Published online Jul 18, 2022. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v13.i7.652
Peer-review started: March 6, 2022
First decision: April 28, 2022
Revised: May 13, 2022
Accepted: June 24, 2022
Article in press: June 24, 2022
Published online: July 18, 2022
Evidence regarding the effectiveness of using orthotics in improving comfort, increasing running speed and helping to reduce injury rate during running is limited and mixed. Alongside the increasing popularity of running is the increasing rate of running-related injuries (RRIs). Further research into whether orthotics could be used to help reduce RRIs would be highly beneficial for those affected. Additionally, there is a need to clarify whether orthotics use increases comfort during running and helps improve running speed.
To investigate whether running with Aetrex Orthotics improves comfort and performance and reduces injury whilst running.
Runners were recruited on a voluntary basis if they were 18 or older with no serious health conditions, ongoing foot pain or deformity, previous foot surgery in their lifetime or any surgery in the past 6 mo. Participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. All participants were asked to complete runs and provide quantitative data regarding comfort during running, running time and distance, and any RRIs over an 8-wk study period. Participants in the intervention group ran with Aetrex L700 Speed Orthotics, whilst participants in the control group ran without orthotics. Other than the addition of orthotics for participants in the intervention group, all participants were asked to run as they usually would. This report presents preliminary data from the first 47 participants recruited for this study. Running speed was calculated from running distance and time and given in miles per hour. For each outcome variable, the mean for each group, effect size and 95% confidence interval were calculated, and a t-test was performed to determine if between-group differences were statistically significant.
Data for all three primary outcomes was provided from a total of 254 runs by the 23 participants in the intervention group and a total of 289 runs by the 24 participants in the control group. Participants in the intervention group reported higher comfort scores (8.00 ± 1.41 vs 6.96 ± 2.03, P ≤ 0.0001), faster running speeds (6.27 ± 1.03 vs 6.00 ± 1.54, P = 0.013), and lower RRI rates (0.70 ± 1.01 vs 1.21 ± 1.53, P = 0.18) than those in the control group. These findings were statistically significant for comfort and running speed but not for RRI rate, with statistical significance considered if P < 0.05. No adjustments were made for group differences in age, gender, tendency for RRIs or usual running speed.
This preliminary report provides evidence for orthotics use in increasing comfort levels and running speed, but no significant difference in RRI rate.
Core Tip: Running-related injuries are becoming increasingly prevalent due to the increasing popularity of this sport. Foot orthotics have been suggested to increase comfort and speed whilst running, as well as reduce injury rate. However, current evidence is limited and mixed. This article, presenting preliminary randomised control trial data, finds significant evidence that running with Aetrex L700 Speed Orthotics, compared to running with no orthotics, in 'participants' regular running shoes, improves comfort and running speed. Participants running with Aetrex L700 Speed Orthotics, on average, reported lower injury rates than those running without orthotics. However, this difference was not significant.