There has been a lot of controversy around the Vibram five fingers shoes lately given the barefoot or minimalist running trend. Part of the controversy surround the hype and exaggerated claims about how barefoot running can reduce the injuries when it’s becoming increasingly clear that this is not the case (see: Vibram FiveFingers Cause Metatarsal Stress Fractures?; Why are barefoot runners getting so many injuries?; Vibram Five Fingers).
Vibram Five Fingers are a novelty item and should be treated as such. Those contemplating Vibram Five Fingers are well advised to follow the advice of the barefoot running advocates and transition slowly and carefully over a long period of time. Just don’t fall for all the hype and exaggerated claims about the alleged benefits.
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Asics running shoes seem to some of the more popular on the market today. They are responsible for a number of technical innovations such as the Asics space trustic system that is claimed to enhance the windlass mechanism of the foot. The Asics running shoe company has sponsorship deals with a number of sports medicine organisations around the world. Some of the popular models in the Asics running shoe range include the Asics Gel Kayano, the Asics Gel Cumulus, The Asics Gel Nimbus and the Asics Gel DS trainer. There are many shoes in the Asics running shoe range and it can be a bit hard at time to keep on top of them all, let alone the range of shoes from all the other companies.
There has been a lot of publicity for research related to barefoot running in the last week or so that has caused a lot of debate, especially surrounding the meaning of and the quality of the research, The barefoot running community have been touting the research, but others have been more sceptical. On Podiatry Arena, there has been this thread: Barefoot Running Debate and this one: The Effect of Running Shoes on Lower Extremity Joint Torques. Other bloggers have weighed in and there is even an anti-barefoot running website. The whole issue is fascinating to watch. There is even some debate on a French running website about barefoot running. The athletic training community are also discussing barefoot running.
Chi Running is a running technique, developed by Danny Dreyer who is an ultramarathon runner and practices Tai Chi. Its focus is to get runners to move in what he claims is a more efficient and natural way. He considers the traditional approach to running as focusing on the use of power and strength to push the runner along the ground as fast as possible, whereas the focus of Chi running to be more efficient and more relaxed and to feel ‘at one with the road’, much like the spirit of Tai Chi and Yoga. This is supposed to make the running experience more of a religious experience.
A key component of Chi running is the use of a midfoot strike and New Balance has developed a runner shoe specifically for this. A number of unsubstantiated claims are made for Chi running, but one study does suggest that there is a reduction in injury in those who practice Chi running. While the results of this study were not strong, they are certainly exaggerated by the proponents of Chi running. Experts do disagree over the validity of changing the running style to being a midfoot striker. Changing a running style does increase oxygen consumption which could be considered a sign of an inefficient gait. Opinion is clearly divided on this and there are a number of You Tube videos touting the benefits of Chi Running, but there is more reasoned discussion elsewhere.
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Many runners want to know if they can or should run barefoot. A search of the web shows many claims being made for barefoot running. There are many clips on You Tube touting the benefits of barefoot running. There is no evidence that any of the claims are true. There is also no evidence that any of the claims are not true. There is quite a fanatical support for the running barefoot movement. They want to blame running shoes for everything which goes wrong when running, especially the injuries. This is also contradictory to the evidence. There is a lot of passion in the debate between the pro- and anti-barefoot running groups. The anti-barefoot running movement is growing. Probably, the most sensible approach should be for runners that can tolerate it, that they should do barefoot running in moderation as part of a balanced running program.
