In a well-intentioned research effort, scientists at Australia’s University of Newcastle set out to solve the great mystery of expensive shoes: Are they worth it? In this case, the researchers looked at running shoes, and defined “worth it” as “do they do anything at all to reduce injury?” As reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the researchers searched all available databases for authoritative studies of running shoes, comparing for runninginjury rates, distance running performance, osteoarthritis risk,physical activity levels, or overall health and wellbeing. And they found…nothing—not no difference between shoes, but no authoritative studies of shoes. Discouraged, but still game, the Newcastle team concluded the only thing they could conclude: there was no conclusion. Futile, yes. Academic, yes.
Read more in the Sydney Morning Herald.
On another injury-related note, author and faithful SportsGeezer reader Bill Katovsky is
looking for stories of amateur athletes who have come back to health after serious illness or injury. Katovsky, who co-authored, with Roy M. Wallack, the well-read (now in its fifth printing) Bike For Life: How to ride to 100, asks comeback athletes to send their personal stories, in about 500 words, to BKatovsky@aol.com.