Barefoot runners ease into low-impact landings
Thursday, January 28, 2010 - 05:21
in Psychology & Sociology
New research is casting doubt on the old adage, 'All you need to run is a pair of shoes.' Scientists have found that those who run barefoot, or in minimal footwear, tend to avoid 'heel-striking,' and instead land on the ball of the foot or the middle of the foot. In so doing, these runners use the architecture of the foot and leg and some clever Newtonian physics to avoid hurtful and potentially damaging impacts, equivalent to two to three times body weight, that shod heel-strikers repeatedly experience...