2007 Hay Award - Benno Nigg

The conventional paradigms used for running shoes (cushioning and foot control) are currently challenged since impact force peaks during heel-toe running are not different for soft or hard materials, subjects that are or are not exposed to impact activities have the same frequency of short or long term injuries, bone showed bio-positive effects as a result to impact loading, and foot pronation can not be used as a predictor for injuries. Thus new paradigms are proposed, the paradigm for muscle tuning (impact forces produce soft tissue vibrations, which are dampened through muscle activity) and the paradigm for instability (unstable shoes are effective in training the small muscles and improving general stability).