ORONO, Maine, April 29 -- University of Maine issued the following news release:
University of Maine students are designing a device to help runners determine when their athletic shoes should be replaced to help prevent injuries like stress fractures, shin splints and inflammation.
The project team, made up of four senior biomedical engineering students, is developing an athletic shoe replacement indicator that measures structural changes in the footwear over time. Running shoes can lose cushioning and support after repeated loading cycles, even when visible wear is minimal. As the shoes' midsoles degrade, impact forces transmitted to the body can increase, raising the risk of overuse injuries.
Replacing shoes too late is a common but ov...