Recognizing the risk of bone strain injuries after wearing shoes with carbon fiber plates

Millions of endurance runners use shoes with an embedded carbon fiber plate (CFP) in the midsole. Although the performance benefits provided by carbon fiber plated footwear are well documented, little has been published on running injuries associated with the use of this footwear. In a timely opinion piece published in the magazine today Sports medicinethe authors describe five cases in which runners using shoes with carbon fiber plates suffered bone strain injuries.

“While I understand the excitement, we must consider how to prevent injuries as athletes adopt this new footwear,” said lead author Adam Tenforde, MD, physician in Mass General Brigham’s Sports Medicine program and medical director of the Spaulding National Running Center. “We hope this current opinion will help better recognize potential medical problems associated with CFP shoes, the appropriate use of this new technology, and how to develop methods to use these shoes safely.”

In their publication, Tenforde and colleagues describe five patient cases, including junior elite track and field athletes in Europe and two athletes in their mid-30s who participated in endurance sports events in North America. All five experienced foot pain after wearing shoes with carbon fiber plates and were later diagnosed with navicular stress injury (BSI).

“Recognizing possible associations with navicular disease in runners with vague metatarsal or ankle pain wearing CFP shoes may be important to identify this high-risk injury,” the authors write.

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