Patellofemoral kinetics during running in heelless and conventional running shoes

Abstract

Recreational running is a popular recreational activity often used to improve health and well-being of the participants. Sustaining injuries that stop people from running can therefore be detrimental. One of the most prevalent overuse injuries in recreational running populations (Chang et al., 2012; Ellapen et al., 2013) has been reported as patellofemoral pain which is a result of the pressure experienced between the posterior surface of the patella and the anterior distal aspect of the femur.
Footwear designers have attempted to develop shoes to reduce rate of injuries in populations. One such design is a heelless shoe that appears to adjust the footstrike pattern of the participant during running (Sinclair et al., 2014). Such adaptation to movement may influence knee joint kinetics and kinematics altering the pressure between the patella and the femur.