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Injuries to lower extremity, such as stress fractures of the tibia (the bone on the inner leg between the ankle and knee), inflammation of the tendons (fibrous connective tissue between muscle and bone and other parts), and painful warts on the bottom of the feet, are on the rise with the increased popularity of recreational running. There are about 30 million recreational runners in the United States, and 60 percent of them will probably experience some type of related injury. The reason injuries are so common is that 250 percent of body weight is absorbed by the musculoskeletal system when the heel strikes the ground. Resultant injuries are often called 'overuse syndromes.' Some of the factors leading to these injuries are the biomechanical makeup of the runner's foot and lower body, the condition of the running surface, and training errors. Limitation of exercise is often the first line of therapy for overuse syndrome but many runners do not comply. Some orthopedists, therefore, are recommending orthotic shoe inserts. The inserts realign the foot in the shoe and they cushion it. The current study examined questionnaire data provided by 347 runners with overuse syndrome who had used or were then using shoe inserts. The subjects used the inserts for an average of 23 months and they ran an average of 39.6 miles per week. More than 75 percent (262) of the runners reported that their overuse syndrome complaints were completely resolved by the inserts or were greatly improved. The results were completely independent of the runner's diagnosis or the distance they ran per week. And 90 percent of the runners surveyed continued to use the inserts after their complaints were completely resolved. It appears, therefore, that the use of orthotic shoe inserts may be an effective intervention for sufferers of overuse syndrome and one that is acceptable to runners because it allows them to keep running. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)