Momtezuma Tuatara
28-01-10, 12:18 PM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1246642/Why-running-barefoot-better-body.html#
Why running barefoot is better for your body
By Daily Mail Reporter (http://beyondvaccination.com/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=Daily+Mail+Reporter)
Last updated at 1:56 AM on 28th January 2010
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Searching for the perfect pair of jogging shoes is a waste of time --running barefoot is better for you, a study has revealed.
Researchers found that people who run barefoot tend to land on the ball or the middle of the foot and avoid jarring their bones.
But those who run in shoes tend to land on the heels, sending painful shockwaves through the body.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/01/28/article-1246642-00410BB100000258-389_468x646.jpg South African Zola Budd was famous for training and racing barefoot
The study analysed the running styles of athletes, both shoewearing and barefoot.
It found three-quarters of shoe-wearers 'heel-strike', which means that for every mile they run, their heel slams into the ground 1,000 times, creating a 'very large and sudden collision force'.
But those who go barefoot tend to land with a springy step toward the front of the foot. They point their toes more on landing and have a lighter step.
The finding helps explain why so many of the world's greatest endurance runners run so well barefoot.
'People who don't wear shoes when they run have an astonishingly different strike,' said Dr Daniel Lieberman, professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University who led the study.
'Most people today think barefoot running is dangerous and hurts, but actually you can run barefoot on the world's hardest surfaces without the slightest discomfort and pain.
'All you need is a few calluses to avoid roughing up the skin of the foot. Further, it might be less injurious than the way some people run in shoes.'
Barefoot running is common in parts of Africa. Nearly 50 years ago Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist Abebe Bikila won his first marathon, barefoot while in the 1980s, South African Zola Budd took to the track barefooted.
However a growing number of British runners are following suit by chucking out their shoes and going barefoot or wearing foot 'gloves'.
Barefoot runners say the risk of dog mess, broken glass or jagged paving slabs is outweighed by the freedom - and lower injury rate.
The new study - which involved scientists at Glasgow University - analysed the running styles of athletes, comparing those who had always run barefoot, those who had always worn shoes and those who converted from shoes to barefoot.
They found that three quarters of shoe-wearers 'heel-strike'. For every mile they run, their heel slams into the ground 1,000 times, creating a 'very large and sudden collision force' 1,000 times.
But those who go barefoot tend to land with a springy step toward the middle or front of the foot. They point their toes more on landing and have a springier step.
The scientists say modern running shoes get in the way of millions of years of evolution. People have evolved strong, large arches that are used as spring when running.
'Humans have engaged in endurance running for millions of years, but the modern running shoe was not invented until the 1970s,' they report in the journal Nature.
'For most of human evolutionary history, runners were either barefoot or wore minimal footwear such as sandals or moccasins with smaller heels and little cushioning.'
However, Dr Liebermann warned people tempted to throw away their runnings shoes to ease themselves into barefoot jogging.
'Running barefoot or in minimal shoes is fun but uses different muscles,' he said. 'If you've been a heel-striker all your life you have to transition slowly to build strength in your calf and foot muscles.'
Earlier this year a study of 68 runners on a treadmill found that suffered 38 per cent more twisting in their knees and ankles when wearing shoes than they did barefoot.
Why running barefoot is better for your body
By Daily Mail Reporter (http://beyondvaccination.com/home/search.html?s=y&authornamef=Daily+Mail+Reporter)
Last updated at 1:56 AM on 28th January 2010
Comments (0) (http://beyondvaccination.com/sciencetech/article-1246642/Why-running-barefoot-better-body.html#comments)
Add to My Stories (http://beyondvaccination.com/sciencetech/article-1246642/Why-running-barefoot-better-body.html)
Searching for the perfect pair of jogging shoes is a waste of time --running barefoot is better for you, a study has revealed.
Researchers found that people who run barefoot tend to land on the ball or the middle of the foot and avoid jarring their bones.
But those who run in shoes tend to land on the heels, sending painful shockwaves through the body.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/01/28/article-1246642-00410BB100000258-389_468x646.jpg South African Zola Budd was famous for training and racing barefoot
The study analysed the running styles of athletes, both shoewearing and barefoot.
It found three-quarters of shoe-wearers 'heel-strike', which means that for every mile they run, their heel slams into the ground 1,000 times, creating a 'very large and sudden collision force'.
But those who go barefoot tend to land with a springy step toward the front of the foot. They point their toes more on landing and have a lighter step.
The finding helps explain why so many of the world's greatest endurance runners run so well barefoot.
'People who don't wear shoes when they run have an astonishingly different strike,' said Dr Daniel Lieberman, professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University who led the study.
'Most people today think barefoot running is dangerous and hurts, but actually you can run barefoot on the world's hardest surfaces without the slightest discomfort and pain.
'All you need is a few calluses to avoid roughing up the skin of the foot. Further, it might be less injurious than the way some people run in shoes.'
Barefoot running is common in parts of Africa. Nearly 50 years ago Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist Abebe Bikila won his first marathon, barefoot while in the 1980s, South African Zola Budd took to the track barefooted.
However a growing number of British runners are following suit by chucking out their shoes and going barefoot or wearing foot 'gloves'.
Barefoot runners say the risk of dog mess, broken glass or jagged paving slabs is outweighed by the freedom - and lower injury rate.
The new study - which involved scientists at Glasgow University - analysed the running styles of athletes, comparing those who had always run barefoot, those who had always worn shoes and those who converted from shoes to barefoot.
They found that three quarters of shoe-wearers 'heel-strike'. For every mile they run, their heel slams into the ground 1,000 times, creating a 'very large and sudden collision force' 1,000 times.
But those who go barefoot tend to land with a springy step toward the middle or front of the foot. They point their toes more on landing and have a springier step.
The scientists say modern running shoes get in the way of millions of years of evolution. People have evolved strong, large arches that are used as spring when running.
'Humans have engaged in endurance running for millions of years, but the modern running shoe was not invented until the 1970s,' they report in the journal Nature.
'For most of human evolutionary history, runners were either barefoot or wore minimal footwear such as sandals or moccasins with smaller heels and little cushioning.'
However, Dr Liebermann warned people tempted to throw away their runnings shoes to ease themselves into barefoot jogging.
'Running barefoot or in minimal shoes is fun but uses different muscles,' he said. 'If you've been a heel-striker all your life you have to transition slowly to build strength in your calf and foot muscles.'
Earlier this year a study of 68 runners on a treadmill found that suffered 38 per cent more twisting in their knees and ankles when wearing shoes than they did barefoot.