Running/Skipping injury advise needed please.....

Running barefoot is nice in theory but it's highly likely your feet aren't going to be strong enough for a while, you'll be at greater risk of injury until you adapt. A proper running shoe is great if you get the right one for your mechanics. The surface you run on makes little difference to your chance of injury, there is a slightly higher risk when running on harder surfaces as your legs are more compliant in response, that means you use your muscles more instead of the elastic recoil of tendons to propel you. What that means is that your muscles may fatigue quicker putting you at risk of injury. The forces to your knees are exactly the same regardless of running surface, just like animals our systems become stiffer or more compliant in response to the surface.

 

The same is true for running with shoes, except the injury risk moves up towards the shins and knees. It's always wise to ease yourself into something.

It also seems funny to me that barefoot is the theoretic one, opposed to the science behind running shoes. Barefoot has been the default since the stone ages, running shoes are new and theoretic. Would a cat benefit from running shoes? Why is barefoot running not a theory for them but reality? Why are we different?

Your foot is always right for your mechanics

 

i would think running on sand would be good for the joints???


another thing i have heard is varying the surface you run on is extremely bad. Your body can not adapt and hence it can make you very pron to injuries (happen to soccer players who also run on the street).

 

Barefoot running is great, but if you're running in shoes of any sort you're not mimicking barefoot running. That's why I said it's great in theory. Barefoot running provides a great risk of injury for anyone who jumps into it too quickly, if you're a runner at all you are going to have to greatly reduce your volume and intensity until you build up again gradually. Then you're set. Very few people are going to do that properly though.

[url]http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19424280903204036[/url]

 

If you've spent any sort of time running then that's unlikely, when you switch to barefoot running you'll either end up with stress fractures to your heel since you've been programmed to land with your heel from your running shoes or you'll place too much stress on your achilles tendon and foot from the sudden switch to forefoot running, you could easily rupture a tendon or end up with tendinitis.

 

Ok fair enough mate I misunderstood you. I'll have to reconsider my purchase of those vibram things, maybe I'll just go properly barefoot. It's just that the Netherlands has a shitty climate :twisted:

Agreed. Your foot muscles have a lot of catching up to do, and if you're not used to minding foot placement (watch your step) you can step into all sorts of nastiness.

 

my feet have gotten allot tougher from working out with the mma guys...sparring with barefeet and running,,but its still on wrestling mats...also..bad weather...you sure as hell cant run in bare foot in the snow.

 

Agreed. It'll end up right for your mechanics (it's your foot after all) but only if you properly work your way towards it.

 

that should keep the mechanizes still pretty damn close to barefoot shouldnt it? i mean, it has no padding..thats the biggest factor with shoes.

 

Well, closer than padded running shoes I guess. Still not sure how well it compares, I'll have to read some reviews from people who actually run barefoot as well.

 

Indirectly running on sand will be good for joints since you're using more muscles (greater muscular conditioning effect, reduced fatigue after adaptations) and getting more sensory input to mechanoreceptors on your feet, however if you did a lot of volume in a session it would be every bit as risky as running on pavement.

Varying the surface might be harmful if you spend a lot of time on one or the other. When a soccer player runs on grass it is soft so their system is stiff, they rely more on recoil of tendons which results in a lower metabolic cost due to less muscle activation.When they are running on a hard surface their system is softer or more compliant so they are using their muscles more to power them. When they switch to a hard surface their muscles may not be conditioned enough so they fatigue quicker and increase their injury risk. The forces to the knees etc. are the same, your body regulates force very well.

 

Yeah exactly, I don't have much faith in people approaching these things sensibly though.

 

Me neither, and that includes myself

I always want too much, too fast. Especially after an injury since I'll have lost time to make up for atsch

 

It's actually just any material in general, it restricts the effect of tendons in your foot stretching and recoiling which provides a lot of power when running. Shoes stop feet from storing energy. If you have to walk around all day you'll find that your feet fatigue less when you have a shoe that has a stiff sole and less cushioning, the stiffer last allows more energy storage and less cushioning provides less of a need for your foot muscles to stabilise. So if you expect to be on your feet all day, don't wear a running shoe!
Barefoot shoes mimic different aspects of barefoot so probably provide different benefits depending on the type you buy but the 'barefoot running with shoes' is more a marketing line than anything. More research is needed into 'barefoot shoes', I'm guessing there are positives and negatives with the different concepts. My point is that barefoot shoes are not barefoot running.

 

We've all been there