Like anyone else who writes about medical or health topics when reporting and commenting on science, I always get responses with anecdotes about what was written with it either does or does not apply to them. Anecdotes and testimonials always turn up in the comments sections. While they may be important to the individual, anecdotes […]
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Running Shoes and the Preferred Motion Pathway
This was timely. I was just working on the lesson for my Clinical Biomechanics Boot Camp course about the Preferred Motion Pathway and a new publication turns up on it. As Hannibal Smith from the A-Team used to say “I love it when a plan comes together“; or for my daughter’s generation, as Special Agent […]
Is changing footstrike pattern beneficial to runners?
I just going to leave this one there with no commentary… Is changing footstrike pattern beneficial to runners? Joseph Hamill & Allison H. Gruber Journal of Sport and Health Science; 28 February 2017 Some researchers, running instructors, and coaches have suggested that the “optimal” footstrike pattern to improve performance and reduce running injuries is land […]
Running economy barefoot, in minimalist shoes and traditional running shoes
I almost did not get to writing this post today. Mainly because the topic has been done to death and I would really like something more interesting to blog about. I have litigated the footwear and running economy issue many times: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. So why did I decide to […]
RCT of traditional running shoes vs minimalist running shoes
Several previous prospective randomized studies have looked at injury rates between those using the traditional running shoes and barefoot/minimalist running shoes. I reviewed two here and here and did not review this one. I won’t relitigate the issues surrounding the claims regarding injury rates as I commented on that in those posts. However, the conclusions […]
Bending Stiffness of Running Shoes and Running Energetics
Hot on the heels of my last post on the running shoes for the sub-2hr marathon we now have a study that looks at running energetics and the bending stiffness of the shoe. I don’t want to re-litigate all the issues surrounding running shoes and running economy, so they can be read here for background. […]
The running shoe for the sub-2 hr marathon
I previously blogged about the wishful thinking fallacy, pseudoscience and quackery claim that the first sub 2 hour marathon will be run barefoot 2 years ago and nothing since then has convinced me to change my mind. If anything, the opposite has been the case. My belief is that the running shoe that is used […]
Yet again, more of the same …
…I not too well today and do not have the energy to do a detailed analysis, so will not comment much on this new paper just published. I have litigated the issues previously in this post on Running Economy and Foot Strike Pattern. Joint stiffness and running economy during imposed forefoot strike before and after […]
Search Engine Popularity of Different Running Shoes Brands
Its that time of the year again. I did this in December 2013,2014 and 2015. These figures are the estimated Google search volume per month for the last 12 months for each brand appended with the words ‘running shoes’. Please read the disclaimer below. As with the 2013 and 2014 posts, there are some disclaimers: […]
More of the same…
Last week I wrote: When I read things like this……I roll my eyes. Not because there is anything wrong with the publication; it is just the heat and vitriol that I and others were subjected to over the years by the fan boy haters for pointing out what the overwhelming preponderance of evidence is continuing […]
When I read things like this…
…I roll my eyes. Not because there is anything wrong with the publication; it is just the heat and vitriol that I and others were subjected to over the years by the fan boy haters for pointing out what the overwhelming preponderance of evidence is continuing to show. Their propaganda and rhetoric is still not […]
Impact loads in barefoot and shoe running
I currently sitting in Toronto airport waiting for a flight, so will not say anything much on this: The effects of barefoot and barefoot inspired footwear on tibiofemoral kinetics during running Jonathan Sinclair Human Movement. ISSN (Online) 1899-1955, DOI: 10.1515/humo-2016-0022, October 2016 Purpose. The current investigation aimed to examine the effects of running barefoot and […]
‘Overpronation’ and achilles tendon blood flow
Those who have done one of my Clinical Biomechanics Boot Camps know the dilemma I have of about the pathomechanical link between foot biomechanics and load in the Achilles tendon, and the speculation that it’s potentially a joint moment issue at the subtalar joint and not the ankle joint. Having said that, this new study […]
Impacts and injury and the transition to minimalist running shoes
I struggled to come up with a title for this post as in the study below two key points came out and the points that come out of the study are not necessarily related to each other. Here is the study: Injuries observed in a prospective transition from traditional to minimalist footwear: correlation of high […]
Barefoot Running and ‘Overpronation’
I previously noted that some barefoot runners claim that the height of the arch of their feet increased after taking up barefoot running; others claim no change and, much to their dismay, some even have reported a decrease in their arch height. Some have documented changes in arch shape with photographs, and others have faked […]