Barefoot vs. Shod Running

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and more people have been asking themselves this very question.
Injuries are almost unavoidable when running. Stress fractures, pulled muscles, shin splints, the list is endless. Every runner has experienced an injury at least once. Some injuries are nagging and can ruin peoples running career.
Could it possibly be that the modern day running shoe is causing injuries in many athletes today? Humans weren't born with shoes on their feet. Running barefoot is how we were meant to run. In America, bare foot running has become less popular since we live in the concrete jungle. In third world countries, running barefoot is the norm.
In Kenya, most runners are barefoot. The Kenyans have also dominated the distance events at the Olympics for decades and have kept any American distance runners from winning gold for years. Also, the Tarahumara people of northern Mexico are barefoot runners. The Tarahumara are well known for their running ability. They can run up to 120 miles without a ...

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rapidly up the body and thus may contribute to the high incidence of running related injuries, especially tibial stress fractures and plantar Fasciitis."
80% of shod endurance runnners land on their heel (Lieberman 531). Heel striking causes the most impact force. It affects the joints especially in the knees. This is where the modern running shoe comes in to play. Most running shoes have a large sole, especially thick in the heel to decrease the impact force. Impact force ranges from 1.8 to 3 times the runners body weight.
Shoe designers focus the most on the heel and also the arch support. The arch is directly related to pronation. Pronation is also a main factor in causing ...

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