NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Researchers at Vanderbilt University said a recent study questions the effectiveness of some devices that claim to prevent running injuries.
The study looked at the causes of some of the most common running injuries: stress fractures. Researchers found that while the impact of the ground hitting the runner's foot caused some wear on the bones, the impact of the muscles contracting was far greater.
"A huge portion of the load that your tibia bone is feeling is actually due to contractions of your calf muscles," Vanderbilt University third-year PhD student Emily Matijevich said. "So some running wearables...may be providing misleading results."
Matijevich said all of the 'wearable' devices that claim to prevent stress fractures and similar injuries that are on the market right now only measure the impact of the athlete's foot hitting the ground, meaning results are likely deceptive.
"It's surprising and frustrating when companies use ambiguous technology," she said.
The running gadget market is a multi-billion dollar industry, with runners trying to get a leg up on the competition by tracking everything from distance to oxygen intake.
"We get a good amount of people coming in, especially with the new year, a lot of people are putting the running shoes on and they want something that will track their heart rate and calories," Rachel Biddle, manager at Nashville running story JackRabbit, said.
Matijevich said not all 'wearables' are bad, and many are very helpful in tracking progress and in training.
"How long we run, how far we run, how many steps we take a lot of wearable devices are really good at measuring that," Matijevich said. But the researcher urged for athletes and customers to do their research, and avoid gadgets with ambiguous or unclear claims about their product.
"I would just encourage runners or athletes who use 'wearables' to understand the metrics," she said.
