Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33436965›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2021

Increasing the midsole bending stiffness of shoes alters gastrocnemius medialis muscle function during running.

Sasa Cigoja, Jared R Fletcher, Michael Esposito, Darren J Stefanyshyn, Benno M Nigg

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
24citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

24 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Sasa CigojaHuman Performance Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada. sasa.cigoja1@ucalgary.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0794-834X
Jared R FletcherDepartment of Health and Physical Education, Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Michael EspositoBiomedical Engineering Graduate Program, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Darren J StefanyshynHuman Performance Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Benno M NiggHuman Performance Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In recent years, increasing the midsole bending stiffness (MBS) of running shoes by embedding carbon fibre plates in the midsole resulted in many world records set during long-distance running competitions. Although several theories were introduced to unravel the mechanisms behind these performance benefits, no definitive explanation was provided so far. This study aimed to investigate how the function of the gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle and Achilles tendon is altered when running in shoes with increased MBS. Here, we provide the first direct evidence that the amount and velocity of GM muscle fascicle shortening is reduced when running with increased MBS. Compared to control, running in the stiffest condition at 90% of speed at lactate threshold resulted in less muscle fascicle shortening (p = 0.006, d = 0.87), slower average shortening velocity (p = 0.002, d = 0.93) and greater estimated Achilles tendon energy return (p ≤ 0.001, d = 0.96), without a significant change in GM fascicle work (p = 0.335, d = 0.40) or GM energy cost (p = 0.569, d = 0.30). The findings of this study suggest that running in stiff shoes allows the ankle plantarflexor muscle-tendon unit to continue to operate on a more favourable position of the muscle's force-length-velocity relationship by lowering muscle shortening velocity and increasing tendon energy return.

Indexed as

Musculoskeletal Physiological PhenomenaRunningAdultBiomechanical PhenomenaHumansMaleMuscle, SkeletalShoes

Identifiers

PMID33436965
PMCPMC7804138

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.