Minimalist? Maximalist? Zero drop? Is there really one running shoe paradigm to rule them all?

On this week’s episode, Dr. Chris Napier PhD (T: @runnerphysio) and Paul Blazey (T: @Blazey85) joins BJSM’s Daniel Friedman (T:@ddfriedman) to debate running shoe prescription.

Chris is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia, where he recently obtained his his PhD (“Running biomechanics and injury

prevention”) in 2018. Since becoming a physio, Chris has specialised his training with postgraduate studies in manual therapy and sport physiotherapy. He is currently a physiotherapist of Athletics

Canada. Chris competed at the national level as a successful middle-distance runner and today is an avid skier, kayaker, and marathoner.

A self-proclaimed encyclopaedia of running shoes, Paul is a physio who has spent time working with Crystal Palace and Arsenal FC, with a keen interest in managing running and triathlon injuries. He left

his physiotherapy clinic in England behind in 2017 to take up research at the University of British Columbia and currently works as a senior associate editor for BJSM. Like Chris, Paul is an accomplished runner with envious marathon times.  

In this 20 minute conversation, Chris and Paul discuss:

       Eliud Kipchoge’s recent marathon world record

       Different running shoes’ effects on running economy

       Running shoe prescription and tips for choosing shoes in-store

       Gait retraining

       The future of running shoes

 

Further reading:

Brick NE, McElhinney MJ, Metcalfe RS. The effects of facial expression and relaxation cues on movement economy, physiological, and perceptual responses during running. Psychology of Sport

and Exercise. 2018 Jan 1;34:20-8.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029217303461

Napier C, Willy RW. Logical fallacies in the running shoe debate: let the evidence guide prescription.

https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2018/10/22/bjsports-2018-100117

Hoogkamer W, Kram R, Arellano CJ. How biomechanical improvements in running economy could

break the 2-hour marathon barrier. Sports Medicine. 2017 Sep 1;47(9):1739-50.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-017-0708-0

Barnes KR, Kilding AE. A Randomized Crossover Study Investigating the Running Economy of Highly-Trained Male and Female Distance Runners in Marathon Racing Shoes versus Track Spikes.

Sports Medicine. 2018:1-2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-018-1012-3

Nigg BM, Baltich J, Hoerzer S, Enders H. Running shoes and running injuries: mythbusting and a proposal for two new paradigms:‘preferred movement path’and ‘comfort filter’. Br J Sports Med. 2015