Many of the runners who have run throughout their lives with cushioning (perhaps due to market demands, which have offered us exclusively that product forever) have opted in recent times to switch to minimalist footwear. In recent years we have witnessed the rise of barefoot running or « running barefoot » (or almost barefoot) and now is when injuries begin to arise in minimalist corridors, why?.
Basically this is because in most cases the type of footwear has been changed but the career technique has not been changed. A good shoe with a bad technique is like a diesel car that you throw gasoline: the benefits you could get become breakdowns or injuries, even though the product is very good. Today we talk about the difference in technique when it comes to running with cushioning or minimalist footwear.
The footwear we have used for years has always been cushioned in the heel area: Nike began producing sneakers with cushioning and popularized them among the general public thanks to the publicity obtained by great athletes who fit their models. Docks, air chambers … technology at the service of our feet to favor a wrong tread technique.
What is the correct technique for barefoot running?
And it is that in the landing or impact of the foot, this it should fall in its middle area naturally, and not on the heel. If we do not train the running technique it is very easy to fall on the heel, which can lead to different injuries in the hamstrings and in the lower back (does your lower back hurt after running? You already know what you have to check).
The footwear with cushioning has made a patch to these pains or injuries from the heel: if I put an air chamber or springs in the back of the foot, the pains will be reduced, but I’m not attacking the core and root of the problem, which is my career technique.
Do not put patches and attack the root of the problem
The problem with the rise of barefoot running and minimalist footwear is that runners have thrown themselves into the pool running with these models of shoes and without changing their running technique. In this way, they keep landing with their heel, but there is no longer an air chamber that absorbs the force of the impact: It is your muscles, bones and tendons that do it, and hence the injuries.
Remember that if you are going to run with minimalist shoes (or even barefoot) the first thing you have to do is review and change your career technique. Some must To keep in mind to maintain a good race technique are to keep your back straight (do not lean forward), and take shorter steps and with greater speed (do not throw strides too long, keep your feet under the body).
Have you made the change of technique when moving from footwear with cushioning to minimalist footwear?
This article was originally published by Lady Fitness in June 2014 and has been revised for republication.
More information | Barefoot running: biomechanics and implications for running injuries
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In Vitónica | Running barefoot, as beneficial as we think?
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