Running Barefoot or in Minimalist Shoes

Effects of Foot Strike on Low Back Posture, Shock Attenuation, and Comfort in Running

“…This is consistent with current evidence suggesting that mnning with an FFS would decrease shock when compared with mnning RFS (6,29,31), Shock attenuation was also observed to be greater with RFS than FFS; there is more shock absorbed throughout the body when running RFS, This may be due to the overall greater footground impact to be generated in RFS, thus increasing the magnitude of shock to be attenuated. This result is consistent with Mercer et al, (24), indicating that an RFS would absorb more shock in the body because of a longer stride length.…”

“…When initial foot contact was changed in mnning, the positional change ofthe lumbar spine was not necessarily in favor of flexion or extension but rather in overall ROM as confirmed by the present study. This change in overall lumbar ROM may be accounted for by the shorter stride length that occurs when mnning FFS compared with RFS (31). A change in stride length creates changes in the pelvis (8), and positional changes in the pelvis correspond with lumbar lordosis changes (7).…”

“…Evidence shows that BF changes the foot strike pattem from a rearfoot strike (RFS) to a forefoot strike (FFS) (10,31). This change results in a decrease in impact attenuation at the tibia (4) and in vertical ground reaction force (21).…”

“…If shock attenuation could change by running a different way, then perhaps injiuy and pain in the low back could change as well. It is believed that with an increase in stride length, an increase in shock attenuation occurs (24) as with RFS (6,31).…”

Acute effect of different minimalist shoes on foot strike pattern and kinematics in rearfoot strikers during running

“…Barefoot running has been a very popular topic in books, magazines, websites, as well as in scientific research (e.g. Hsu, 2012;Jenkins & Cauthon, 2011;Rothschild, 2012b), and almost every major shoemaking company has started marketing a minimalist or barefoot-like shoe line. New minimalist shoe companies are continually emerging (Altman & Davis, 2012a), to the point that in 2011 this market accounted for 8% of total running shoe sales in North America (Less Shoe, More Sales, Footwear Insight, 2011).…”