Are old running shoes detrimental to your feet? A pedobarographic study

Abstract

BackgroundFootwear characteristics have been implicated in fatigue and foot pain. The recommended time for changing running shoes is every 500 miles. The aim of our study was to assess and compare plantar peak pressures and pressure time integrals in new and old running shoes.FindingsThis was a prospective study involving 11 healthy female volunteers with no previous foot and ankle problems. New running shoes were provided to the participants. Plantar pressures were measured using the Novel Pedar system while walking with new and participants' personal old running shoes. Plantar pressures were measured in nine areas of the feet. Demographic data, age of old running shoes, Body Mass Index (BMI), peak pressures and pressure-time integral were acquired. The right and left feet were selected at random and assessed separately. Statistical analysis was done using the paired t test to compare measurements between old and new running shoes.The mean peak pressures were higher in new running shoes (330.5 ± 79.6 kiloPascals kPa) when compared to used old running shoes (304 ± 58.1 kPa) (p = 0.01). The pressure-time integral was significantly higher in the new running shoes (110 ± 28.3 kPa s) compared to used old running shoes (100.7 ± 24.0 kPa s) (p = 0.01).ConclusionPlantar pressure measurements in general were higher in new running shoes. This could be due to the lack of flexibility in new running shoes. The risk of injury to the foot and ankle would appear to be higher if running shoes are changed frequently. We recommend breaking into new running shoes slowly using them for mild physical activity.

Can parallel use of different running shoes decrease running‐related injury risk?

“…A number of studies have shown that the characteristics of running shoes influence external impact forces and kinematics of runners. First, plantar pressure measures in runners using new and old running shoes showed that newer shoes have higher peak pressures than older shoes, suggesting a higher risk of injury to the foot and ankle when running shoes are used for shorter periods (Rethnam & Makwana, ). Thus, the authors recommended breaking into new running shoes slowly, using them for mild physical activity.…”

“…Few epidemiological studies have focused on the impact of running shoes on injury incidence (Theisen et al., ). While some studies have shown the influence of shoe characteristics on running pattern (Wakeling et al., ; Kong et al., ; Lieberman et al., ; Rethnam & Makwana, ; Bonacci et al., ), the causal relationship between running pattern and RRI has not been established. This prospective cohort study showed that runners using concomitantly more than one pair of shoes had a lower risk of RRI.…”

“…A number of reports have shown that shoe characteristics influence the magnitude and the type of stresses applied to the musculoskeletal system (Wakeling et al., ; Kong et al., ; Lieberman et al., ; Rethnam & Makwana, ; Bonacci et al., ). For example, it has been recently demonstrated that running with flat‐midsole footwear for 3 months result in a ∼30% lower shock magnitude at the heel (Giandolini et al., ).…”

Changes in the running-related injury incidence rate ratio in a 1000-km explorative prospective cohort study involving two unspecific shoe changes

“…In several biomechanical studies, kinetics has been demonstrated to change with differences in shoe properties. Peak ground reaction force is increased by a reduction of normal pronation (Perry & Lafortune, 1995), harder midsole (Baltich, Maurer, & Nigg, 2015), changing to new shoes (Rethnam & Makwana, 2011) and using racing flats although not significant (Logan, Hunter, Hopkins, Feland, & Parcel, 2010). In addition, the peak vertical impact peak is reduced by smaller heelto-toe drop shoes (da Silva Azevedo et al, 2016), conventional running shoes (Logan et al, 2010) and 3 months of adaptation to smaller heel-to-toe drop (Giandolini, Horvais, Farges, Samozino, & Morin, 2013).…”

“…In addition, the peak vertical impact peak is reduced by smaller heelto-toe drop shoes (da Silva Azevedo et al, 2016), conventional running shoes (Logan et al, 2010) and 3 months of adaptation to smaller heel-to-toe drop (Giandolini, Horvais, Farges, Samozino, & Morin, 2013). Moreover, the loading rate is increased by a reduction of normal pronation (Perry & Lafortune, 1995), changing to new shoes (Rethnam & Makwana, 2011), increasing heel-to-toe drop in shoes during overground running (Chambon, Delattre, Gueguen, Berton, & Rao, 2015) and using racing flats although only significant for men (Logan et al, 2010). Finally, knee flexion moment during push-off phase is reduced by smaller heel-to-toe drop shoes (Besson, Morio, & Rossi, 2017) while ankle flexion moment is increased by smaller heel-to-toe drop shoes (Besson et al, 2017) and by shoes with a rounded sole in the longitudinal axis (Boyer & Andriacchi, 2009).…”