Date of Graduation
5-2019
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Health, Human Performance and Recreation
Advisor/Mentor
Gallagher, Kaitlin
Committee Member/Reader
Gray, Michelle
Committee Member/Second Reader
Washington, Tyrone
Abstract
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this longitudinal study was to analyze the impact of the degradation in footwear, due to increased mileage, on the incidence of overuse injuries in the female distance runners on the Arkansas Cross-Country team over the course of four weeks. Methods: Eight female participants over the age of 18 from the University of Arkansas women’s cross-country team that trained in a neutral-ride running shoe were recruited. Each week subjects recorded their mileage and completed a pain survey over the FOOT, LOWER-LEG, KNEE, UPPER-LEG, HIPS, and LOWER BACK while midsole thickness of their training shoes was measured at five locations: posterior heel, lateral heel, medial heel, lateral metatarsal arch, medial metatarsal arch. Results: There was a statistically significant main effect of WEEK for all shoe deformation locations except for the left lateral metatarsal arch with a p-value of 0.005. TOTAL, FOOT, and LOWER-LEG pain scores over the four weeks for each subject showed no consistent correlation with increased time across all subjects. The regression analysis showed no consistent pattern or relevance between shoe degradation and mileage or between shoe degradation and injury score. Conclusion: The midsole thickness of neutral-ride running shoes decreases as mileage is placed upon it over time. The limitations of this study inhibit our ability to determine if this change in midsole thickness has a detrimental effect on the athletes’ overuse injury pain. Future studies should explore the changes in shoe characteristics throughout a season to determine if these changes play any role in an athlete’s ability to perform their best and deal with an injury.
Keywords
mileage; midsole; stress fracture
Citation
Nichwitz, R. (2019). Implications of Running Shoe Degradation on Overuse Injury Incidence in NCAA Division 1 Female Distance Runners. Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/hhpruht/76
