• HOME
  • NEWS
    • BIOENGINEERING
    • SCIENCE NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • FORUM
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
Saturday, January 16, 2021
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • BIOENGINEERING
    • SCIENCE NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • FORUM
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • NEWS
    • BIOENGINEERING
    • SCIENCE NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • FORUM
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Health

Minimalist shoes increase leg and foot muscles

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
October 3, 2016
in Health
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

In a recent study conducted by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Harvard Medical School, running in minimalist shoes can increase leg and foot muscle volume, indicating its potential application in rehabilitation programme.

Dr Roy Cheung, Assistant Professor in PolyU's Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, together with his team, recruited 38 runners, with a mean age of 35, from local running clubs. Credit: Image courtesy of Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Dr Roy Cheung, Assistant Professor in PolyU’s Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, together with his team, recruited 38 runners, with a mean age of 35, from local running clubs.
Credit: Image courtesy of Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Dr Roy Cheung, Assistant Professor in PolyU’s Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, together with his team, recruited 38 runners, with a mean age of 35, from local running clubs. The participants, comprising 21 males and 17 females, have been running for six years on average with their traditional running shoes (TRS), footwear of heel-to-toe drop over 5mm, with additional cushioning pad and artificial arch support.

Among the 38 participants, 20 runners selected randomly to the experimental group underwent a six-month training programme. At the beginning, each participant was given a pair of minimalist running shoes (MRS) and a self-monitoring programme including transition exercise regimes such as calf strengthening exercise and balance training. The MRS used in this study featured an open-topped upper made of stretchy fabric, five separate toe compartments, zero heel-to-toe drop, no midsole cushioning or arch support, and a uniform 3-mm outer sole. The other 18 runners in the control group received the same training programme running with their own TRS.

All the participants were invited to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning for measuring their right leg and foot muscles before and after six-month intervention. The experimental group exhibited significantly greater leg and foot. The mean volume of the extrinsic foot muscles (EFM) attached from the leg to foot increased from around 25,100 mm 3/kg to around 27,000 mm 3/kg, an increase of 7.05%, and the intrinsic foot muscles (IFM) attached from the heel to toes increased from around 4,600 mm 3/kg to near 5,000 mm 3/kg, an increase of 8.8%.

When grouping muscles into the forefoot and rearfoot regions, in the experimental group, the foot muscle growth was mainly contributed by the forefoot muscle rather than the rearfoot muscle. The mean volume of the forefoot and rearfoot increased by 11.9% and 6.6% respectively. In contrast, the volume of leg and foot muscles in the control group remained unchanged.

The study also found a positive correlation between participants’ MRS compliance and the changes in leg muscle volume. The more compliant participants are in wearing MRS, the higher the leg muscle volume growth.

The research team explained that as MRS provides minimal cushioning and no mechanical support to the foot arches, the IFM and EFM, which function as important foot arch stabilisers, would experience greater demands for strength. The volumetric growth of EFM may also be due to higher strain and greater force generation in the posterior and medial calf muscles when running with MRS.

In addition, mid/forefoot landing imposed more stimuli to the anterior part of the foot, especially for the metatarsophalangeal joint, the joint of the foot and toes. Muscles responsible for metatarsophalangeal joint motions may therefore be strengthened with this type of landing.

The study showed the transition to MRS strengthened the muscular components of the foot core system, indicating its potential application in rehabilitation program. Instead of focusing on foot orthotic device, foot core training should be emphasised in current clinical guidelines in treating injury related to weak foot muscles.

Web Source: Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

The post Minimalist shoes increase leg and foot muscles appeared first on Scienmag.

Share30Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

IMAGE

Rapid blood test identifies COVID-19 patients at high risk of severe disease

January 15, 2021
IMAGE

Special interests can be assets for youth with autism

January 15, 2021

Principles of care established for young adults with substance use disorders

January 15, 2021

USC study measures brain volume differences in people with HIV

January 15, 2021
Next Post
blank

Human stem cells treat spinal cord injury side effects in mice

blank

Artificial intelligence could help farmers diagnose crop diseases

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

POPULAR NEWS

  • IMAGE

    The map of nuclear deformation takes the form of a mountain landscape

    53 shares
    Share 21 Tweet 13
  • Blood pressure drug may be key to increasing lifespan, new study shows

    44 shares
    Share 18 Tweet 11
  • New drug form may help treat osteoporosis, calcium-related disorders

    38 shares
    Share 15 Tweet 10
  • New findings help explain how COVID-19 overpowers the immune system

    35 shares
    Share 14 Tweet 9

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Tags

Climate ChangeChemistry/Physics/Materials SciencesBiologyInfectious/Emerging DiseasesTechnology/Engineering/Computer ScienceMedicine/HealthEcology/EnvironmentMaterialsGeneticscancerPublic HealthCell Biology

Recent Posts

  • Better diet and glucose uptake in the brain lead to longer life in fruit flies
  • Rapid blood test identifies COVID-19 patients at high risk of severe disease
  • Conductive nature in crystal structures revealed at magnification of 10 million times
  • Howard University professor to receive first Joseph A. Johnson Award
  • Contact Us

© 2019 Bioengineer.org - Biotechnology news by Science Magazine - Scienmag.

No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

© 2019 Bioengineer.org - Biotechnology news by Science Magazine - Scienmag.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In