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Vibram spanked 

 •  • by Paul Ingraham
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Weekly nuggets of pain science news and insight, usually 100-300 words, with the occasional longer post. The blog is the “director’s commentary” on the core content of PainScience.com: a library of major articles and books about common painful problems and popular treatments. See the blog archives or updates for the whole site.

Vibram FiveFingers… now easier to make fun of than ever.

Vibram settles a class-action lawsuit about its FiveFingers “shoes,” pays $3.75 million to customers, and agrees to remove all claims that the product “strengthens” or “reduces injury” until they can be proven. I have been pointing out for years that such claims for the powers of minimalist shoes and barefoot running were premature. Interestingly, Vibram’s claims are still online for now — I wonder how much longer? — and they are just as bold and unsubstantiated as I remember.

It’s good news, but companies will keep making premature health claims as long as the potential profits trump the risk of getting spanked for it (so, forever). Lots of discussion of this item on Facebook, and I’ve updated my barefoot/minimalist article: Does barefoot running prevent injuries?

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