Barefoot running survey: Evidence from the field
David Hryvniak, Jay Dicharry, Robert Wilder
A review by James Shmagranoff
Introduction
Running has become increasingly popular over the past 10 years both for leisure and for competition, and because of this interest, shoe company sales and shoe prices have also increased (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014). Shoe company investments in design and technology have yet to lead to a decrease in running injuries, which occur at least once a year in an estimated 30-75% of recreational runners, so people have begun to revert back to the pre-shoe era and run barefoot or with minimalistic shoes (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014). In order to discover if these new trends are affecting the health of runners, biased studies from shoe companies have flooded the mainstream and have pushed against true clinical research, therefore, this study aims to show how barefoot funning can affect injury, performance, and running efficiency (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014).
Methods
A 10 question survey regarding barefoot running was created by the University of Virginia Center for Endurance Sport and taken by 509 runners who had experience with barefoot running (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014). The questions from the study are listed below.
“1. Why did you begin barefoot running?
2. How long have you run barefoot?
3. What is the % of your weekly mileage you run barefoot?
4. Where do you run barefoot—grass, trails, city streets, sidewalks, treadmill?
5. Do you view barefoot running as a training tool to improve specific aspects of running or as a viable alternative to shoes for logging miles?
6. Do you currently use minimalistic shoes?
7. Have your race times improved since incorporating barefoot running?
8. In regards to foot, ankle, knee, hip, low back, or none, identify new injuries since barefoot running
9. Using the same sites above, what sites of previous injuries that have gone away?
10. Did you have Achilles or foot pain when initially beginning the transition to barefoot?”
(Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014).
Results
The highest trends in the questions by order of first through tenth were as follows: the promise of improved efficiency (60%), training for over a year barefoot (40%), 100% weekly incorporation by 16% but 94% incorporated it at least part of the week, grass (60%), improve aspects of running (53%), minimalist shoes incorporated into rotation by 42% of participants, race time improvements by 39% (note only 6% had slower times), no new injuries (64%) but those with injuries were to foot (22%), injuries subsided for 69%, Achilles pain reported by 55% but 47% say it improved quickly (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014).
Discussion
While this is the first study completed regarding injuries acquired by barefoot running, the short 10 question study lacks discrepancies in age, gender, athleticism as well as other demographics and biases with those who failed at barefoot running not being included (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014). The data of this survey is in line with previous data in regards of beginning barefoot running to improve efficiency or alleviate injury (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014). Micro trauma to the soft tissue and bone as well as adjusted joint angles and muscular activity have been linked to running with cushioned shoes because the body tries to decrease the force of impact (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014). By correcting leg spring, a runner can run in shoes or barefoot on soft or hard ground and have the same impact loading capabilities (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014). Past research is split when it comes to efficiency of shoes versus barefoot. It appears that shoe runners have higher heart rates, oxygen consumption, and perceived exertion while barefoot runners have increased step and metabolic rates (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014). Shoes also cause the knee and hip joints to be elevated and have increased torque due to heel padding, which can be problematic and injurious to the patella tendon, patellofemoral joint, medial knee compartment, ankle joints, and hip joints (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014). Barefoot running has been linked to knee injury improvements, which is notable, as knee injuries are the most common running injury (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014). This study found that not only did the majority of new barefoot runners not experience any new injuries after commencing, but foot, ankle, hip, and lower back injuries improved (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014).
For those who have become barefoot runners as their usual method for running, it has been found that they experience lower vertical loading rates (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014). Lower vertical loading rates helps to lower risk for tibial stress fractures as well as plantar fasciitis (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014). A limitation to this study was the inability to judge foot strike pattern, which would be useful because heel, mid-foot, and forefoot strike affect lower body mechanics differently (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014). Previously, shoe companies used the arch support as the method for prescribing shoes, but new data shows that arch support may actually weaken foot muscles or place extra stain on the plantar fascia (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014). Those who suffered from chronic plantar fasciitis saw improvements more quickly when wearing minimalistic shoes as compared to the extra shoe cushions (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014). There have been reports of runners who previously wore high arch supports switching immediately to minimalistic shoes and suffering from metatarsal stress fractures, but this could be due to the lack of progression from shoe to no shoe. This study found that habitual barefoot running reduced stress injuries and had quick adaptation once switching to barefoot, however, it should be noted that barefoot running should be introduced slowly and gradually as a way to adjust and adapt (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014).
Conclusion
This study found intriguing trends in regards that the majority of runners did not experience any new injuries and those who did had quick adaptation to injury, or even had previous injuries resolve once switching (Hryvniak, Dicharry, & Wilder, 2014).
Practical application
While this study does have many limitations in regards to physical evidence in the tissue and musculature differences of shoe runners versus barefoot runners, this information gathered by the survey is quite interesting. There are a lot of debates and opinions in regards to running barefoot or in minimalistic shoes due to the biased research provided by shoe companies. Great future studies could look at long term effects on soft tissue and joint stress comparing shoeless and shoes as well as force production studies and imaging of foot strike patterns. Overall, I found this study to be quite interesting, as I had not had any previous knowledge on barefoot running. I think that the inclination of minimalistic shoes improving injury is very exciting, and working with a large number of clients whom suffer from plantar fasciitis, future studies on the relief from that injury would be very useful information to many endurance athletes.
References
Hryvniak, D., Dicharry, J., & Wilder, R. (2014). Barefoot running survey: Evidence from the field. Journal of sport and health science, 3(2), 131-136. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254614000337
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