Comparison of Minimalist Footwear Strategies for Simulating Barefoot Running: A Randomized Crossover Study

Abstract

Possible benefits of barefoot running have been widely discussed in recent years. Uncertainty exists about which footwear strategy adequately simulates barefoot running kinematics. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of athletic footwear with different minimalist strategies on running kinematics. Thirty-five distance runners (22 males, 13 females, 27.9 ± 6.2 years, 179.2 ± 8.4 cm, 73.4 ± 12.1 kg, 24.9 ± 10.9 km.week-1) performed a treadmill protocol at three running velocities (2.22, 2.78 and 3.33 m.s-1) using four footwear conditions: barefoot, uncushioned minimalist shoes, cushioned minimalist shoes, and standard running shoes. 3D kinematic analysis was performed to determine ankle and knee angles at initial foot-ground contact, rate of rear-foot strikes, stride frequency and step length. Ankle angle at foot strike, step length and stride frequency were significantly influenced by footwear conditions (p<0.001) at all running velocities. Posthoc pairwise comparisons showed significant differences (p<0.001) between running barefoot and all shod situations as well as between the uncushioned minimalistic shoe and both cushioned shoe conditions. The rate of rear-foot strikes was lowest during barefoot running (58.6% at 3.33 m.s-1), followed by running with uncushioned minimalist shoes (62.9%), cushioned minimalist (88.6%) and standard shoes (94.3%). Aside from showing the influence of shod conditions on running kinematics, this study helps to elucidate differences between footwear marked as minimalist shoes and their ability to mimic barefoot running adequately. These findings have implications on the use of footwear applied in future research debating the topic of barefoot or minimalist shoe running.

From barefoot hunter gathering to shod pavement pounding. Where to from here? A narrative review

“…During treadmill running, the proportion of RFS increases as the amount of cushioning in shoes increases. 58 We suggest that this dampening of sensory input will impair subtle refinements in relation to the control of the centre of mass over a moving base of support. It is for this reason, the use of cushioned footwear is likely what contributes to concentrated pressure at specific locations such as the heel and metatarsals, 59 60 thus negating the specialised role of the lateral aspect of the foot and the toes in the fine control of movement.…”

“…Although, this dampens the direct sensory input to the cutaneous receptors, the absence of heel or arch support appears to encourage kinematics similar to the barefoot condition in comparison to cushioned minimalist or standard running shoes. 58 During walking, impulse loading is still three times less in minimalist shoes relative to cushioned shoes. 57 Although, these data appear to suggest barefoot/minimalist activity has a positive effect on biomechanical variables associated with injury, there is an insufficient number of studies which have directly assessed the impact of increasing barefoot activities on injury risk.…”

Which Method Detects Foot Strike in Rearfoot and Forefoot Runners Accurately when Using an Inertial Measurement Unit?

“…This is of great importance to determine the FS angle in continuous kinematic data stream signals of foot orientation in the sagittal plane. This was performed by Heidenfelder et al [1], Hein and Grau [2], and Hollander et al [3] when investigating the FS angle under various conditions (footwear conditions or barefoot vs. shod) in the laboratory. Furthermore, the accuracy of electromyographical (EMG) investigations (EMG onset and EMG peak value) of lower limb muscles is based on an accurately determining FS.…”

“…The short latency between FS and EMG peak emphasizes the importance of accurate and precise FS detection. Moreover, exact FS detection enhances data accuracy and consequently minimizes defective variability in running parameters, e.g., stride length and stride frequency, which have been investigated by various authors [3,[5][6][7][8].…”

A new footwear technology to promote non-heelstrike landing and enhance running performance: Fact or fad?

“…Running in minimalist shoes may simulate barefoot running biomechanics (Hollander, Argubi-Wollesen, Reer, & Zech, 2015;Squadrone & Gallozzi, 2009), which may lead to landing pattern transition and a decreased vertical loading rate. A lower heel to toe drop may lead to a transition in landing pattern from RFS to MFS or FFS (Horvais & Samozino, 2013).…”