Women who used the correct form experienced lower-impact forces on the foot while running barefoot or in Vibram Five Fingers Shoes. But among the women who didn’t change their form and continued to land on their heels, the impact forces created by barefoot and Vibram running were nearly twice as high as in regular athletic shoes.

The women then returned to the lab, where researchers analyzed their form, foot-strike patterns and the force at which they hit the ground under three different running conditions — with regular running shoes, barefoot and while wearing the Vibram Five Fingers Outlet.

Barefoot running may be trendy, but for scores of runners who train on urban streets or rocky trails, Vibram Five Fingers running without foot cover isn’t an option. As a result, many runners have switched to minimalist sports shoes that add a thin layer of protection without detracting from the feeling of running barefoot.

The researchers found that half of the women who switched to barefoot running or minimalist sports Cheap Vibram Five Fingers failed to adjust their form, resulting in more wear and tear on their bodies, not less.

But when the women switched to barefoot running or the Wholesale Vibram Five Fingers, only half of them adjusted their form, as recommended, to a forefoot strike pattern, which entails landing mainly on the ball of the foot. The other half of the women kept the same form whether running barefoot, in Vibram Five Fingers On Sale or in their cushy running shoes — landing first on their heels as they propelled themselves along.