ECU Researcher Proving Carbon Fiber Running Shoe Insoles Improve Performance and Foot Health

Growth in technology and the use of advanced materials in sporting goods to enhance an athlete’s performance is becoming more common as the use of these materials becomes better accepted. What is not always evident is how the use of advanced materials impact the athlete’s physical health. Ankur Padhye, a doctoral student at Eastern Carolina University’s College of Allied Health Sciences’ Department of Physical Therapy, focused on the impact of carbon fiber insoles in running shoes on the foot health of runners and made some encouraging discoveries for athletes and potentially for others as well.

As manufacturers have added carbon fiber plates into the soles of running shoes, research shows that the soles give while running and this process creates a springing function giving runners up to a 4% increase in efficiency. VO2 max and exertion levels, essential components in fast and efficient running, are enhanced.

As for understanding the impact of running on the foot itself, past research focused primarily on how bare feet land on the ground and how that impact influences the forefoot. Padhye wanted to dig deeper and discover the impact on bones, tendons, and joints when runners wore shoes with the newly popular carbon fiber insoles. Working with Dr. John Willson, a professor in the PT department, the team concentrated on the mechanics of wearing the new technology regarding how the stability of the carbon fiber insole insulates the foot from repetitive stress injuries and how the muscles work differently to propel the foot forward.

Traditional research on body movement requires reflective markers to be affixed to points of the body so cameras can sense and recreate the movement digitally. In order for Padhye’s team to prove their hypothesis that the carbon fiber insoles not only make runners faster but also reduce load on the foot, holes were cut in the carbon fiber material in the shoes and in control shoes so the markers could be affixed to the feet of participants. Motion-capture technology allowed the team to assess the impact of the carbon fiber insoles on the subjects’ foot anatomy, and they liked what they saw. It appears that the carbon fiber shoes reduce loads on forefoot bones and joints.

“There may be some real applications for people with foot and ankle injuries, and possibly even knee injuries,” Dr. Willson said. “Previous studies have just looked at the whole foot as a unit. What is causing the increase or decrease in propulsion forces? We’ll be able to separate those influences.”

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