Footwear Science: Rocker Soles
Rocker or rockered soles have come up multiple times on this blog and I thought it was time to write a set post on this topic. I have noticed that frequently, extremely rockered soles do not work for me. My theory was that the rockered soles tend to reduce the amount of power/torque the calves can put through the natural forefoot rocker, aka the metatarsophalangeal joint by artificially rolling the foot forward. I decided to dive into the research to see what the conclusion was. The answer appears to be that having a rockered sole does reduce the load on the achilles but there is mixed evidence as to whether this may affect other joints. Sound confusing? Let's talk.