The Checkup: Running in Vibrams May Boost Stress-Fracture Risk, Study Finds

Photo by Flickr user Michael Diaz

• If you’re thinking about slimming down when it comes to your running shoes, listen up: A new study found that minimalist shoes—Vibram FiveFingers, in particular—may increase your risk for stress fractures. The study, which was admittedly tiny, using only 36 injury-free recreational runners as subjects, divided the runners into two groups: one which wore Vibrams and one which stuck with traditional running shoes. All the subjects were told to continue their usual running regimen (they ran between 15 and 30 miles a week). For the conventional-shoe wearers it was business as usual, but the Vibram wearers were prescribed a conservative transition plan to help them get used to wearing minimal shoes. At the end of the 10-week study, researchers compared the subjects pre- and post-study MRI scans and found that 10 out of the 19 Vibram wearers showed signs of foot-bone injury, and two had full-blown stress fractures. As Runner’s World reports, “This study supports the idea that, while running in barely there shoes can strengthen lower leg and feet muscles, the lack of cushioning can increase risk of bone injury.”

• A few of the fitness apps in Mashable’s new roundup probably aren’t a surprise to you (My Fitness Pal, Runkeeper, et al.), but I found a few I hadn’t heard about that sound really cool, like Google Now and Fitradio. Check ’em out here.

• Acne sufferers, rejoice! Researchers are inching closer to figuring out how rid your skin of blemishes once and for all. The Los Angeles Times reports on research that uses DNA sequencing to identify good and bad skin-bacteria strains. The hope? That one day the good kind could be used to treat the bad kind. More here.