Vibram Lawsuit
Jun 05, 2014
About a month ago I posted about the claim from the media and running magazines that the minimalism trend was over or fading and my response to this. Over the rest of the year it should be interesting to see what happens with the current lawsuit that has been filed against Vibram and their five finger product. Just to be clear, the lawsuit is not about wearing these shoes causing injury, but the fact that Vibram has made claims that has not been backed by research, wearing their shoes will do the following:
Five Fingers
1. strengthen muscles in the feet and lower legs
2. improve range of motion in the ankles, feet, and toes
3. stimulate neural function important to balance and agility
4. eliminate heel lift to align the spine and improve posture
5. allow the foot and body to move naturally
This is very true there is minimal evidence proving this, but I would like to address these statements with some personal and clinical experience. Just to re-iterate I am not saying that these are claims from Vibram are true just a few things to think about from another perspective.
Five Fingers
1. strengthen muscles in the feet and lower legs. I consider a traditional running shoe (limited flexibility and preventing certain movements) like a brace, so an analogy would be wearing a semi-rigid wrist brace (no injury) and going to the gym and doing wrist curls, to strengthen your forearm. do you think it would benefit you more to work your wrist without the brace?
2. improve range of motion in the ankles, feet, and toes. hard to really prove, but wearing a traditional running shoe does seem to limit certain movements and change how we run.
3. stimulate neural function important to balance and agility. When I am working with a client in the clinic with a lower extremity injury, I always incorporate balance exercises into the exercise program. When I get a client to do these exercises I have them barefoot. This is something I have done prior to the barefoot running trend taking off a few years ago.
4. eliminate heel lift to align the spine and improve posture. This statement in theory makes sense, yes being barefoot puts you in a more natural posture compared to a shoe that has a heel to forefoot height difference, but does it help to improve your posture?
5. allow the foot and body to move naturally. I have come across many studies and videos, showing the difference between running shod and running barefoot. When you put on a pair of shoes generally we do alter the way we run, especially with an increased heel toe drop. Our body has been designed to reduce impact naturally when we run or walk. Do we want to alter that with a running shoe or promote it?
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the running shoe industry pushes that their shoes offer more protection and cushioning and better support, but their advertising is less blatant as Vibram’s claims. It is tough to find conclusive research that wearing a shoe that provides more cushioning, pronation or supination control, helps you run better, or prevents injuries. Some studies show that really it does not matter if we are fitted for the proper shoe or not. All the talk of cushioning and support when you run sounds more re-assuring than a thin piece of rubber under our foot.
I think there is a place for Vibram and running shoes and we need to work on finding a common ground. I do see that trend happening in footwear, but these things take time. I have a pair of very minimal shoes that I will continue to use a tool to maintain my form and strengthen my foot. I will also continue to purchase shoes that are minimal and offer some protection but do not alter the way I naturally run.
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