Athletic Footwear and Orthoses in Sports Medicine

Chapter 1 Evolution of Athletic Footwear (p. 4-5)

Steven I. Subotnick, Christy King, Mher Vartivarian, and Chatra Klaisri
History of the Running Shoe

Shoes are vital to man's sole. It is no secret that feet manage the challenges of daily life with the help of shoes. Shoes can stabilize, allow for flexibility or rigidity, cushion, and, in some cases, even injure feet. With the evolution of fast-paced lifestyles, shoes have been scientifically engineered to provide the most comfort and to perform at the highest level for the individual who wears them, but shoes have not always been as systematically constructed.

The earliest footwear ever recorded was discovered by Luther Cressman inside Fort Rock Cave in Oregon and dated to the end of the last ice age, making it almost 10,000 years old [1]. The simple construction incorporated sagebrush bark knotted together, creating an outsole with ridges for traction, a covering for the forefoot, and straps to go around the heel. Although people did not devote much attention to detail when making shoes in the past, even early human beings realized that a basic piece of material covering their feet could afford them the opportunity to explore a larger part of their world.

Ancient History

As the Olympics gained much success in a remarkable empire, the society began to devote more attention to shoes. Most ancient Greek athletes barely wore any clothes let alone running shoes, but these dedicated competitors began to observe that champions from colder climates wore race sandals [2]. Thus, the Greeks gave up the initial notion that their rivals were cheating and realized that this type of foot covering actually increased traction. As the popularity of competitive events in ancient civilizations grew so did the advancement of running sandals.

a type of antelope or gazelle. In the 1980s Reebok explored the market of women's shoes by designing a flimsy but eye-catching shoe, and the aerobic era added to Reebok's faithful following [2]. The Reebok Freestyle was developed to be worn in or out of the gym. Later in the decade, Reebok created the Pump, consisting of an air bladder in the tongue of the shoe, to hold the ankle in a more fixed position.

The Amazing Dassler Brothers

In Germany Adolf Dassler began making shoes in 1920 and was later joined by his brother, Rudolph. Their popular shoe was worn by successful German athletes and even donned by Jesse Owens in at least one of his races at the 1936 Munich Olympics [1]. Despite their success, a bitter family feud in 1948 divided the brothers, their small community in West Germany, and the thriving shoe company. Adolf Dassler created Adidas while Rudolph formed Puma, and the two companies have been competing in the runner's world ever since. Adidas assumed the trefoil sign that represented Adolf's three sons [1]. He used arch support lacing which is an early form of speed lacing and the classic, three stripes to help support the foot in his shoes [1]. On the other side of town, Puma chose the leaping puma as its logo to convey speed and power.

Tiger Shoes and ASICS Join the Chase

Onitsuka Co. Ltd. started constructing shoes in 1949. At the 1951 Boston Marathon a young, Japanese runner by the name of Shigeki Tanaka won the coveted race and displayed the Tiger shoes as he crossed the finish line. This shoe was designed with the traditional, Japanese shoe, the Geta, in mind and had a separate compartment for the big toe. The shoe with the divided toe box could only be worn by Japanese athletes with a large space between the first and second digits [1]. Eventually, the shoe company known as Tiger became ASICS, which is a Latin acronym for "healthy mind in a healthy body."

New Balance and Intelligent Design

William J. Riley founded the Riley Company, the predecessor to New Balance, and began crafting shoes in the New England area in 1906. In 1961 the new owner of New Balance, Paul Kidd, took the experience he had gleaned from making orthopedic shoes, poured his knowledge into a running shoe, tested it scientifically, and invented the first modern running shoe, the New Balance Trackster [1]. Due to interest by runners, New Balance modified its Trackster by increasing the heel height, adding a continuous outsole, and placing a wedge of rubber under the back part of the heel.