A separate study compared the patellofemoral pressures and forces (PP & PTF) on thirty recreational running males who performed tests while running barefoot, with minimalist shoes, and with normal running shoes. The results yielded a mean PTF of 3.19 for barefoot running compared to a mean PTF of 4.11 for conventional running.2 Additionally, a mean PP of 9.24 was observed for barefoot running, while a mean PP of 10.18 was observed for conventional running.2 These results further support the thesis that barefoot running reduced joint centered forces; especially within the knee.
II. Improves running efficiency …show more content…
Metrics measured included the ground contact time (GCT), knee flexion angle, foot strike, and stride cadence.4 Testing results revealed that barefoot runners had the smallest amount of rearfoot strikes (40%) when compared to shod runners (87%) and that GCT was the least with barefoot runners (250.6 ms).4 Last, the stride cadence was highest among barefoot runners. This data suggests that not only does barefoot running provide increased safety through mitigating the risk of injury due to rearfoot strikes and ground reaction force injuries, but it also increases the overall stride