UPDATE!!!! NEW STUDY BEING CONDUCTED: Running injuries in shod vs minimal footwear/barefoot runners

[Barefoot TJ]

NEW STUDY BEING CONDUCTED: Running injuries in shod vs minimal footwear/barefoot runners

There is an ongoing debate about the benefits and risks of running in minimal footwear and barefoot instead of running in "normal" running shoes. Martin Daumer, inventor of FreeHeel Running Pads, and a team of students from TUM Munich (from the lecture "clinical applications of computational medicine" headed by the inventor of the "FreeHeel Running Pads" Martin Daumer--http://www.rcs.ei.tum.de/fileadmin/tueircs/www/clinical-applications-daumer/Flyer_CA12.pdf) plan to collect information about the association between running injuries and footwear. You are eligible to go through the questionnaire if you are used to running with traditional running shoes some time ago but now, after a certain transition phase, you are running mostly either in minimal footwear or barefoot. We will not collect any personal information about you. Results of the survey and comments will be published.

STUDY FORM CAN BE FOUND HERE ----> (Please let us know if you have trouble viewing or submitting this form.)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...ue&formkey=dGppOFdsbEotTDMzQWtpWUdGWW9WTlE6MQ

THE DEADLINE IS: January 21, 2013, 8pm CET

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Come on, you guys! Please take a moment to answer some questions in this survey. It shouldn't take very long. Thanks!

 

[dutchie53]

Done.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Bump! We need 100 more, please!

 

[Big Joel]

Done and done

 

[deviantrunner]

Done

 

[Barefoot YOW]

I completed the survey .... Keep in mind that surveys are fashioned to verify a theory. IMHO this one lacks definition. As 60-80% of all runners (shod or not) get injured every year. I would have preferred expansion of the definition of injury. ie injury:
case 1 = 0 to 2 days off training
case 2 = 3 to 7 days off training
case 3 = 8 to 15 days off training
case 4 = cessation of training

Wish the students the best...

 

[Barefoot TJ]

The results of this study are below. I think the title should include "injuries resulting during transition phase...or the old TMTS Syndrome":

Increased risk of running injuries in minimal footwear/barefoot runners – can crowd sourcing generate evidence?

Martin Daumer, Tino Müller, Florian Bauer, Christine Kleinmond, Christian Lederer, Markus Walther.

Background and scientific question

There is an on-going debate about incidence of injuries in minimal footwear/barefoot runners
compared to runners using conventional running shoes [1-4]. Here we describe and discuss
methods and results of a short online survey assessed in a community of minimal
footwear/barefoot runners. The aim of the survey was to investigate the viability of the
method and to archive first insights on running behaviour, kilometric performance and
injuries in the past.

Methods

An online questionnaire was set up using google forms that was advertised by “barefoot
runners society” website/facebook/twitter account and by the online-newsletter of “free heel
running pad”. Runners were eligible to fill out the questionnaire, if they were used to run with
normal running shoes some time ago, but then, after a certain transition phase, run mostly
either in minimal footwear or barefoot. The questions were about weekly running distance,
total number of injuries during last shod phase as well during transition phase, and if barefoot
or minimal footwear was used [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?
fromEmail=true&formkey=dGppOFdsbEotTDMzQWtpWUdGWW9WTlE6MQ].

Results

More than 204 runners filled out the questionnaire within 2 weeks. Sex ratio male/female was
about 3:1, mean age was about 40 years. More than 90% of the datasets could be included in
the analysis. We found a considerably increased risk of injury during the time period changing
from shod running to minimal footwear/barefoot running. This was also reflected in a number
of the free text reports (“too much too fast”). The injury rate per km seems to be smaller in
barefoot than in shod running, after the transition period has been managed (see also [4]) .

Conclusions

The risk of injury during the transition phase in the group of responders (“crowd sourcing“) is
considerably higher compared to habitually running either shod or barefoot/minimal footwear;
however there is a relevant risk of bias. The data seem to confirm the need of special guidance
to the runner, especially in the transition phase, to reduce the incidence of injuries. Future
research into the right “dosage” of barefoot/minimal footwear running in the transition period
is warranted.

[1] Lieberman D et. al.: Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus
shod runners, Nature 463, 531-535 (28 January 2010)
[2] Lieberman D, What we can learn about running from barefoot running: an evolutionary
medical perspective. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2012 Apr;40(2):63-72.
[3] Bonacci J et al: Running in a minimalist and lightweight shoe is not the same as running
barefoot: a biomechanical study Br J Sports Med Published. Online First:
doi:10.1136/bjsports-2012-091837
[4] Daoud AI et al: Foot strike and injury rates in endurance runners: a retrospective study.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012 Jul;44(7):1325-34.

Schwerpunktthema:
1. Sportbiomechanik, 2. Biomechanik des Bewegungsapparates
Autoren:
Präsentierender Autor:
Dr. Martin Daumer
SLCMSR e.V. - The Human Motion Institute
Hohenlindenerstr. 1
81677 Munich
& TU Munich
Fakultät für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik
Theresienstr. 90
80333 München
Ko-Autoren:
Tino Müller
TU Munich
Fakultät für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik
Theresienstr. 90
80333 München
Florian Bauer
TU Munich
Fakultät für Elektrotechnik und Informationstechnik
Theresienstr. 90
80333 München
Dr. rer. medic. Christine Kleinmond
ClinProject UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Unterherrnhausen 3
82547 Eurasburg
Dr. rer. nat Christian Lederer
SLCMSR e.V. - The Human Motion Institute Hohenlindenerstr. 1
81677 Munich
Prof. Dr. med. Dr. med. habil. Markus Walther.
Schön Klinik München Harlaching
Harlachinger Straße 51
81547 München

 

[The Ramzev]

Is that the whole report or is it kind of just the abstract, with more to come?

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I'm asking...

 

[stjohnthegambler]

So wait....is this "transition phase" going from shod to minimalist, or shod to barefoot? Because there's a huge difference.

I just do not buy that switching to barefoot running needs to be "managed." But I'm just a dive-into-it kind of guy.....

 

[Barefoot TJ]

It's about transitioning from the traditional-modern running shoe to barefoot.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Ram, Martin, the organizer, responded: At that stage it is just the abstract, submitted to a conference. I hope it will get accepted as presentation /poster & I also hope that we'll write a full paper.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

More from Martin: The study was about people who transitioned from traditional modern running shoes to wither minimalist shoe OR barefoot running. I had fixed an hypothesis before starting the study that linked the risk of running injury to the three phases. We'll of course lay this out in detail in the publication, but I felt it was important that the key message, which has clearly an impact on "public health", can be disseminated before the publication has been written and accepted.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

U P D A T E ! ! ! ! Our efforts with the recent online survey have paid off! See below:


_________
ICAMPAM - USA

Dear Martin Daumer:

I am pleased to inform you that your abstract titled “Risk Of Running Injuries In Minimal Footwear/barefoot Runners - New Hypothesis Generated By Crowd Sourcing” has been selected for presentation in a poster session at the 2013 International Conference on Ambulatory Monitoring of Physical Activity and Movement. The conference will be held at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst, MA on June 17-19, 2013. We appreciate the time you have spent in organizing and submitting your abstract.

Session Date/Time: 6/18/2013 3:30:00 PM - 6/18/2013 4:45:00 PM
_________
ICAMPAM - USA
I am pleased to inform you that your abstract titled “Injury Prevention For Shod Vs. Minimal Footwear/barefoot Runners: Exploratory Study During Competition And Laboratory” has been selected for presentation in a poster session at the 2013 International Conference on Ambulatory Monitoring of Physical Activity and Movement. The conference will be held at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst, MA on June 17-19, 2013. We appreciate the time you have spent in organizing and submitting your abstract.

Session Date/Time: 6/18/2013 3:30:00 PM - 6/18/2013 4:45:00 PM
_________

German Society for Biomechanics - Ulm - Germany

"Ihr Abstract mit der ID 197 und dem Titel „Different running techniques in shod vs. minimal footwear/barefoot runners – adaptions for prevention of injuries – Results of an exploratory study under laboratory conditions and during competition” wurde als Poster angenommen und der Postersession Sportbiomechanik am Freitag, 17. Mai in der Zeit von 10:45-11:30 Uhr zugeteilt."
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