ABSTRACT
The mechanics of foot-shoe-ground interaction has been the focus of running shoe-related research from the early 1980s. It was believed that mechanical factors such as the impact force peak or force rate (Cavanagh and Lafortune, 1980; Nigg, 1986; Stacoff et al., 1988) or the amplitude or velocity of rearfoot eversion during the ground contact phase (Nigg and Morlock, 1987; Stacoff et al., 1988) may be related to or be the cause of injuries. The concept followed on from epidemiological studies that have demonstrated a high proportion of long-distance runners suffering from overuse injuries (Clement et al., 1981; James et al., 1978; Krissoff and Ferris, 1979) in combination with mechanistically based statements on fundamental requirements of a good running shoe (Nigg, 1986). As a logical consequence resulting from these concepts, it was aimed at altering the shoe as the modulating element to potentially change the resulting load on the body system and, with that, the injury rates in runners.
