Abstract
Carbon plate running shoes (CPRS) have significantly advanced running shoe technology, but their orthopaedic impact remains controversial. Remarkably, most running-related overuse injuries affect one leg only, although running is generally considered a symmetrical physical activity. Therefore, this study examined whether CPRS affect biomechanical loading and between-leg symmetry. Twenty-two trained amateur triathletes (13 men and 9 women) participated in a two-day trial. On day 1, ventilatory thresholds (VT1 and VT2) were determined through incremental treadmill testing. On day 2, participants completed five 3-min running trials at three different speeds [90%
v
VT1
, 0.5(
v
VT1
+
v
VT2
), and 100%
v
VT2
] while wearing four different CPRS models, and their own non-CPRS. Inertial measurement units recorded time-continuous tri-axial tibial accelerations. Results show that peak tibial accelerations and, in parts, also residual shock varied across CPRS models (
p
p
> 0.361). Interestingly, the findings varied between sexes and exhibited substantial inter-individual effects. These results suggest that increased injury rates possibly associated with CPRS might not be due to altered between-leg asymmetry, but perhaps because of other factors involving residual shock and/or tibial loading patterns during stance phase. Future research should explore these effects across a broader range of CPRS models.