Michael Ryan PhD, C. Ped (C)

VP Brand & Innovation, Kintec
Adjunct Professor, School of Mechatronics Systems Engineering, Simon Fraser University

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Dr Michael Ryan is the Head of Product and Innovation at the Kintec Group and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology at Simon Fraser University. Dr Ryan is a global leader in the role of footwear and injury risk in runners. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles in top journals in the fields of sports medicine, orthopaedics and biomechanics.

For over 20 years, Dr Ryan has been a research partner of Nike and has been the principal investigator in testing their latest line-up of injury prevention footwear.

Rethinking “Protection” in Running Shoes: Lessons From a Quarter‑Century of Injury Data

Over the past 25 years, running footwear has undergone profound changes, often accompanied by strong claims regarding injury prevention yet limited long‑term epidemiological context. This keynote examines the evolution of “protective” running shoes through the lens of running injury epidemiology, drawing on Michael Ryan’s body of work spanning road, trail, and endurance running populations – from recreational 10 km runners to half‑marathon and trail cohorts.

The presentation traces injury patterns observed across distinct footwear interventions, from minimalist and barefoot‑inspired designs such as the Vibram FiveFingers, through traditional stability paradigms, to contemporary maximal and advanced footwear technologies exemplified by modern “super shoes.” By situating these findings within the broader epidemiological literature, this talk explores how footwear interacts with training load, running environment, and runner characteristics, and why injury risk cannot be reduced to footwear design alone.

Looking back across decades of data allows for a more nuanced discussion of what footwear may – and may not – protect against, offering clinically relevant insights for physicians advising runners in an era of rapidly evolving shoe technology.