The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Vibram FiveFingers may lead to foot bone injuries, says study Posted: 01 Mar 2013 02:20 AM PST
While dedicated barefoot runners may scoff at the news, the research does provide evidence supporting the suggestion that those transitioning from traditional running shoes to barefoot-style shoes take it slow — very slow. In the study, to be published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, US researchers enlisted healthy recreational runners into two groups. One group continued their normal running routine in their traditional running shoes, while the other group switched to Vibram FiveFingers (picture). The FiveFingers group followed the shoemaker's suggestions for safely transitioning into the shoes over a period of 10 weeks, starting with one short run (one to two miles) the first week and slowly adding distance in subsequent weeks. The researchers also took MRIs of the runners' feet both before and after the study. While there were no differences after the study in the runners' soft tissue, the bone readings told a different story, reports Runner's World. The MRIs examined bone marrow edema, which is excess fluid in bone marrow that can be a tell-tale sign of injury. Results showed that 10 of the 19 runners in the Vibram group had a foot bone injury, compared to one of the 17 runners in the traditional running shoe group. Two of the 10 injured Vibram runners developed stress fractures. For those who want to run in Vibram FiveFingers, or other barefoot-style runners, the researchers recommend taking even longer than 10 weeks to transition into the shoes. Also experts recommend that you stick with traditional footwear if you're overweight or have any serious orthopaedic ailments: opt for something more supportive instead. Triathlon.competitor.com adds that runners with "biomechanically disadvantaged feet" need the kind of footwear that can support those issues. That means if you have poor forefoot stability, overpronate, or supinate, you'll need proper footwear to set you straight. The best way to find out if you fall into this category is to visit a running clinic or stop by a specialty running store for an examination of your running style. — AFP/Relaxnews |
| Thailand a ‘bottomless pit’ for ivory laundering, say activists Posted: 28 Feb 2013 11:02 PM PST
As many as 30,000 elephants were slaughtered globally last year, environmental groups say, and populations are rapidly dwindling, with poachers undeterred by a ban on the international ivory trade in existence since 1989. Thailand allows its nationals to trade in ivory from elephants that have died of natural causes inside its borders. But animal activists say the system is abused and ivory from Africa and elsewhere is "laundered" through the country. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) holds a conference in Bangkok from March 3 to 14 and — to the embarrassment of the hosts — environmental groups such as World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and TRAFFIC plan to table a motion calling for sanctions against Thailand. "One of the reasons Thailand is being hit so hard in the CITES conference is, if you look at the numbers of domestic elephants and the numbers of Thailand's ivory carvers, it doesn't add up," said William Schaedla, director of Southeast Asia for TRAFFIC, an NGO for monitoring wildlife trade. TRAFFIC estimates the country's elephant population and the natural death rate would provide only 8.4 kg of ivory per registered carver a year. But poor enforcement and regulation mean Thai merchants can lay their hands on much larger quantities. After the 1989 ban, countries were supposed to inventory their pre-existing stockpiles so CITES could keep tabs on them. Thailand never did, animal rights groups say. "There's an undisclosed amount of ivory in the country, so essentially a bottomless pit to launder through," said Schaedla. Thai ivory is supposed to be certified, but according to Schaedla this involves an easily forged slip of paper that the government doesn't bother to track, meaning African ivory can easily enter the market. These failures mean Thailand now faces sanctions that, at their strongest, would ban its participation in international trade in the most endangered CITES-listed species, including reptile skins and rare orchids in which it has thriving markets. Only Thai nationals should be able to buy ivory inside the country but buyers from Europe, the Americas and China are more common. Crackdowns are rare, and mostly occur during the run-up to CITES conferences, NGOs said. Efforts have been made to clean up the laws governing elephants, but lobbying from ivory carvers and elephant owners derailed the process. "The resolution of this issue is about political will, and Thailand has repeatedly kicked the can down the road," said Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC's director for South and East Africa. Some believe sanctions aren't enough, and that the only way to save Africa's elephants is to ban all ivory markets, including those in Thailand and China, the world's largest. "Our position is any legal market provides a parallel illegal market," said Mary Rice of the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a London-based NGO. The EIA estimates over 90 per cent of ivory on sale in China is illegally sourced. "We must target the demand side and ensure markets in China and Thailand for ivory are banned. Ivory should be illegal without exception," Shelley Waterland of the Born Free Foundation told a news conference in Bangkok on Thursday. Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Wednesday Thailand would "consider" a ban on the domestic ivory trade, but some officials apparently see no need. "The Thai government has a system to control the ivory trade from domestic animals already," said Theeraphat Prayurasith, deputy director of Thailand's Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Protection. "We do not use African ivory in this country, and the quantities are not too large to be from domestic ivory. It is the right of Thai people to use domestic elephants," he said. Activists will argue at the CITES conference that this system is not working, and the Thai ivory trade is a big factor behind dwindling African elephant populations. "No one is going to hammer them and hit them with sanctions if they do something. But there's an appearance of subterfuge and stalling," said Schaedla. — Reuters |
LOS ANGELES, March 1 — A new study finds that barefoot-style running shoes Vibram FiveFingers may increase a runner's risk of foot bone injury.
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