Science Article Summary 2

Telis, G. The shocking truth about running shoes. ScienceNOW Daily News. 2010.

There has always been questions about whether running barefoot or with shoes is better for you. Now there is a study that examines this question. The fastest marathon runner in the world said that "when I wore shoes, it was difficult." Back in the day, people did not have the opportunity to wear shoes, so what did they do? Well, they did the same thing we do now, but without shoes. They managed just fine. When shoes were finally invented in the 1900's, running started to change. The foot has its natural curves and stability to function without shoes. The arch is a major part of running and causes most runners problems, along with shin splits, which are caused by repetitive impact.

Daniel Lieberman, a human evolutionary biologist, conducted a study that involoved 200 barefoot runners and runners with shoes. He then measured their running gait and the impact it had on their bodies. The runners that wore shoes landed on the heel of the foot, whereas, the barefoot runners landed on the ball of the foot or with a flat foot. The barefoot runners show more of a flex in the foots arch, ankle, and knee. It also engages the foot and calf muscles more, which lessens the impact on the body. Runners that wear shoes experience 1.5 or 2 times their body weight. That is a lot of weight to put on your arches. That is why runners are experiencing shin splints and plantar fasciitis.

Other experts in this field are excited about this study because it is providing an opportunity for people to fix the way that they run. The only problem with this is that people are not going to stop wearing shoes because of the associated dangers. Running or walking around on the street barefoot can potentially lead to cuts from glass, asphalt, and other dangers. This article is encouraging people to use shoes less to strengthen muscles that are associated with barefeet.