BIOMECHANICS OF SHOD AND BAREFOOT RUNNING: A LITERATURE REVIEW

ABSTRACT This study aims to analyze and summarize the biomechanical (kinematics, kinetics and neuromuscular) differences between shod and barefoot running, through a literature review. Searches were conducted for complete articles published between 2013 and November 2018 in the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and SPORTdiscus databases. The search terms used were Biomechanics, Kinetics, Kinematics, Electromyography, “Surface Electromyography”; and Unshod, Barefoot, Barefeet and Running. The search resulted in 687 articles; after excluding duplicates and selecting by title, abstract and full text, 40 articles were included in the review. The results show that there are important differences in the biomechanics of running when shod or barefoot. In general, studies indicate that in barefoot running: a) individuals present forefoot or midfoot foot strike patterns, while in shod running the typical pattern is the rearfoot strike; (b) greater cadence and shorter stride length are observed; and (c) there is greater knee flexion, lower peak vertical ground reaction force and greater activation of the medial gastrocnemius. In addition, barefoot runners contact the ground with greater plantar flexion, possibly as a strategy to reduce impact when stepping without footwear. These differences, as well as runners’ individual characteristics, should be considered in the prescription of the barefoot running, in order to minimize injuries resulting from the practice. Level of Evidence II; Review.

摘要 本研究旨在通过文献综述，分析并总结穿鞋跑步与赤脚跑步之间的生物力学（运动学、动力学及神经肌肉学）差异。本研究检索了2013年至2018年11月期间发表于Web of Science、PubMed、Scopus及SPORTdiscus数据库的完整学术论文，采用的检索词包括：生物力学（Biomechanics）、动力学（Kinetics）、运动学（Kinematics）、肌电图（Electromyography）、表面肌电图（Surface Electromyography）；以及未穿鞋（Unshod）、赤脚（Barefoot）、赤足（Barefeet）与跑步（Running）。本次检索共获取687篇论文，经剔除重复文献，并通过标题、摘要及全文筛选后，最终纳入40篇文献用于本次综述。研究结果显示，穿鞋跑步与赤脚跑步的生物力学特征存在显著差异。总体而言，现有研究表明，赤脚跑步时：a) 受试者多采用前脚掌或中脚掌着地模式，而穿鞋跑步的典型着地模式为后脚掌着地；b) 步频更高且步长更短；c) 膝关节屈曲度更大、垂直地面反作用力峰值更低，且腓肠肌内侧头激活程度更高。此外，赤脚跑步者着地时跖屈程度更大，这可能是其在无鞋状态下迈步时用以降低冲击力的策略。在制定赤脚跑步运动方案时，应综合考虑上述差异以及跑步者的个体特征，以最大程度降低该运动方式带来的运动损伤风险。证据等级：II级；综述类研究。