A good friend recently asked me what I thought about Chi Running.
I like it.
Chi Running is one of many approaches that teach runners to run softer and absorb more forces in their proximal muscles. The idea is that by having a strong core, particularly in the buttocks, less forces will be absorbed in structures that are not designed to handle high loads, including the knees and back.
This is similar in many ways to barefoot running. Not everyone can handle barefoot running, but for those that do like running barefoot, the reason it works is that it teaches you to run more softly. When you run with a heavily cushioned shoe, you can hit the ground with a very forceful heel strike. This is not possible when you run barefoot- it simply would hurt too much to slam your heel into the ground.
This is, in my opinion, the reason why all the new barefoot simulator shoes on the market (including MBTs and Skecher Shape-Ups) can be helpful- because they have a rocker bottom sole, if you try to have a forceful heel strike, you roll forward, which dissipates the force.
Back when I was a Sports & Spine fellow in Chicago, my colleague (the late, great Jim McLean) and I noticed that we could explain essentially every musculoskeletal condition through 3 very simple rules, which I now refer to as "3 Laws of the Kinetic Chain":
1. Forces have to go somewhere
2. Range of motion has to come from somewhere
3. If the body cannot absorb forces or obtain range in a way that is anatomically appropriate, it will do so in way that is pathological
A great example is running with bad form. Every time your foot hits the ground when you are running, the ground pushes back against your body in what is called a ground reaction force. This ground reaction force can be several times your body weight, and it doesn't just disappear into the ether- those forces have to go somewhere.
So where do you want those forces to go? Ideally, you want those forces to go into the biggest, baddest muscle you got- that is the gluteus maximus (your butt). Other good choices are the quadriceps (the front of the thigh) and gastrocnemius (the diamond shaped calf muscle). The more you can train your body to absorb forces into these structures while you run, the less force will be transmitted into your spine, hips, or knees.
Barefoot running is a method where your body will naturally train itself to use these muscles, because if you try to run by slamming your heels into the ground, it hurts too much. This works ok if you can adjust your stride appropriately, but many people find this too painful to tolerate.
Some commercial products, most notably the Vibram 5-Finger shoes, have been developed that help protect the feet while you are barefoot running.
Chi Running is an approach that helps teach you to engage your core while running, which is the same general concept. As a general approach, I think it is fine. If I was seeing a patient in my Sports & Spine clinic, I would try and see if I can be more specific as to exactly which muscles the patient should engage, but as a first iteration, Chi Running is a very reasonable approach.
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Monday, December 8, 2008
Cushioned running shoes for feet with high arches
The choice of which running shoe a runner should use is largely determined by their foot arch and the type of motion the foot makes through the stance phase (the portion of the running cycle when the foot is in contact with the ground).
There are two common subsets of foot and motion patterns seen in runners. The most common pattern is the overpronator, which is often associated with a flat arch. The second and less common category is the high-arched underpronator, which happens to be the category I belong to.
To understand how these foot mechanics influence choice of footwear, it is important to understand foot pronation. Foot pronation is a natural roll of the foot that occurs during stance phase that serves to help absorb some of the force of impact. When the foot first contact the ground, most people start to roll almost immediately to the outside of their foot (this is why, if you look at the shoes of most people, you see greater wear on the outside of their heel than the inside of the heel). What happens in the middle of stance phase is that weight stays along the outside of the foot arch as the runners body weight is transferred over the middle of the foot.
The main distinction between over- and under- pronators occurs during the end of stance phase. Underpronators start rolling toward the big toe, and keep on going. This pronation is useful, as it helps absorb the force of landing, which is several times bodyweight. The problem with overpronating is that as the foot keeps rolling without control, it drags the rest of the body with it, which causes excessive strain up the kinetic chain (e.g., the excessive pronation can pull the leg bone, the tibia, with it the foot, which can cause strain at the knee). Therefore, runners with excessive pronation are often advised to wear motion control shoes.
The underpronator, like me, has the opposite problem. In their feet, the foot does NOT roll sufficiently toward the big toe. Remember- pronation is an important shock absorbing motion. Therefore, in runners with high arches and underpronation, the general recommendation is to avoid motion control shoes and use running shoes that have extra cushioning (to compensate for the lack of absorbtion from the natural pronation motion).
A recent study from the American Journal of Sports Medicine confirmed the shoe recommendations for high-arched runners.
Caleb Wegener, Joshua Burns, and Stefania Penkala Effect of Neutral-Cushioned Running Shoes on Plantar Pressure Loading and Comfort in Athletes With Cavus Feet: A Crossover Randomized Controlled Trial , Am J Sports Med 2008 36: 2139-2146
In short, this study confirms the recommendations above for the high-arched runner.
For the record, the cushioned shoes that were examined were the Asics Nimbus 6 and Brooks Glycerin 3, and the control shoe that was examined was the Dunlop Volley. This was a well designed study that used a cross-over study design, meaning that each participant started with either a cushioned shoe or the control, and then switched groups. The examiners also assessed both pressure distribution and comfort level of the runners.
Based on this study, the recommendations listed above still apply. Based on my personal anecdotal experience, it is important for runners with high arches and underpronation to look for a shoe that is BOTH heavily cushioned AND not motion control. My experience has been that it is hard to find running shoes that do not have some component of motion control built into the shoe. Since overpronation is the more common foot problem, most shoe manufacturers tend to build some motion control into almost all of their shoes, even their heavily cushioned models.
As a practical matter, this can be a challenge. If you go to many running shoe stores, the clerks sometimes will not know the properties of the individual shoes. My recommendation is to first scout out the shoes you are looking for on a good running shoe site (I tend to use RoadRunnerSports.com), and then look for shoes that fit your category. Once you find a shoe you like, stick with it. Stores that specialize in running shoes (e.g., in Chicago and Pittsburgh, Fleet Feet is a good store) tend to have experienced sales people with good knowledge of what type of shoe is right for you.
There are two common subsets of foot and motion patterns seen in runners. The most common pattern is the overpronator, which is often associated with a flat arch. The second and less common category is the high-arched underpronator, which happens to be the category I belong to.
To understand how these foot mechanics influence choice of footwear, it is important to understand foot pronation. Foot pronation is a natural roll of the foot that occurs during stance phase that serves to help absorb some of the force of impact. When the foot first contact the ground, most people start to roll almost immediately to the outside of their foot (this is why, if you look at the shoes of most people, you see greater wear on the outside of their heel than the inside of the heel). What happens in the middle of stance phase is that weight stays along the outside of the foot arch as the runners body weight is transferred over the middle of the foot.
The main distinction between over- and under- pronators occurs during the end of stance phase. Underpronators start rolling toward the big toe, and keep on going. This pronation is useful, as it helps absorb the force of landing, which is several times bodyweight. The problem with overpronating is that as the foot keeps rolling without control, it drags the rest of the body with it, which causes excessive strain up the kinetic chain (e.g., the excessive pronation can pull the leg bone, the tibia, with it the foot, which can cause strain at the knee). Therefore, runners with excessive pronation are often advised to wear motion control shoes.
The underpronator, like me, has the opposite problem. In their feet, the foot does NOT roll sufficiently toward the big toe. Remember- pronation is an important shock absorbing motion. Therefore, in runners with high arches and underpronation, the general recommendation is to avoid motion control shoes and use running shoes that have extra cushioning (to compensate for the lack of absorbtion from the natural pronation motion).
A recent study from the American Journal of Sports Medicine confirmed the shoe recommendations for high-arched runners.
Caleb Wegener, Joshua Burns, and Stefania Penkala Effect of Neutral-Cushioned Running Shoes on Plantar Pressure Loading and Comfort in Athletes With Cavus Feet: A Crossover Randomized Controlled Trial , Am J Sports Med 2008 36: 2139-2146
In short, this study confirms the recommendations above for the high-arched runner.
For the record, the cushioned shoes that were examined were the Asics Nimbus 6 and Brooks Glycerin 3, and the control shoe that was examined was the Dunlop Volley. This was a well designed study that used a cross-over study design, meaning that each participant started with either a cushioned shoe or the control, and then switched groups. The examiners also assessed both pressure distribution and comfort level of the runners.
Based on this study, the recommendations listed above still apply. Based on my personal anecdotal experience, it is important for runners with high arches and underpronation to look for a shoe that is BOTH heavily cushioned AND not motion control. My experience has been that it is hard to find running shoes that do not have some component of motion control built into the shoe. Since overpronation is the more common foot problem, most shoe manufacturers tend to build some motion control into almost all of their shoes, even their heavily cushioned models.
As a practical matter, this can be a challenge. If you go to many running shoe stores, the clerks sometimes will not know the properties of the individual shoes. My recommendation is to first scout out the shoes you are looking for on a good running shoe site (I tend to use RoadRunnerSports.com), and then look for shoes that fit your category. Once you find a shoe you like, stick with it. Stores that specialize in running shoes (e.g., in Chicago and Pittsburgh, Fleet Feet is a good store) tend to have experienced sales people with good knowledge of what type of shoe is right for you.
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