change, increase, and decrease in barefoot initial loading rate, respectively.
Results: No biomechanical changes were found in the group after the intervention. However, condition differences did persist during both preactivation and ground contact. The positive-responder group had greater plantar flexion, increased biceps femoris and gluteus medius preactivation, and decreased rectus femoris muscle activity between testing periods. The negative responders landed in greater barefoot dorsiflexion after the intervention, and the nonresponders did not change. An overall change in ankle flexion angle was associated with a change in initial loading rate (r2 = 0.345, P = .002) in the barefoot but not shod condition.
Conclusion: Eight weeks of progressive barefoot running did not change overall group biomechanics, but subgroups of responders (25% of the entire group) were identified who had specific changes that reduced the initial loading rate. It appears that changes in initial loading rate are explained by changes in ankle flexion angle at initial ground contact.
Clinical Relevance: Uninstructed barefoot running training does not reduce initial loading rate in all runners transitioning from shod to barefoot conditions. Some factors have been identified that may assist sports medicine professionals in the evaluation and management of runners at risk of injury. Conscious instruction to runners may be required for them to acquire habitual barefoot running characteristics and to reduce risk of injury.
Click to expand...

mike weber · Jan 8, 2016

Anyone able to send me a full copy please?

NewsBot · Jan 17, 2016

Effects of 12 weeks of barefoot running on foot strike patterns, inversion–eversion and foot rotation in long-distance runners
Pedro A. Latorre-Rom?n et al
Journal of Sport and Health Science; 11 January 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 12 weeks of barefoot running on foot strike patterns, inversion–eversion and foot rotation in long-distance runners.

Methods
Thirty-one endurance runners with no experience in barefoot running were randomized into a control group and an experimental group who received barefoot training. At pre-test and post-test, all subjects ran at low and high self-selected speeds on a treadmill. Data were collected by systematic observation of lateral and back recordings at 240 Hz.

Results
McNemar's test indicated significant changes (p < 0.05) in the experimental group at both high and low speed running in foot strike patterns, reducing the percentage of high rearfoot strikers and increasing the number of midfoot strikers. A significant increase (p < 0.05) of external rotation of the foot and a decrease of inversion occurred at comfortable speed in the experimental group.

Conclusion
Twelve weeks of barefoot running, applied progressively, causes significant changes in foot strike pattern with a tendency toward midfoot or forefoot strikes, regardless of running speed and significant changes in foot rotation at low speed, while the inversion was reduced in left foot at low speed with a tendency toward centered strike.
Click to expand...

NewsBot · Nov 9, 2021

Transitioning from traditional running shoes to barefoot running: probability of success and predictors of failure
N. Collins K. Mills B. Vicenzino
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2021.09.105

Background: Barefoot running promotes biomechanics that are theorised to reflect the way humans evolved to run. For barefoot running to be considered an implementable clinical strategy in sports medicine, it’s important to be able to identify individuals who may not tolerate barefoot running. This study aimed to: (i) identify the probability of a runner successfully transitioning from a traditional shoe to barefoot running; and (ii) identify if runners’ baseline characteristics were associated with failure to successfully transition to barefoot running from a traditional shoe.
Methods: Seventy-six runners (52.4% females; age (mean (SD)) 35 (8.9) years; weight 69.9 (13.4) kg) commenced a 20-week transition from a traditional running shoe (New Balance 1080) to barefoot running. Baseline variables were: sex, weight, age, overall comfort of the traditional shoe (100mm visual analogue scale), midfoot width difference (difference between weightbearing and non-weight bearing midfoot width), and pressure pain threshold of the lateral midfoot. Transition steps were: (1) 4-weeks running in a traditional shoe; (2) 4-week graded transition to minimal shoe (New Balance Minimus); (3) 4-weeks running in a minimal shoe; (4) 4-week graded transition to barefoot running; (5) 4-weeks barefoot running. Participants could exit the study at any time. Survival analysis determined the cumulative probability of successfully transitioning to barefoot running. Individuals who exited the study for a reason unrelated to the transition were censored. Multivariate Cox regression analysis determined whether baseline variables were associated with not successfully transitioning.
Results: Sixty-four participants (84%) were followed until they exited the study due to transition/footwear reasons or they successfully transitioned. The cumulative probability of successfully transitioning was 71% (95% CI 61% to 83%). For every millimetre of midfoot width difference >10.4mm, the hazard ratio of not successfully transitioning increased by 18% (1.18, 1.03 to 1.36; p=0.02). For every millimetre increase in traditional shoe overall comfort, the hazard ratio of not successfully transitioning decreased by 3% (0.97, 0.95 to 0.99; p=0.03).
Discussion: Most runners will be able to successfully transition to barefoot running following a graded program. Individuals with more mobile feet are less likely to tolerate the transition, possibly because they benefit from the support afforded by shoes. Individuals that find traditional running shoes comfortable are more likely to successfully transition. This may be because their foot is able to maintain the same shape both with and without shoes.
Click to expand...

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

mike weber MVP

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

NewsBot The Admin that posts the news.

Foot Orthotics in Older Individuals with Cognitive Impairment

Toe Separator in Standing and Walking Balance in Individuals with Bilateral Hallux Valgus

Individual differences in Achilles tendon shape can affect susceptibility to injury

Evaluation of foot health related quality of life in individuals with foot problems by gender:

Neuromechanical coupling within the human triceps surae and its consequence on individual force shar

Low back pain and disability in individuals with plantar heel pain

Spatiotemporal and plantar pressure patterns of 1000 healthy individuals aged 3-101 years

Share This Page