Vibram Five Fingers
The Vibram Five Fingers are a favorite shoe with those who prefer barefoot or minimalist running. They are shoes that cover the foot like a glove and also have a pocket for each toe.
They are not without their controversy as they are facing legal action over the health claims that they made and Podiatrists are seeing a lot of injuries in those that use them. A recent motion to dismiss the class action was rejected.
Pose Running
There are a number of different running techniques that runners can use to allegedly be more efficient and reduce the risk for injury. Each of these different techniques have their passionate supporters with little evidence to support one over the other. One of the more high profile approaches is Pose Running, that uses a forefoot strike, shorter stride length and high cadence.
There is not a lot of support for Pose Running from biomechanists and a number of the underpinnings of it are not biomechanically sound. There is one study that suggests that Pose running is less efficient than other forms of running, but those that promote Pose running are very critical of this study.
Barefoot Running
The whole concept of barefoot running as been sweeping the running community recently but appears to be dying off somewhat now. It has been controversial not because it not a good thing to do but because of the unsubstantiated that the science does not support that get made for it. The has been a lot of misuse of the science by those who support barefoot running. Podiatrists and other who treat running injuries have certainly had more work since the trend to barefoot and minimalist running started, yet those promote it claim there are less injuries occurring. Given that all those who work in running injury clinics are reporting the opposite, its hard to know who to believe without some good science.
The is plenty of discussion about this on podiatry websites and blogs and sports medicine sites. There is no doubt that barefoot running is good for some people and not for others. Its all very individual.