Systematically modified crash-pad reduces impact shock in running shoes

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of (a) crash-pad thickness and (b) midsole height at the heel to reduce heel impact load during running. Twenty male runners performed heel-toe runs in four different shoe conditions. While three shoe conditions had systematic changes in crash-pad thickness without changing general heel height, a fourth shoe condition differed only in overall heel height. Kinetic and kinematic running variables were quantified by using a force platform and an electrogoniometer. Data were collected for five valid running trials at a constant running speed of 3.5 ± 0.1 m s−1. Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests, a one-way repeated measures ANOVA (P < 0.05) as well as effect sizes (η 2) were calculated for all variables. The findings of this study showed that (a) increasing crash-pad thickness resulted in reduced impact variables without influencing traditional rearfoot motion variables. Furthermore, reduced heel height (b) is influencing predominantly rearfoot stability. Consequently, crash-pad modification can be used to improve cushioning properties without influences on rearfoot stability. Furthermore, crash-pad modification allows reducing shoe weight while maintaining cushioning properties.