Effects of bodyweight and shoe cushioning on injury risk and running biomechanics: A randomised control trial

Over the last decades, recreational running has grown in popularity as a form of healthy lifestyle. Despite the numerous benefits associated with running, the drawback of running practice, the risk of sustaining an injury, cancel out part of these benefits. Indeed, the long term risks of RRI include a reduction of physical activity, early-onset osteoarthritis, and thus an increase in health care costs. While the mechanisms leading to RRI are multifactorial, footwear is a modifiable factor that may be developed with the aim to decrease RRI risk. Surprisingly, the literature on the association between single shoe features and injury risk is still poor.29 Until now, the influence of the cushioning properties of modern running shoes on injury risk has not been established yet. Because the cushioning systems aim to reduce VGRF, bodyweight is a key factor that must be part of the study problem. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the association between shoe cushioning and bodyweight, and the risk of running-related injury in recreational runners. The secondary aims are to identify which of the running technique-related characteristics (timing variables and VGRF parameters) are associated with injury risk, and which of them are influenced by the cushioning properties of the shoes.
The objectives of the present study are to investigate:
1) The association between shoe cushioning properties and injury risk in recreational runners;
2) The association between bodyweight and injury risk in recreational runners;
3) The association between running biomechanics (impact forces and timing-related variables) and injury risk in recreational runners;
4) The association between shoe cushioning properties and injury risk in runners with high bodyweight;
5) The influence of shoe cushioning on running biomechanics;
6) The influence of bodyweight on running biomechanics.