Impact of Carbon-plated Running Shoes on Rearfoot Motion
Date
2024-08
Authors
Olivier, James Patrick
Major Professor
Advisor
Derrick, Timothy
Smiley, Ann
Chou, Li-Shan
Committee Member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Advanced Footwear Technology (AFT) has been implemented in some way into performance-oriented running shoes by most major footwear manufacturers. It has been shown that shoes designed with AFT can help runners reduce oxygen consumption and the overall metabolic cost of running. However, the biomechanical changes brought about by AFT are yet to be fully understood. This study aims to expand the understanding of the most unique aspect of AFT shoes: the rigid midsole plate. By isolating one variable of AFT and investigating its effect on rearfoot motion, we can better understand the influence of the most significant differentiation in design between regular running shoes and AFT-equipped shoes. In this study, we recruited sixteen college-aged (20.9 ± 1.4 years) runners (13 male, 3 female) to run at their preferred running pace (3.57 ± 0.24 m/s) in two pairs of shoes: one with a rigid midsole plate and one without. The participants ran on a treadmill for three minutes while we collected data on their biomechanics. Upon investigating the paired maximum rearfoot eversion values from both shoe conditions, a significance value of (p = 0.052) was obtained. Averaged across all participants, the maximum rearfoot eversion for the non-plated condition was -4.23 degrees, and the plated condition was -4.90 degrees, an increase of 0.67 degrees. While stride length between conditions only varied by 0.01 meters. The results of the dependent measures t-test found that there were no significant findings between the groups. When comparing maximum rearfoot eversion between conditions found (p = 0.052) with effect size 0.34, and when comparing stride length found (p = 0.34) with effect size 0.55. Since these results only approach significance and do not breach the threshold, further studies are required.
Series Number
Journal Issue
Is Version Of
Versions
Series
Academic or Administrative Unit
Kinesiology
Type
article