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Footwear effects on free moment application in running†

The free moment is considered an important variable during running in lower extremity transverse plane loading of the support leg. The effect of current footwear technology on free moment application has not been widely studied despite evidence that greater free moment amplitudes may be related to common lower extremity overuse injuries. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of current running shoe types on the free moment application in running and to identify which design features specifically influence free moment waveforms. The free moments and lower extremity kinematics of 103 recreational runners were collected when running at 3.5 m/s using force plates embedded in the ground. Six conditions were analysed, ranging from minimalistic to motion-control footwear. Runners were classified into three groups of different free moment pattern using functional principal component and cluster analysis techniques. The results revealed that the free moment application can be affected by footwear technologies used in modern running shoes. Nonetheless, the free moment application was influenced to a greater extent by the overall running technique highlighted by the greater effect sizes for pattern membership compared to footwear effects. Footwear may affect the free moment application as a function of its torsional flexibility and to a lesser extent by means of motion-control features. Future studies should address the effect of footwear design features (such as shoe-mass and traction) on free moment application in greater detail to improve the running style with respect to injury prevention and performance enhancement.