Article

While recent research debates the topic of natural running in adolescents and
adults, little is known about the influence of footwear on running patterns in
children. The purpose of this study was to compare shod and barefoot running gait
biomechanics in preadolescent children. Kinematic and ground reaction force data
of 36 normally developed children aged 6-9 years were collected during running on
an instrumented treadmill. Running conditions were randomized for each child in
order to compare barefoot running with two different shod conditions: a cushioned
and a minimalistic running shoe. Primary outcome was the ankle angle at foot
strike. Secondary outcomes were knee angle, maximum and impact ground reaction
forces, presence of rear-foot strike, step width, step length and cadence. Ankle
angle at foot strike differed with statistical significance (p < 0.001) between
conditions. Running barefoot reduced the ankle angle at foot strike by 5.97
degrees [95% CI, 4.19; 7.75] for 8 kmh(-1) and 6.18 degrees [95% CI, 4.38; 7.97]
for 10 kmh(-1) compared to the cushioned shoe condition. Compared to the
minimalistic shoe condition, running barefoot reduced the angle by 1.94 degrees
[95% CI, 0.19 degrees ; 3.69 degrees ] for 8 kmh(-1) and 1.38 degrees [95% CI,
-3.14 degrees ; 0.39 degrees ] for 10 kmh(-1). Additionally, using footwear
significantly increased maximum and impact ground reaction forces, step length,
step width and rate of rear-foot strike. In conclusion, preadolescent running
biomechanics are influenced by footwear, especially by cushioned running shoes.
Health professionals and parents should keep this in mind when considering
footwear for children.
CI - Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS