Be a Healthy Runner with Proper Running Form and Shoes

By Danny Abshire, co-founder, Newton Running

Do you think a running shoe with a thickly cushioned heel pad and rigid medial post can keep you from suffering common running injuries such as plantar fasciitis, iliotibial band syndrome or shin splits? Think again.

Recent research and news reports are confirming what those close to the sport have known for years: running shoes with thick midsoles, extensive anti-pronation devices and large heel crash pads don’t prevent injuries.

The key to preventing running injuries is to run with lightweight shoes and efficient, low-impact running form. Running in heavy, overbuilt running shoes can put more strain on a runner’s body, reduce proprioception necessary to engage proper form and make a runner’s feet and lower legs overwork braking and propulsive muscles and connective tissue — a combination which can actually make a runner more prone to common overuse injuries.

A recent study at the University of Newcastle in Australia concluded there is no scientific evidence to support claims that running shoes with elevated heel crash pads and elaborate anti-pronation systems prevent injuries in runners. The findings have been published in the March 2009 edition of the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

“Since the 1980s, distance running shoes with thick, heavily cushioned heels and features to control how much the heel rolls in, have been consistently recommended to runners who want to avoid injury,” Dr. Craig Richards, one of the researchers, said in a press release announcing the results of the study. “We did not identify a single study that has attempted to measure the effect of this shoe type on either injury rates or performance. This means there is no scientific evidence that [those shoes] provide any benefit to distance runners.”

Dutch researchers have previously found that between 37 and 56 percent of recreational runners become injured at least once each year. The most common maladies are found in the feet and lower legs, but others include pelvis and lower back injuries.

“Not only can we no longer recommend a shoe [with an elevated heel and pronation control system], but the lack of research in this area means that we cannot currently make any evidence-based shoe recommendations to runners,” Richards said in the release. “To resolve this uncertainty, running shoes need to be tested like any other medical treatment, in carefully controlled clinical trials.

“This will ensure that only running shoes with proven benefits can be marketed and sold as therapeutic devices. Until this occurs, health professionals will not know whether the distance running shoes they are recommending are beneficial, harmless or harmful.”

A recent story in the London Daily Mail confirmed what the Australian report suggested in an excerpt from a new book called “Born to Run” by journalist Christopher McDougal. That story referenced Dr. Daniel Lieberman, professor of biological anthropology at Harvard University, who offered the startling conclusion that: “A lot of foot and knee injuries currently plaguing us are caused by people running with shoes that actually make our feet weak, cause us to overpronate (ankle rotation) and give us knee problems.”

To run efficiently, you have to understand your body and how it naturally moves across a surface with as little muscular force as possible. The tenants of good running form include running with short strides and a quick cadence, landing lightly on the midfoot/forefoot area (the ball of the foot, but not the toes), and quickly lifting your foot off the ground instead of pushing off with excessive muscle force. A slight forward lean and a relaxed arm swing are also key components.

To illustrate what Newton Running calls the “Land-Lever-Lift” technique, take the simple test of running barefoot across a smooth floor. More than likely, you’re naturally going to land lightly at your midfoot/forefoot and quickly pick up your foot to start a new stride. Your body doesn’t allow you to land on your heels because it isn’t engineered to accommodate the blunt force trauma of repeated heel striking. Unfortunately, most contemporary running shoes have been designed for running form that demands heavy heel striking and dampens the afferent feedback which allows the foot to sense the ground.

Two of the biggest mistakes distance runners can fall prey to are 1) excessive heel striking that causes abrupt braking of forward momentum, and then pushing off too hard with the toes to start the forward motion again; or 2) using only propulsive muscles,(the calf group, hamstrings and Achilles tendon) by running too far up on their toes like a sprinter and not using the body’s natural cushioning system. Each of those form flaws puts too much vertical movement into every stride, and that leads to inefficiency and considerably more impact, muscle and tendon stress on the body.

Danny Abshire is the co-founder of Newton Running, a Boulder, Colo.-based company that makes shoes that promote an efficient midfoot running gait. He has been making advanced footwear solutions for runners and triathletes for more than 20 years. You can also learn more at his Running Front Blog.

MBT Shoe Review: Are They Worth It?

MBT shoes (a.k.a. “the anti-shoe”) … they’re expensive. They are hardly fashionable (though they sometimes reach acceptable). In fact, they are downright weird looking. When I first saw them as I walked past The Walking Store at the mall one day, I thought, “Who in their right mind would wear those?” They reminded me of orthotic shoes, but without insurance covering the high cost of them, I thought surely no one would shell out the big bucks for these shoes. And what the heck does MBT stand for anyway? The manufacturers of the shoe, Swiss Masai named the shoe Masai Barefoot Technology (which of course is a mouthful, and thus MBT) because it supposedly emulates the nomadic walking habits of the Masai tribes of Africa. The company touts all sorts of benefits that come from wearing the shoe:

• Activates neglected muscles
• Tone and shape the body
• Improves posture and gait
• Can help with back, hip, leg and foot problesm
• Can help with joint, muscle, ligament and tendon injuries
• Reduces tress on knee and hip joints
• MBT activates the whole body

Ok, seriously… so are they trying to say that wearing these shoes will give me a workout? I certainly wasn’t going to be fooled.

Fast forward a few months later, when I met a woman who was wearing a pair of MBT shoes. I immediately noticed them, not because I thought she looked ridiculous in them, but because I was surprised at how cute they were. I asked her about them, and she was more than happy to tell me all about them. She actually admitted to buying them (along with a second pair after she decided she loved them) because she believed the claims about toning and shaping. And she felt like she was seeing results. I was a little skeptical, but she insisted that they were not only comfortable, but effective in their claims. Of course, since she likely spent over $500 on her two pairs, it would be hard to admit they were just another pair of shoes. I have to admit, my conversation with this women piqued my curiousity, and I soon found myself in The Walking Store trying a pair on.

My first observation about the MBT shoes (besides the hefty price tag) was that they are quite heavy. No wonder they give your legs a work out. You’re walking around with 5 pound weights on your feet! I walked around a bit in the store and actually could sense the muscles that were being engaged in my upper legs. I started to believe that wearing these could give add a little something extra to your exercise routine. But that is not why I was ultimately considering the shoes. For about a year and a half now, I have suffered from problems with my lower back and hamstring. After unsuccessful physical therapy and chiropractic treatments, I was beginning to get desperate for anything that might help alleviate my pain. Though I did not end up buying the shoes from The Walking Store, I immediately checked out Zappos.com to see if they carried them at a lower price. Luckily, I found a pair for MBT Walk shoes on sale for $189.95 — a $60 difference from the price of the same shoe at the walking store. The only downside at that point (besides the fact that it was still more than I have ever paid for any other pair of shoes) was that above a size 10, the pair that I wanted did not come in half sizes, and since I had already discovered in the store that a size 10 (which is what I usually wear) was too small, so I had to order a size 11. (They seem to offer most shoes in 10.5 now.)

When they arrived a day or two later (Zappos generally has very fast and free shipping), I immediately tried them on. They were a bit big, but not so much that I couldn’t wear them comfortably, even if I do look like I have clown feet. I wore them for long walks, but I wasn’t wearing them all the time, mostly because it was summer and I refused to wear them with shorts. I just couldn’t go that far in sacrificing fashion for comfort. Instead I wore sandals and flip flops all summer, exacerbating my leg and lower back problems. They ended up in my closet nearly forgotten.

I was almost ready to sell them on eBay when my pain, now diagnosed officially as sciattica became worse than ever, and more concentrated in my lower back. I decided to give my shoes one last chance before getting rid of them. Much to my shock, my pain was alleviated almost immediately when wearing the shoes. I even had a recent episode where the pain was so bad, I couldn’t walk without a limp (I can blame myself for wearing flats all day the day before). But then I put my MBT shoes on, and spent the day at a museum in the city, walking around virtually pain free.

So, are the shoes worth it? Well, as it turns out, for me, they were. I am even at this point contemplating buying another pair, since they offer a few more styles which better match my own. (I’d like to try that 10.5 to see if they fit better.) They even have boots now which I would definitely wear if it were not for their $390 price tag.

If you are desperate to try a pair and you don’t have it in your budget to spend $150+, there is a cheaper alternative out there. Avon.com carries a pair of shoes put out by the fitness chain Curves, called the Toning Sneaker. For comparison’s sake, I bought them, and quite frankly, you get what you pay for. They don’t have the solid feel of the MBT shoes, instead giving the wearer the feeling of cheaply made shoes. They don’t offer any cushioning, but they do seem to have similar mechanics to the MBT shoes, and therefore may offer some of the same benefits. I won’t be wearing mine again, but for someone with fewer requirements in a shoe, these might be worth a try if you are curious about their potential benefits.

Ultimately, I don’t know if the MBT shoes live up to all the claims Swiss Masai makes about them, but I honestly believe they have made a difference for me and am looking forward to purchasing my next pair.