Can Sneakers Cause Shin Splints?
Sneakers can cause shin splints if they do not have the proper arch support mechanisms in place. It is important to understand the function of sneakers and if they provide proper support or are merely a fashionable accessory without the proper arch support mechanisms necessary for proper foot.care. Without proper arch support, several deleterious side effects are possible.
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Function
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Shoes have become more of a fashion statement than a necessity to protect our feet from the various elements. However, sneakers, while flashy and fashionable, still do have a specific function: to support feet from stress, especially when engaged in athletic activity.
Significance
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Sneakers were first designed to provide support for athletes competing in various running-intensive sports such as marathons, tennis, track or basketball. All of these activities take place on a hard surface where the foot needs extra support to absorb the shock of body weight, since the hard ground doesn't. Other types of shoes are made for other running-intesive events on different types of ground, such as cleats for soccer or rugby.
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Proper Use
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Proper use of sneakers should prevent injuries such as shin splints, because sneakers worn properly should support the foot correctly and adequately. However, due to the new fashion status of sneakers, most people don't lace or tie their shoes correctly and often take out the support mechanisms within the shoe to make it look "better."
Improper Use
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As stated above, there are many ways to manipulate sneakers to make them more fashionable. Once sneakers do not provide the support they were made to provide, the foot begins absorbing almost all the shock of body weight in athletic activities. Therefore, it is very possible for shin splints, stress fractures, knee stress and other leg injuries to occur.
Good Shoe/Bad Shoe
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Often people misinterpret sneakers as any shoe with laces. For instance, basketball players in the 1960s played with Chuck Taylors, until it was proven that Chuck Taylors provided little to no support for the foot. Therefore, it is recommended that sneaker consumers visit reputable sports stores for recommendations on what sneakers they should buy given the kind of activities they want to engage in.
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