Arch type has little effect on running shoe mechanics

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October 2006 Biomechanics Magazine

http://www.biomech.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=193200614

Arch type has little effect on running shoe mechanics

By: Lori Rochelle Roniger

Motion control running shoes control rearfoot motion while cushioned

trainers lessen shock, according to a study published by The

American Journal of Sports Medicine. No surprises here, but,

unexpectedly, these benefits are similar whether a runner has high

or low arches, the study's researchers found.

Low-arched feet have a greater likelihood of soft tissue injury,

whereas high-arched feet are more prone to bony injuries.

The study's investigators, led by J. , PhD, an

assistant professor of physical therapy at the University of

ville in Indiana, conducted motion analysis of 20 low-arched

and 20 high-arched runners. Arch status was defined as at least 1.5

standard deviations away from mean Arch Height Index values.

Subjects were between 18 and 40 and ran at least 10 miles per week.

All were tested wearing the New Balance 1122MC (motion control) or

the New Balance 1022NC (cushioning) shoes.

However, the only difference the researchers found between the

effects the shoes had on the groups was that high-arched runners had

a significantly lower instantaneous loading rate in the cushioned

shoes, whereas the low-arched runners did in the motion control

shoes.

" We would still recommend a motion control shoe for a low-arch

runner and a cushioning shoe for a high-arch runner since the shoes

attenuate the proposed mechanism of injury in each population, "

said.