Injury Reduction Effectiveness of Prescribing Running Shoes Based on Foot Shape in Air Force Basic Military Training

Abstract : In response to a request from the Military Training Task Force of the Defense Safety Oversight Council this study examined whether prescribing running shoes based on the shape of the plantar surface influenced injury risk in Air Force Basic Military Training (BMT). After foot examinations BMT recruits in an experimental group (E n=1,042 men 375 women) were prescribed motion control stability or cushioned shoes for plantar shapes indicative of low medium or high arches respectively. A control group (C n=913 men, 346 women) received a stability shoe regardless of plantar shape. Injuries during BMT were determined from outpatient visits provided by the Army Medical Surveillance Activity (now the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center). Other known injury risk factors (e.g. fitness smoking) were obtained from a questionnaire existing databases or BMT units. Multivariate Cox regression controlling for other risk factors showed little difference between the E and C groups among men (hazard ratio (E/C)=1.11, 95% confidence interval=0.89-1.38) or women (hazard ratio(E/C)=1.14, 95% confidence interval = 0.85-1.55). This prospective study demonstrated that prescribing shoes on the basis of the shape of the plantar foot surface had little influence on in=jury risk in BMT even after control of other in=jury risk factors.