“Acute responses to barefoot running are related to changes in kinematics, mechanical load, and inflammatory profile”

Abstract

This study investigated the acute effects of barefoot (BF) running on biomechanical parameters and cytokine concentrations. Seventy-one habitually shod runners had biomechanical parameters evaluated during running shod (SH) and BF, while a sub-group of 19 runners had their inflammatory profile analyzed before and after a running session, using their habitual shoes or barefoot. Running BF changed spatiotemporal and joint kinematics, including the stride frequency (increased) and length (decreased), and foot strike pattern (more plantarflexed ankle at initial contact). An increased impact force was observed (p < 0.05), while joint moment, power, and work were also affected by BF running: a shift of joint load from the knee and hip to the ankle occurred (p < 0.05). In cytokine levels, maintenance (all cytokines, except Eotaxin, IL-12p40, IL-2, IL5, and MIP-1 beta) or reductions (IL-12p40, IL-2, and IL5) were observed as an acute response to BF running, what means to keep or reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and immunological/chemoattraction proteins when compared to SH. Summarily, a single session of BF running may not represent enough stress to induce changes in the inflammatory profile. Besides the increased impact force, the joint load was reduced during short-term BF running. Nevertheless, short-term BF running should be cautiously applied due to the shift of joint load from the knee and hip to the ankle.