Effects of Shoe Longitudinal Bending Stiffness

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Runners
• Interventions: Other: running flexible shoes

• Registration Number: NCT04895501
• Lead Sponsor: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne

Brief Summary

Carbon plates inserted in competitive running shoes have been increasingly used in the past 2-3 years and several investigations have shown that these plates increase the longitudinal bending stiffness (LBS) of the shoe. It leads to a redistribution of muscle work and to a modification of the force generation conditions, which may reduce the energy cost of running (Cr) and improve performance.

Detailed Description

Only one study has investigated the effects of LBS in running bouts longer than 8 minutes but on the biomechanics part, and their effects on neuromuscular fatigue and prolonged running performance. The aim of this study is to compare shoes with and without carbon plates during a prolonged (21 km) running exercise on Cr, plantar flexor neuromuscular fatigue and running kinetics and kinematics to estimate the changes high-LBS may induce on fatigue and subsequent performance.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2021-05-17
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-05-17
• Study First Posted: 2021-05-20
• Study Start: 2022-02-07
• Primary Completion: 2022-05-31
• Study Completion: 2022-06-28
• Status Verified: 2022-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2022-07-05
• Last Update Posted: 2022-07-06

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Male
• Target Recruitment: 21

Inclusion Criteria

• aged ≥ 18 and ≤ 50 years.
• men
• experienced, well-trained endurance runners with the capacity to run 21km in less than 1h 40 and who train more than 5h a week.
• free from muscular, bone or joint injuries
• free from neurologic disease
• approval received from a physician

Exclusion Criteria

• currently participating in a structured exercise program
• injury in the 3 months prior to the protocol
• chronic joint pathologies (e.g.: repetitive sprains, patellar or ligament problems)
• the intake of corticosteroids within 3 months (inhalation, infiltration or history of prolonged corticosteroid therapy).

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
running flexible shoes	running flexible shoes	21 km of running flexible shoes followed by a time-to-exhaustion run.
running with stiff shoes	running flexible shoes	21 km of running with stiff shoes followed by a time-to-exhaustion run.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
energy cost of running	during the last 4 minutes of a 21km race	amount of energy needed to travel a unit of distance

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
ankle plantar flexors	during the last 4 minutes of a 21km race	ankle plantar flexors maximal voluntary contraction

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Unités de Myologie et de Médecine du Sport; 🇫🇷 Saint-Étienne, France