Kinematics and muscle activity when running in partial minimalist, traditional, and maximalist shoes

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Abstract

While several studies have examined kinematic and kinetic differences between maximalist (MAX), traditional (TRAD), or partial minimalist (PMIN) shoes, to date it is unknown how MAX shoes influence muscle activity. This study compared lower extremity kinematics and muscle activity when running in PMIN, TRAD, and MAX shoes. Thirteen participants ran in each shoe while whole body kinematics were recorded using motion capture and electromyography was recorded from seven leg muscles. Differences in kinematics and root mean square amplitudes (RMS) were compared between shoe conditions. There were small differences in sagittal and frontal plane ankle kinematics between shoe conditions, with the MAX shoes resulting in less dorsiflexion at foot strike (p = .002) and less peak dorsiflexion (p < .001), and the PMIN shoes resulting in greater peak eversion (p = .012). Gluteus medius (p.006) and peroneus longus (p = .007) RMS amplitudes were greater in the MAX shoe then the TRAD or PMIN shoes while tibialis anterior RMS amplitudes were higher in the PMIN shoes (p = .005) than either the TRAD or MAX shoes. Consistent with previous findings, these results suggest there are small differences in kinematics when running in these three shoe types. This may partly be explained by the changes in muscle activity, which may be a response in order to maintain a preferred or habitual movement path. Implications for these difference in muscle activity in terms of fatigue or injury remain to be determined.

Introduction

Over the last forty years of research on running biomechanics, one area which has received considerable emphasis is the influence of shoe cushioning on running mechanics (Bates et al., 1983, Clarke et al., 1983, De Wit et al., 1995, Hennig et al., 1996, Milani et al., 1997, Nigg et al., 1988, Nigg et al., 1987, Wakeling et al., 2002). These studies all evaluate how cushioning influences running mechanics in traditional running shoes. However, starting in 2009 many shoe manufacturers began producing shoes which lacked historically common features such as rigid heel counters or motion control devices. Studies evaluating the effects of using these minimalist shoes have produced conflicting results regarding how such shoes impact running mechanics.

Some have reported that runners who habitually use traditional shoes demonstrate increased knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion at initial contact when using minimalist shoes, if they maintain a rearfoot strike pattern (Willy and Davis, 2014). However, if runners switch from a rearfoot to a forefoot strike pattern when using minimalist shoes they still display increased knee flexion, but increased plantar flexion at initial contact instead of dorsiflexion (Fredericks et al., 2015). Additionally, some authors have reported differences in mechanics only occur when running barefoot and that there are no differences in ankle or knee kinematics between traditional and minimalist shoes when the same foot strike pattern is maintained (Bonacci et al., 2013, Goss et al., 2015, Sinclair et al., 2012). These disparate results could partially be explained by the type of minimalist shoe used in the study as it has recently been shown that there is a range of responses depending on just how minimal a shoes’ construction (Squadrone et al., 2015). This range of responses has given rise to the term “partial minimalist shoe” to describe shoes which have some cushioning and structure, just to a lesser extent than traditional running shoes (Davis, 2014).

At the opposite end of the shoe spectrum are maximalist shoes which feature a thick (>30 mm) highly cushioned midsole. First adopted by the ultra-running community, maximalist shoes purportedly provide better protection against the repetitive impacts associated with running. However, relatively little is known regarding the biomechanical effects of maximalist shoes. Several authors have reported no differences in kinematics when running in maximalist compared to traditional shoes (Aminaka et al., 2018, Pollard et al., 2018, Sinclair et al., 2016). Others have reported minor differences at the ankle, with maximalist shoes resulting in decreased foot strike angle at initial contact (Agresta et al., 2018, Hannigan and Pollard, 2019), decreased peak ankle dorsiflexion, less inversion at foot contact and more eversion at toe off, and less eversion range of motion (Hannigan and Pollard, 2019) compared to traditional shoes.

While several studies have evaluated kinematic changes when running in partial minimalist or maximalist shoes, to date it is unknown how such footwear influences muscle activity. Muscle activity can provide insight into the potential effects the impact forces associated with running have on the musculoskeletal system. Muscle activity in the lower extremity is tuned in order to control soft tissue vibrations and thus mitigate the effects of impact loading (Boyer and Nigg, 2006, Boyer and Nigg, 2004, Nigg and Wakeling, 2001). Impact loading is hypothesized to be a contributor to several common overuse injuries (Bredeweg et al., 2013, Davis et al., 2016) and several authors have reported higher impact forces and loading rates (Hannigan and Pollard, 2019, Pollard et al., 2018) or tibial accelerations (Sinclair, 2017) when running in maximalist shoes. These differences could be due to differences in muscle activation in response to different cushioning properties of the shoes. While there is some evidence that altering the cushioning properties of footwear alters muscle activity (Frederick, 1986, Wakeling et al., 2002), to date it is not known whether muscle activity varies when running in partial minimalist, traditional, or maximalist shoes.

Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in kinematics and muscle activity when running in three different shoes: a partial-minimalist shoe (PMIN), a traditional running (TRAD), and a maximalist shoe (MAX). Based on previous findings with PMIN and MAX shoes, it was hypothesized there would be small differences in ankle kinematics, but no differences in hip or knee kinematics between the three shoes, but that there would be increased muscle activation in both the PMIN and MAX shoes, compared to the TRAD shoes.

Section snippets

Participants

Based on previously reported kinematic differences (Hannigan and Pollard, 2019, Sinclair et al., 2016) between running in minimalist, traditional, and maximalist shoes, an a priori power analysis revealed that a minimum of eleven participants would be required to adequately power this study (effect size f = 0.436, α = 0.05, β = 0.2, one group with three measurements). We therefore recruited 13 runners (sex: 5 male, 8 female; age: 22.5 ± 2.29 years; height: 1.68 ± 0.19 m.; body mass:

Results

Mean kinematic curves for the hip, knee, and ankle are shown in Fig. 2. All curves demonstrated similar overall movement patterns between shoes and the only statistically significant differences were observed at the ankle. Sagittal plane ankle angles at foot contact (p = .002, η2 = 0.415), peak ankle dorsiflexion during stance (p < .001, η2 = 0.508), and peak rearfoot eversion (p = .012, η2 = 0.308) were all statistically different between shoes. Compared to MAX shoes, the ankle was dorsiflexed

Discussion

The purpose of this study was to compare kinematics and muscle activity when recreational runners ran in partial minimalist, traditional, and maximalist shoes. In support of our hypothesis, there were nominal differences in joint kinematics between shoe conditions. However, contrary to our hypothesis, these kinematic differences occurred with minor differences in muscle activity. Overall, the kinematic and muscle activity profiles were highly similar between shoes, suggesting participants

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

James Becker is an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Development at Montana State University. He obtained a doctorate in 2013 from the University of Oregon. His research interests include factors contributing to overuse injuries in runners, evaluating the efficacy of rehabilitation programs, and factors influencing high level performance in athletic events, particularly track and field.

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