Running Drills
With all the interest in recent years on running technique and running form, more and more runners are now spending time to do running drills to help improve their running technique. One of these drills is the 100 Up technique, which is supposed to help teach a better running technique with a forefoot strike. It was first used in the 1800’s and has recently being “rediscovered”.
With its “rediscovery”, it has certainly been given a lot of publicity, but very little critical analysis, as there are some problems with it.
Hoka One One
The Hoke One One are new entrant into the running shoe market coming from France. They are what could be considered a maximalist running shoe, having maximum cushioning and support.
The shoe is becoming very popular which is surprising considering all the interest in barefoot running or running in shoes that offer minimal support and minimal cushioning. There are plenty of testimonial from runners to like these shoes.
Vibram Five Fingers
The Vibram Five Fingers are a favorite shoe with those who prefer barefoot or minimalist running. They are shoes that cover the foot like a glove and also have a pocket for each toe.
They are not without their controversy as they are facing legal action over the health claims that they made and Podiatrists are seeing a lot of injuries in those that use them. A recent motion to dismiss the class action was rejected.
Pose Running
There are a number of different running techniques that runners can use to allegedly be more efficient and reduce the risk for injury. Each of these different techniques have their passionate supporters with little evidence to support one over the other. One of the more high profile approaches is Pose Running, that uses a forefoot strike, shorter stride length and high cadence.
There is not a lot of support for Pose Running from biomechanists and a number of the underpinnings of it are not biomechanically sound. There is one study that suggests that Pose running is less efficient than other forms of running, but those that promote Pose running are very critical of this study.
Overpronation
“Overpronation” – I wish that term will go away. It is really meaningless but is widely used by runners and running shoe shops, especially when they have no idea what they are talking about. See this video and you see what I mean:
Runners fall for this stuff all the time. They come in the clinic and think they know more about it than I do. They need to read blogs this like this for some common sense. There is still a lot to be learnt about the role that this plays in injury risk and so many pronation myths.
Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome
Medial tibial stress syndrome is a common overuse injury in runners or other athletes that use a lot of running in their training. It is also the most common reason for leg pain when runners talk about “shin splints”. There are a number of different theories as to exactly what it is and a number of different theories as to what causes it.
The treatment usually involves modifying the training routine (eg issues like too much too soon); checking the running shoes; determining if any changes need to be made to the running form; correction of any biomechanical faults; address any issues with bending moments in the tibia; and gradual return to full activity.
The MBT Footwear
The MBT footwear (Masai Barefoot Technology) have been getting a lot of attention at the first and market leader in the so-called toning shoes category. The shoes are deliberately unstable to achieve a number of different effects. Firstly, as they are unstable the muscles have to work harder which is claimed to give the body and extra workout – ie the ‘tone up’. Secondly, they alter the alignment of the posture which can help some people with postural problems.
As to if these shoes actually achieve these effects or not is debatable. Yes, they do make the muscles work harder, but do not necessarily give that much of an extra tone up. Yes, they do alter the alignment of the posture which can help some people, but can equally hurt other people. There really is a lack of clear guidelines on this class of footwear. See these discussions and videos for more. There are plenty of opinions as to if they work or not.