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Running shoe technology does not reduce your risk of injury

Running shoe technology does not reduce your risk of injury

Written by: Paul Kochoa, PT, DPT, OCS, CKTP, CGFI

We’ve written about running to this blog many times before.  To prevent injury for such a repetitive sport, we touched on the style of running, exercises to hit the specific running muscles, and type of footwear (or none at all).

In a recent issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, there was a study investigating the technology in the running shoe.  Specifically, they looked at running related injuries and hardness of the midsole of the shoe.  They looked at shoe stiffness, type of injury, running experience, body mass index, and amount of running per week.

They found that the hardness of the midsole doesn’t seem to influence the risk of running related injuries.  So that means the a softer shoe doesn’t give you better protection against injury than a harder shoe.  The softer shoe didn’t even help the heavier runners.

You don’t have to be totally obsessed over the shoe type.  Instead, body mass index, history of injury, and perceived exertion rate are what will increase your risk of injury; while a history of regular running and cross-training will help you avoid them.

If you would like more information, please call Professional Physical Therapy and Training at 973-270-7417. Our offices are located within the YMCA locations in Madison and Summit, NJ.  You do not need to be a member of the YMCA to visit with us.

 

Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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