I just do not get how the media react and create headlines from research (well actually, I do get it ... they want to attract readers and sell papers), but they just have to be more responsible. A lot of bloggers fall for the same trap.
A few days ago there was some research published that looked at joint torques when running barefoot vs running in running shoes. Some of the headlines that accomapanied news and blog reports about this research were:
Running Shoes are Still Bad
Running Shoes may cause damage to knees hips and ankle
Running may be good for you, but running shoes aren't
What I do not get is that there was absolutely nothing in the research that actually showed this! Let alone the flaws in the study do not allow any conclusion to be drawn, let alone the above ones. Also, it turns out the lead author has a vested financial interest in a barefoot running product that was NOT disclosed!
The barefoot running fanatics and irrationalists have jumped on this research as supporting the barefoot running movement. The fact that they blindly accept this research without any form of critical analysis of the flaws, just confirms how fanatical and irrational they are!
Why can't the media and bloggers be more critical in what they report? At least Podiatry Arena could see through the problems: The Effect of Running Shoes on Lower Extremity Joint Torques
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