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Date of Award
Spring 2024
Degree Name
Master of Medical Science (Physician Assistant)
Department
Physician Assistant; College of Health Sciences
First Advisor
Timothy Besse PA-C
Abstract
Over the last century, running has remained a popular form of exercise for enthusiasts, athletes, and causal joggers. In the last century, runners have utilized several assorted styles and forms of shoes. Among these shoes, minimalistic shoes have been increasing in popularity over the past few years. Many runners, athletes, and casual wearers are finding remarkable success with these shoes and are encouraging others to do the same. Although the claims about these shoes are appealing, not everyone fully understands the mechanism behind the shoes, who would make a suitable candidate for these shoes, and how to transition into these shoes while still minimizing injury. Currently, there are no recommendations or resources for health professionals to guide them when a patient asks about these shoes. This capstone aims to address this gap by providing a comprehensive guide of the current literature on minimalistic shoes including: the definition that defines several qualities of these shoes, body mechanics when utilizing the shoes, what disease conditions would benefit from these shoes, what disease conditions to steer away from these shoes, and finally a recommendation on where research needs to continue.
Recommended Citation
Smyk, Anna, "To Wear or not to Wear: A Guide to Minimalistic Shoes" (2024). Capstone Showcase. 68.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/showcase/2024/pa/68
To Wear or not to Wear: A Guide to Minimalistic Shoes
Over the last century, running has remained a popular form of exercise for enthusiasts, athletes, and causal joggers. In the last century, runners have utilized several assorted styles and forms of shoes. Among these shoes, minimalistic shoes have been increasing in popularity over the past few years. Many runners, athletes, and casual wearers are finding remarkable success with these shoes and are encouraging others to do the same. Although the claims about these shoes are appealing, not everyone fully understands the mechanism behind the shoes, who would make a suitable candidate for these shoes, and how to transition into these shoes while still minimizing injury. Currently, there are no recommendations or resources for health professionals to guide them when a patient asks about these shoes. This capstone aims to address this gap by providing a comprehensive guide of the current literature on minimalistic shoes including: the definition that defines several qualities of these shoes, body mechanics when utilizing the shoes, what disease conditions would benefit from these shoes, what disease conditions to steer away from these shoes, and finally a recommendation on where research needs to continue.