| Abstract ID |
| 20260004 |
| Category |
| Sports Medicine: Epidemiology and Injury Prevention |
| Preferable Presentation |
| Oral Presentation |
| Title |
| DOES TRANSITION TO MINIMALIST FOOTWEAR HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR INJURY RISK AND INJURY PREVENTION IN RUNNERS WITH MEDIAL TIBIAL STRESS SYNDROME? |
| Author |
|
| Presenter |
| Nguyen Quyet Thang |
| Abstract |
| Introduction: Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), or “shin splints”, is a prevalent musculoskeletal injury among runners. Minimalist running shoes (MRS) were reported to positively influence runners’ biomechanics, but their impact on the MTSS population remains unclear in the biomechanics literature. This study aims to assess the acute effects of transitioning to minimalist running footwear on the kinematics of runners with MTSS, yielding new insights into the impact of footwear modification on this population and contributing to the growing body of literature on footwear biomechanics and MTSS. Methods: 25 runners (19 males, 6 females, 30.1±6.4 years old), diagnosed with MTSS, ran on a treadmill at 10 kilometres/hour using standard running shoes and minimalist running shoes. Hip, knee, and ankle joint kinematics were captured using 16-infrared-camera Vicon motion capture system. Strike patterns were estimated from the foot strike angle. Comparison between footwear types was performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for continuous variables and the Stuart-Maxwell test for categorical variables. Results: Transitioning to minimalist running shoes resulted in a significant reduction in peak stance-phase knee flexion for the left (1.7 ± 4.7°, p = 0.040) and right (2.7 ± 6.6°, p = 0.024) limbs. Stride length decreased significantly (2.9 ± 3.6 cm, p < 0.001), accompanied by a significant increase in cadence (2.7 ± 3.4 steps/min, p < 0.001). No significant changes were observed in peak stance-phase hip internal rotation, frontal-plane pelvic tilt, or foot strike patterns. Discussion: Transition to minimalist running shoes did not alter hip kinematics or foot strike pattern but resulted in reduced peak stance-phase knee flexion and increased cadence in runners with MTSS. These findings suggest that footwear modification can induce immediate biomechanical changes, primarily affecting distal joint mechanics and spatiotemporal parameters. While increased cadence and reduced stride length may be beneficial for reducing tibial loading, decreased knee flexion could compromise knee shock absorption. The absence of changes in strike pattern and proximal kinematics indicates that short-term footwear modification alone may be insufficient to substantially alter running mechanics in this population. Therefore, minimalist footwear should be introduced gradually and individually, in combination with gait retraining and strengthening strategies, rather than immediate full adoption, to support safe rehabilitation and minimise symptom exacerbation. |