Injury Reduction Effectiveness of Prescribing Running Shoes Based on Foot Shape in Basic Combat Training

In Basic Combat Training (BCT) running shoes are prescribed based on plantar foot shape (reflecting longitudinal arch height). In response to a request from the Military Training Task Force of the Defense Safety Oversight Council this study examined whether or not this prescription technique influenced injury risk. After foot examinations BCT recruits in an experimental group (E, n=1,079 men, 456 women) were prescribed motion control stability or cushioned shoes for foot shapes judged to represent low medium or high arches respectively. A control group (C, n=1,068 men, 464 women) received a stability shoe regardless of plantar foot shape. Injuries during BCT were determined from outpatient visits provided by the Army Medical Surveillance Activity. Other previously known injury risk factors (e.g. age fitness smoking) were obtained from a questionnaire and existing databases. Multivariate Cox regression controlling for other injury risk factors showed little difference between the E and C groups among men (risk ratio (CIE) = 1.1195% confidence interval = 0.91- 1.34) or women (risk ratio (CIE)=1.14 95% confidence interval = 0.91-1.44). This prospective study demonstrated that prescribing shoes on the basis of the shape of the plantar foot surface had little influence on injury risk even after control of known injury risk factors.
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