Study reveals why these shoes could lead to more runner injuries (Thicker heel shoes)

Medical Xpress / University of Florida / Frontiers in Sports and Active Living ^ | Dec. 18, 2024 | Heather K. Vincent et al

[ConservativeMind]

Runners wearing thick-heeled sneakers were more likely to get injured than those wearing flatter shoes, a recent study has found.

The study, one of the largest and most comprehensive of its kind, also found that runners with thicker heels could not accurately identify how their foot landed with each step, a likely factor in the high injury rates. Because flatter shoes are associated with less injury, the researchers say they are likely the best option for most runners to help improve sensation with the ground and learn to land in a controlled manner. But transitioning to a different shoe type or foot strike pattern can also risk injury and must be done gradually, something that lead author Heather Vincent, Ph.D., knows from personal experience.

"I had to teach myself to get out of the big, high-heeled shoes down to something with more moderate cushioning and to work on foot strengthening," said Vincent. "It may take up to six months for it to feel natural. It's a process."

Both foot strike patterns and shoe type have been linked to running injuries in past studies, but the interaction between the two has been difficult to identify from small groups of runners.

What became clear after controlling for factors like age, weight, running volume and competitiveness was that shoes with thicker heels confused runners about their gait—confusion that was strongly linked to injury.

"The shoe lies between the foot and the ground, and features like a large heel-to-toe drop make it more challenging for runners to identify how they're striking the ground. That clouds how we retrain people or determine if someone is at risk for future injury," Vincent said. "The runners who correctly detected mid- or fore-foot striking had very different shoes: lower heel-to-toe drop; lighter; wider toe box."

[aimhigh]

I just discovered Altra shoes. They angle straight forward on the big toes, not angling inward like a woman’s shoe. It’s wonderful not having my big toes squeezed inward.

[Glad2bnuts]

OH B S. If they train and run in higher heeled shoes, they learn how to use them as with flatter shoes.

FAKE NEWS

[Veto!]

I compromised between running and walking. Did 14-minute mile on the treadmill five days a week. Had all kinds of shoes, but most comfortable were Vionics with a Dr. Scholl’s rubber insert. At 88, a mile is all I could do.

Broke a knee two years ago and slowly trying to work back up to 14-minute miles again. What a slog