Are carbon plate shoes reliable for speed increase? In short, teenagers should wear less

In the pursuit of sports performance, carbon plate shoes have become a weapon for many runners and athletes to improve their speed with their unique design. Especially for children who need to take physical tests, they are regarded as "magic shoes".

However, can this so-called "magic shoe for physical fitness test" really help children's physical fitness test scores improve by leaps and bounds? What are carbon plate shoes? Why can carbon plate shoes improve the performance of professional athletes? Is it really appropriate for teenagers to wear carbon plate shoes?

What are carbon plate shoes?

Carbon plate shoes are sports shoes with carbon plate as the core component. Carbon plate is a thin plate made of carbon fiber composite material, which has the characteristics of light weight, high strength and good rigidity. It is usually placed in the middle and bottom of the sole, providing excellent support, stability and unique functionality for the shoes. Carbon plate shoes are designed for specific sports such as marathon running and track and field sprinting, aiming to maximize the performance of athletes in the event.

Why can carbon plate shoes improve sports performance?

Upturned toe box helps with propulsion

The toe of the carbon plate shoe is tilted up at the toe joint to achieve rolling propulsion. This design can help the foot quickly transition to the ground-leaving stage, reduce the energy loss of pushing off the ground, and help athletes efficiently convert strength into forward momentum, thereby increasing running speed.

High elasticity design reduces energy loss

The high elasticity of carbon plate shoes can convert impact force into elastic potential energy storage during exercise, and release it when leaving the ground, converting it into propulsion, thereby reducing excessive force and energy waste of the foot muscles, allowing runners to run faster. Studies have found that runners wearing carbon plate shoes have improved their running economy by about 4% compared to traditional running shoes.

Full-length carbon plate improves movement stability

The full-palm carbon plate in carbon plate shoes is highly rigid and can effectively stabilize the foot, prevent excessive torsion and deformation, provide athletes with a stable support platform, make force more precise and efficient, reduce the waste of force caused by unstable feet, and help improve athletic performance.

A sneaker carbon plate

Why is it not recommended for children to wear carbon plate shoes?

Although carbon plate shoes perform well in professional sports, their design and function are not suitable for teenagers, especially those who lack professional training. Carbon plate shoes not only cannot provide assistance, but may also bring many negative effects. So, what are the hazards of teenagers wearing carbon plate shoes for a long time?

Damage to foot health

When athletes are running, due to the rolling propulsion function of carbon plate shoes, the toe of the shoe is tilted up to a large extent, and the toes are bent to about 60-70 degrees. When teenagers walk daily, the toes are bent to about 10-20 degrees. If they wear carbon plate shoes for a long time, the forefoot will be forced to keep ready to push off the ground, and the heel will not be able to touch the ground, which is an unnatural state.

In daily life, we can easily find that some children, when wearing carbon plate shoes, have an abnormal walking posture with the heels not touching the ground. Over time, this habit will gradually solidify, weakening the function of the plantar fascia and Achilles tendon, leading to plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, arch collapse, flat feet and other problems, and even have a long-term impact on the normal walking ability of teenagers.

Plantar Fasciitis

flatfoot

Interferes with skeletal muscle growth

Teenagers are in a critical period of growth and development, and their bones, muscles and joints are in a stage of rapid development and immaturity. The full-palm carbon plate embedded in the carbon plate shoe is hard and extremely rigid.

When teenagers walk or exercise in carbon plate shoes, the overly rigid structure will change the force generation and force path of the foot, including the ankle joint. Because the skeletal development of teenagers has not yet been finalized, the growth direction and shape of the bones are easily disturbed and even deformed due to long-term exposure to such abnormal force environment.

In addition, this unnatural force mode will prevent the foot muscles from getting the proper exercise stimulation. The force-generating task that they should have undertaken independently is partially replaced by the carbon plate. Over time, the foot muscles' ability to exert force independently will gradually atrophy and degenerate over time.

Increased risk of injury

Carbon plate shoes are specially designed to meet the high-intensity training of athletes. Their strong elasticity and rebound force are difficult for teenagers to control. Compared with adults, teenagers' body coordination and balance ability are not perfect when running or doing various sports. If they wear carbon plate shoes, they are easy to lose balance and fall and get injured due to the excessive rebound force of the shoes when starting, accelerating, turning, etc.

The special structure of carbon plate shoes also makes it impossible for teenagers to adapt as flexibly as ordinary shoes when dealing with a variety of daily actions such as walking, going up and down stairs, and jumping, resulting in a significant decrease in movement coordination and comfort, and increasing the possibility of accidental injuries.