Ground Reaction Force Differences between Bionic Shoes and Neutral Running Shoes in Recreational Male Runners before and after a 5 km Run.

Wenjing Quan,Huiyu Zhou,Qiuli Hu,Yaodong Gu,Julien S Baker,Xinyan Jiang

doi:10.3390/ijerph18189787

Abstract

Running-related injuries are common among runners. Recent studies in footwear have shown that designs of shoes can potentially affect sports performance and risk of injury. Bionic shoes combine the functions of barefoot running and foot protection and incorporate traditional unstable structures based on bionic science. The purpose of this study was to investigate ground reaction force (GRF) differences for a 5 km run and how bionic shoes affect GRFs. Sixteen male recreational runners volunteered to participate in this study and finished two 5 km running sessions (a neutral shoe session and a bionic shoe session). Two-way repeated-measures ANOVAs were performed to determine the differences in GRFs. In the analysis of the footwear conditions of runners, bionic shoes showed significant decreases in vertical impulse, peak propulsive force, propulsive impulse, and contact time, while the braking impulse and vertical instantaneous loading rate (VILR) increased significantly compared to the neutral shoes. Main effects for a 5 km run were also observed at vertical GRFs and anterior–posterior GRFs. The increases of peak vertical impact force, vertical average loading rate (VALR), VILR, peak braking force and braking impulse were observed in post-5 km running trials and a reduction in peak propulsive force and propulsive impulse. The interaction effects existed in VILR and contact time. The results suggest that bionic shoes may benefit runners with decreasing injury risk during running. The findings of the present study may help to understand the effects of footwear design during prolonged running, thereby providing valuable information for reducing the risk of running injuries.

Highlights

Running has many benefits, including providing an accessible form of exercise for the cardiovascular system [1]
In one of our previous studies [25], we investigated the effect of prolonged running with bionic shoes (BS) on the lower limb joint biomechanics and concluded that footwear personalization can bring benefits to runners, reduce the risk of injury, and improve running performance
Our study showed a decrease in vertical instantaneous loading rate (VILR) with the bionic footwear before a 5 km run, which may indicate bionic shoes have a more cushioning effect or absorb more shock during a short-term running session

Summary

Introduction

Running has many benefits, including providing an accessible form of exercise for the cardiovascular system [1]. Running-related injuries are common among runners, with up to 79% of runners suffering from musculoskeletal injuries annually with many factors playing a contributory role in the etiology of the injuries observed [2,3]. The high rate of running-related injuries has led healthcare providers and researchers to further understand the determinants of these injuries, as well as methods for treatment and prevention [4,5]. The majority of injuries result from overuse injuries [6] Overuse injuries such as stress fractures, iliotibial band syndrome, patellofemoral pain syndrome, medial tibial stress syndrome and plantar fasciitis are common among recreational and competitive runners [7,8].

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Conclusion