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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomechanics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1462159
This article is part of the Research Topic Advancements in Running Biomechanics: Bridging Research and Practical Applications View all articles

Immediate and Long-term Effects of Zero-drop Running Shoes on Lower Extremity Biomechanics

Provisionally accepted
Zimeng LIU Zimeng LIU 1Yulin Zhou Yulin Zhou 1Hui Liu Hui Liu 1Peng Cheng Peng Cheng 1*Zhiyi Zheng Zhiyi Zheng 2*Quanshou Zeng Quanshou Zeng 2*
  • 1 Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
  • 2 ANTA Sport Science Laboratory, Xiamen, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The purpose of the study was to investigate the immediate and long-term effects of zero-drop running shoes on lower extremity joint biomechanics. Methods: Seven male runners participated in this study (height: 1.74 ± 0.03 m, weight: 62.5 ± 3.1 kg, body mass index: 20.6 ± 0.7 kg/m² ). Kinematic and kinetic data were collected when the participants ran at a speed of 13 ± 0.65 km/h in running shoes with zero and 15 mm drop both immediately and after the 8-week intervention wearing zero-drop running shoes. Paired t-tests were used to analyze the biomechanical differences between the different drop shoes in the immediate test and the biomechanical changes during the intervention. Results: The foot strike index increased (zerodrop: p = 0.021, 15 mm drop: p = 0.049), along with the negative work of ankle joint (15 mm drop: p = 0.018), and the hip joint (zero-drop: p = 0.004, 15 mm drop: p = 0.009), while metatarsophalangeal joint negative work decreased (zero-drop: p = 0.029, 15 mm drop: p = 0.028) in post-intervention test compared to the pre-intervention test. Conclusion: Zero-drop running shoes promote a forefoot strike pattern, which affects the distribution of lower extremity joint work.

    Keywords: zero-drop running shoes, Running biomechanics, strike pattern, joint work, Running injury

    Received: 09 Jul 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 LIU, Zhou, Liu, Cheng, Zheng and Zeng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Peng Cheng, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
    Zhiyi Zheng, ANTA Sport Science Laboratory, Xiamen, China
    Quanshou Zeng, ANTA Sport Science Laboratory, Xiamen, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.