Born to Run : A Biomechanical Analysis of Barefoot vs. Shod Running Linfield College Alicia Amsberry, Brooke Bekkedahl, & Michelle Weber Outline The Biomechanics of Running Barefoot vs. Shod-Running Vibram Five-Finger Shoes Injuries Recommendations Biomechanics of Running The Gait Cycle Basic unit of measurement in gait analysis Biomechanics of Running Two periods of double float Neither foot is in contact with the ground 1
Vertical Ground Reaction Force Running has been described as essentially a series of collisions with the ground (McMahon and Greene 1979) Kinematics & Rearfoot Motions Transverse Plane Pronation/Supination Normal Pronator Heel-Toe Runner: 1. Initial contact with lateral portion of the heel 2. Rolling inward of the foot (pronation) 3. Foot rolls slightly outward (supination) Pronation is a NORMAL foot movement Cavanagh (1990) Novacheck (1998) http://www.chiropractichelp.com/sprained-ankle.html http://www.dubinchiro.com/f eatures/ankle1.html Underpronator -or- Supinator Underpronator -or- Supinator H.264 Typical in runners with higher arches Check the wear on shoes: Wear on the lateral portion of the heel and toes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiwamtdycg8&feature=rel ated 2
Overpronator Overpronator Common in people with low to flat arches Wear of shoes on the first toe H.264 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiwamtdycg8&feature=rel ated http://www.asics.dk/running/knowledge/understandingpronation/ Heel Striking Pattern Midfoot Striking Shoes: Comfortable Stable Thicker cushion Heel pad Impact large force Foot and heel landing Continuum Center of pressure Stiffness in ankles/knees Little impact Impact transient Forces distributed Forefoot Striking Barefoot vs. Shod Running Most common Minimal impact Avoid large force Forefoot Strike Midfoot Strike (Lieberman, Venkadesan, Daoud, & Werbel, 2010) 3
Kinetics of Barefoot Running Impact Force Effective mass at impact Change in velocity at impact Conversion of vertical momentum at impact Impact forces Heel Strike Forefoot Strike (Lieberman, Venkadesan, Daoud, & Werbel, 2010) Vibram Five-Finger Shoes Uses Promises/benefits Decrease chronic injury Injuries- Shod Research is lacking Acute Ankle sprains Stress fractures Blisters Chronic Plantar fasciitis Achilles tendonitis MTSS Injuries- Barefoot Recommendations Heel injuries Plantar fasciitis Cuts and abrasions Reduces the likelihood of knee pain and other chronic pain More empirical evidence needed for evidence based practice Progression Educate athletes 4
Questions? Thank you to Gallagher Fitness Resources in Salem, OR References Andrew, G.C. (1986). The effect of running velocity on rearfoot motion and mediolateral placement of the feet. Unpublished master s thesis, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park. Bramble & Lieberman (2004). The evolution of human running. Run the Planet: World Wide Resource for Runners. Cavanagh, P. R. (1990). Biomechanics of distance running. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Books Clarke, T.E., Frederick, E.C., & Hamill, C.L. (1984). The study of rearfoot movement in running. In E.C. Frederick (Ed.), Sport shoes and playing surfaces (pp. 166-189). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Eslami, M., Begon, M., Farahpour, N., & Allard, P. (January 01, 2007). Forefoot-rearfoot coupling patterns and tibial internal rotation during stance phase of barefoot versus shod running. Clinical Biomechanics Bristol-, 22, 1, 74-80. Fitzgerald, M. (2010). The barefoot running injury epidemic. http://running.competitor.com/2010/05/features/the-barefoot-running-injury-epidemic_10118. Gallagher Fitness Resources 135 Commercial Street Northeast Salem, OR 97301-3402 Hanna, David R. "Anatomy of a Running Shoe." 2010 National Athletic Training Conference. Convention Center, Philadelphia. July 2010. Lecture. References Nigg, B. M. (1986). Biomechanics of running shoes. Champaign, Ill: Human Kinetics Publishers. Novacheck, T. F. (January 01, 1998). The biomechanics of running. Gait and Posture, 7, 1, 77-95. Jungers, W. L. (January 01, 2010). Biomechanics: Barefoot running strikes back. Nature, 463, 7280, 433-4. Lieberman, Daniel, Venkadesan, Madhusudhan, Daoud, Adam, & Werbel, William. (2010). Biomechanics of foot strikes and applications to running barefoot or in minimal footwear. Retrieved from http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/index.html Morio, Cedric, Lake, Mark, Gueguen, Nils, Rao, Guillaume, & Baly, Laurent. (2009). The influence of footwear on foot motion during walking and running. Journal of Biomechanics, 42, 2081-2088. Oleson, M., Adler, D., & Goldsmith, P. (January 01, 2005). A comparison of forefoot stiffness in running and running shoe bending stiffness. Journal of Biomechanics, 38, 9, 1886-1894. Vibram Five Finger shoes. Vibramfivefingers.com. Warburton, M. (2001). Barefoot running. Sportscience, 5(3). 5