The Influence of Running Shoes and Foot-Strike Patterns on Running Injuries / 医用生物力学

ABSTRACT

Long distance running is a popular sport with a high risk of getting musculoskeletal injuries, which is closely related to running shoes and foot-strike patterns. Biomechanical researches on relationship of running shoes and foot-strike patterns with running injuries were searched on the chain cloud library and Google academic database, and a total of 42 papers published from 1981 to 2016 were reviewed. There is not enough evidence to prove that running shoes have an effective cushioning and motor controlling function as what they claim, while barefoot running as a kind of more natural running pattern should be encouraged. Generally speaking, the forefoot strike has a lower injury risk on the knee, but increases the load on ankle and metatarsal bones. On the contrary, the rear foot strike always has a higher injury risk on the knee while a lower load on ankle and metatarsal bones. Therefore, runners should choose a suitable running method depending on their own conditions. The influence of running method transformation on biomechanical characteristics of lower limbs is not clear, and researches in such area may give more effective suggestions for runners to change their running methods.