29 June 2004

Cheap trainers are just as good as expensive ones - evidence

Expensive trainers are no better for your feet than the cheaper ones within the same brand according to a researcher at the University of Dundee who has just concluded a study and has evidence that cheaper brand trainers are just as good for your feet.

The results will come as welcome news to parents all over the country who feel pressure to buy their children the most expensive footwear they can afford in the assumption that "expensive" is equal to "best". More expensive brands may look "cooler" but are not necessarily better for the foot.

Dr Rami Abboud, Director of the Institute of Motion Analysis & Research and an expert in biomechanics, foot problems, walking and footwear has just concluded a study where he tested three brands of trainers on forty men with sizes 8 &10 feet, asking them to walk up and down a pressure sensing mat a number of times wearing all the different shoes. Pressure sensing in-soles were also inserted into the training shoes. The two systems gave Dr Abboud the evidence on pressure inside the shoe under the main loading points under the foot.

Dr Abboud is now planning on widening his study and buying many more brands of trainer to test. It is possible that these studies will reveal the ideal trainer that gives the best deal for the foot and for your pocket and may help to improve sport shoe design in the future.

Contact Dr Rami Abboud 01382 496276 or 496332

By Jenny Marra, Head of Press 01382 344910, out of hours: 07968298585, j.m.marra@dundee.ac.uk