Nearly 155,000 people make claims in Vibram court case

Many of you are no doubt aware of the Vibram brand and their 5 finger shoes. Back in May 2014, there was a news item about how Vibram settled a legal case after falsely advertising that the shoes could reduce foot injuries and strengthen foot muscles, without basing those assertions on scientific evidence.

While technically not guilty, the company did agree to a $3.75 million settlement. This was to take two forms...

The first is to refund customers who purchased a pair of Vibram FiveFingers between March 21, 2009 and the date of "the first dissemination of summary settlement notice or class notice, whichever is earlier". In this case, it's was thought that FiveFingers was going to award claimants between $20 and $50 per pair. With so many claims and legal and admin expenses, this in fact turned out to be just $8-$9 per pair.

The second is that claimants can get up to two pairs of shoes without any kind of receipt or proof of purchase.

The majority of the claims, 67 percent, were for two pairs of FiveFingers, the maximum number in the suit for which no proof of purchase was required. Less than a third of the claims, 28 percent, were for one pair, while 3 percent of the claims were for more than two pairs.

Roughly half of the $3.75 million settlement is expected to go towards admin and legal fees.

It would seem however as if this settlement only applies to Vibram FiveFinger customers in the USA. Vibram FiveFinger shoes currently sell for an average of $94 a pair in the US.

Vibram settles $3.75 million law suit after making false claims...

No doubt many of you are familiar with the Vibram Five-Finger shoes which are popular with those into barefoot or minimalist running. Back in 2012, some customers in the US brought a lawsuit against the company claiming that the company was guilty of false advertising. The case revolves the fact that Vibram had claimed that Vibram FiveFingers was effective in strengthening muscles and in reducing injuries. The company however could not back up these claims and Vibram USA has now settled the case to avoid any additional legal expenses. In a statement, a spokesperson for the company said......“Vibram expressly denied and continues to deny any wrongdoing alleged in the Actions, and neither admits nor concedes any actual or potential fault, wrongdoing or liability”.

While technically not guilty, the company did agree to a $3.75 million settlement. This will takes two forms...
The first is to refund customers who purchased a pair of Vibram FiveFingers between March 21, 2009 and the date of "the first dissemination of summary settlement notice or class notice, whichever is earlier". In this case, it's likely that FiveFingers will award claimants between $20 and $50 per pair.

The second is that claimants can get up to two pairs of shoes without any kind of receipt or proof of purchase. However, FiveFingers can request a verification of purchase should they decide to do so in an effort to prevent against possible fraud. Anyone who seeks to recover payment on more than two pairs of footwear must submit both a valid claim form and proof of purchase.

It would seem however as if this settlement only applies to Vibram FiveFinger customers in the USA. Vibram FiveFinger shoes currently sell for an average of $94 a pair in the US.

Review of the Vibram Seeya running shoe...

Several months ago, I was asked by Owen Loughrey of Barefoot.ie if I would be interested in reviewing a pair of  minimalist running shoes like the Vibram Five Fingers. After giving it some thought, I decided that there was probably not much point in me personally doing the review. As someone who has always run in the usual type of running shoe, I felt that the review would be more about the merits or otherwise of minimalist or barefoot running than about the actual shoe itself.

With this in mind, I asked a fellow club mate Grellan McGrath to test and review them instead. Grellan has been using Vibrams since late 2007 and would certainly have a lot more experience about running in them than anyone else I know. This is Grellan's review......

Review of the Vibram Seeya running shoe....by Grellan McGrath
To qualify this review I have to add that I am generally in favour of minimalist/barefoot running and have run in a pair of Vibrams Sprints on and off since December 2007. So this is not a debate about the pros and cons of minimalist running shoes but a review of the Vibram Seeya against my experience of running in minimalist shoes, limited though it is to the Sprints.

The Vibram Seeya is billed as the minimalist’s minimalist shoe “designed to bring you even closer to the barefoot sensation” by radically reducing the overall weight. To be quite honest when I took delivery of a pair from Eoin Loughrey of barefoot.ie to trial back at the start of June I did not think them any lighter than the pair of sprints. In fact the mesh upper enclosed my feet more that sprints ever did and the sole looked bulkier than the neoprene sole of the sprints.



The short video above compares putting on the Seeya compared to the Sprint, which does require a bit more manipulation to get a proper fit as the upper is less flexible than that of the Seeya (The black toenails are a relic from my ultra days!).

Fit...
Initially I found the Seeyas more difficult to put on that the Sprints as I was used to being able to  manoeuvre each toe into position using my hand if I had to, which was made much more difficult by the mesh upper of the Seeyas. However after a while I discovered that all I had to do was to place my feet half way into the shoes and wriggle my toes into position to get a snug fit, such was the flexibility of the upper which is like a stretchy sock. The presence of a Velcro fastening strap over the top of the foot seems like an unnecessary afterthought as the mesh upper should be sufficient to hold the foot in place. My feet certainly felt secure without fastening the strap. Perhaps it offers extra insurance to those who like a bit of security or maybe it’s there in case the fit is not as snug for everyone (e.g. narrow foot width). Either way it did not bother me and the strap never caused me any problems. Although if it is billed as the lightest of the Vibrams it could be made that bit lighter by removing the strap.


I did notice that once or twice during my first few runs that the light heel structure gave the impression that the shoes were going to slip off but this feeling did not last and after a week or two I did not even notice it.

Perhaps because the shoes enclosed my feet more I felt much more comfortable wearing them around the house and on occasion out and about, despite the luminous green colour, which was a source of embarrassment to my impressionable 13 year old Daughter. In fact I sometimes forgot I was wearing them and wore them doing the gardening once or twice, but they are not very good for footing a shovel as I was painfully reminded when I tried – not much cushion between my sole and the top blade of the shovel.

Function...

The Seeya is billed as a road running “shoe” only, perhaps because of the limited grip available for off road running. This suited me fine as most of my experience in running in vibrams was on the road.

Initially it was difficult to compare my experience of running in the Sprints with that of running in the Seeyas as both gave a pretty similar feel. As with the Sprints the Seeyas felt great to run in, the same feeling of lightness and freedom around my feet, fully in touch with the surface underneath, feeling every indentation. I did not feel that the Seeyas were any more minimalist that the sprints although they were billed as suitable only for experienced minimalist runners, whatever than meant. While I had run on and off in the sprints over the last 5 years I could not be considered a serious proponent of the minimalist running culture as I have run 90% of my miles in more conventional running shoes and up until this year never raced in the vibrams.

Running in minimalist shoes does change the way my feet and legs react to the stress, with my calves in particular taking more of the strain. This is certainly more noticeable the faster I run. Up until 2012 most of my running in vibrams had been at a slow easy pace. I had used the vibrams before in races but had not pushed myself too hard. In 2012 I ran a couple of 10 milers in the sprints and came within 8 seconds on my PB in Ballycotton in March. However I paid the price with rock solid tight calves afterwards that prevented me from warming down.

After a few introductory runs with the Seeyas I began using them for some of my quality training runs as the light weight and feeling of freedom encouraged me to run faster and it felt good. The idea was to train for a few short 4 and 5 mile races over the summer and see how the Seeyas performed in a race compared to my more traditional racing shoes. However this plan had to be put on hold in early July as I was laid up for over 2 weeks with a right calf strain, a few days after pacing the Waterford Marathon (in my more traditional Asics).  A return to running in late July lasted for only 2 weeks with the calf injury returning. After a return to running in late August I  again succumbed to injury in late September which prevented me from running until Mid-October. It wasn't until I analysed my training log that I noticed that a few days before the onset of each injury I had completed a steady/tempo run in the Seeyas and while I can't say for sure that they were responsible for my injuries i'm pretty sure there is a link. Perhaps I ignored the health warning that they came with .........."suitable only for experienced minimalist runners"............

Running in minimalist shoes , including the Seeyas, requires acclimatisation over time -  building up from short slow runs, waiting a few day to see how your legs react and incrementally increasing the stress (pace/distance) over weeks and months to allow your muscular skeletal system adjust to the new stresses. My problem is that I'm not consistent and could go a month or two without running in the vibrams and effectively "de-training" my muscular skeletal system only to pick it up again thinking that I could start form where I left off. The Seeyas taught me that this only leads to injury.

Conclusion...
In conclusion the Seeyas fit like gloves, are easier to put on and feel more comfortable than the Sprints, making me more likely to wear them around the house (like slippers) and are great to run in. On the flip side they offer minimal protection and are likely to cause injury if you do not use them intelligently (more so than the Sprints).

Many thanks to Grellan for the review of the Vibram Seeya shoes. The shoes were provided by Owen Loughrey of Barefoot.ie on the basis that the review would be open and honest and if anything bad or negative was found then it would be published.

Barefoot.ie stock a wide range of minimalist footwear and their website can be found at http://www.barefoot.ie

Study shows that running economy improves after 4 Weeks in Vibram FiveFingers

In a recent study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, it was found that the running economy of 15 experienced runners improved significantly after they followed a four-week process of gradually running more in Vibram FiveFinger shoes.

At the beginning of the study, researchers at Dublin City University measured the subjects' running economy twice...once while the subjects ran in conventional training shoes (Asics Nimbus) and once in Vibram FiveFingers. None of the runners had used FiveFingers before. When their running economy was first measured, they were slightly more economical (1.05%) in FiveFingers than when wearing the Nimbus. This finding is consistent with other studies showing slightly better economy in minimalist shoes during short tests due to the lighter weight of the shoes.

In this study, running economy was tested at paces of 11 kph and 13 kph (~7:25 and 8:45 min/mile pace). Over the four week test period, the runners gradually introduced the FiveFingers into their shoe rotation. They started with two 15-minute runs the first week, and worked up to three or four 30-minute runs by the fourth week. After four weeks, researchers found two noteworthy changes: First, the runners had become much more economical in the FiveFingers. While running at the same paces as at the beginning of the study, they were just more than 8% more economical in the FiveFingers than they had been in the same shoes at the beginning of the study.

Second, whereas at the beginning of the study the runners were just a bit more economical in FiveFingers compared to running in the Nimbus, by the end of the study that difference had increased to 6.9%.

The researchers also pointed out that the subjects were running at what for them was an easy, relaxed pace and they had shortened their stride and increased their turnover in response to the minimalist shoes. It is not known if the same economies would be present at a faster race pace.

Barefoot running workshop in CIT on Sat 12th of May

For those with an interest in barefoot or minimalist running, there is a workshop in CIT in Bishopstown on Saturday, the 12th of May. The workshop will be given by Australian Max DeLacy who is an ultra marathoner and barefoot running coach. From the organisers........."With the increase in barefoot and minimalist activities and footwear it is vital that people know how to use them correctly. Max's workshop will give participants all the tool they need to understand barefoot movement and how it differs from running in traditional shoes. And equip them with the correct techniques to ensure that if they want to start running barefoot, or simply incorporating barefoot activities into their normal training, that they will do so correctly."

The cost of the workshop is €30. More information about the workshop on the Barefoot.ie website

or ring 021-4868167

Audio Podcast on minimalist running...

If you search through the various running sites on the Internet, you'll notice that the big debate on minimalist or barefoot running shoes continues.

I came across this audio podcast which I think gives a pretty good description of what minimalist running is all about and what it's advantages might be. Please note that it is 65 mins long but it's easier the listen to than read through pages and pages of text.

Out of all the points made in podcast, I'll just mention two...

1) If you are making the transition from normal shoes to minimalist shoes then you need to do so slowly. Barefoot type running puts an extra strain on certain parts of the feet and legs and you need to adjust to this slowly.

2) The number of models of minimalist shoes has increased from 5 to 60 in the last year or so. Obviously, the five finger vibrams would have been an early model but it's a crowded market now.

If this barefoot running craze is just a fad then it obviously still has a bit to go.

Study shows barefoot style shoes may reduce injuries if used properly

The American Council on Exercise have announced the results of an independently conducted academic study on Vibram FiveFingers, a sock-style shoe designed to simulate the effect of running barefoot while still protecting the foot.

The study found that while the shoes may be beneficial for those who suffer from chronic running injuries, using Vibrams and barefoot-style shoes for running can pose additional risks if runners do not adopt the correct foot-to-ground strike style.
ACE commissioned the study to determine what happens when runners switch from their traditional running shoes to wearing minimalist running shoes like Vibram FiveFingers.  Advocates of barefoot running suggest that traditional running shoes may increase a runner's risk of injury, as the shoes encourage the foot to use a heel-strike pattern, which causes more pounding and stress. Conversely, barefoot runners tend to run more lightly, landing near the balls of the feet and generating less pounding and potentially less risk of injury. Vibram suggests its product helps users simulate the feeling of being barefoot and achieve a forefoot strike run pattern while providing the abrasion protection of wearing a shoe.
 
American Council on Exercise's Chief Science Officer, Cedric Bryant said... "The bottom line is that runners must first and foremost modify their running style for ultimate safety and benefit, and this should be done gradually through regular practice. Once that is achieved, Vibram FiveFingers can be a safe and effective shoe for those who want to experience the feel of barefoot running."

Conducted by the University of Wisconsin, the study evaluated 16 healthy, injury-free female subjects, ages 19 to 25, all of whom were considered recreational joggers.  Prior to the beginning of the study, each subject was fitted with a pair of Vibram FiveFingers Bikila, which are specially designed for running. For two weeks prior to the test, the subjects wore the shoes while running three times a week, for 20 minutes per day, to become accustomed with the new shoe style. 

After the two-week acclimation period, participants returned to the lab for 3-D motion analysis and measurement of ground-reaction forces as they ran under three different conditions.  Subjects were measured as they ran on a 20-metre runway while wearing Vibrams, while wearing a pair of neutral running shoes and while running barefoot. Each participant completed seven trials per condition; the order was randomized between the Vibrams and the running shoes, but the barefoot condition was always measured last.   

Following the tests, researchers noted that all of the subjects were rear-foot strikers when wearing the neutral running shoes, but half of the group switched to a forefoot strike pattern when wearing Vibrams or while running barefoot. The other half of the group maintained the same rear-foot strike pattern throughout all of the conditions. 

Those who adopted the forefoot-strike style showed greater plantar flexion, which appears to allow better absorption of the impact forces of running. The members of the group that continued to use a rear-strike style when wearing Vibrams or running barefoot experienced a higher rate of loading, and measured higher load rates than when wearing the typical running shoes.

Researchers noted that all participants experienced reduced knee flexion, which is typically associated with lower injury rates, when wearing Vibrams and running barefoot.  It was also observed, however, that Vibram wearers showed greater pronation, similar to that when running in regular shoes, which may increase the risk of some overuse injuries of the lower extremity. 

So the bottom line is.....if you are going to use Vibram or any other type of minimalist shoe then make sure you use them properly.