hmm.. surely with a traditional running-shoe (heel-toe) gait
your legs will (hopefully) be protected by the shock absorbers in the heel of the shoe.

With a toe-heel gait, your ankle joint and associated tendons and ligaments (or whatever) will do the shock absorbing.
(haberman is singing in the changes, Wed 15 Jul 2009, 15:11, 1 reply)

Perhaps
But if you go barefoot, you tend to go toe-heel naturally, so I'd assume that the ligaments, muscles and so on have evolved in that way, and that it's the most biomechanically efficient.

I'm not the sort of person who thinks that "natural" means "normatively powerful" - but, intuitively, it seems plausible to say that, if it's possible to retain the natural gait, that's likely to be better in at least some cases.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 15 Jul 2009, 15:17, closed)

I'm not saying they don't work, just find it interesting...
I suppose barefoot worked for all of the Ethiopians many years ago...

But also, a treadmill is different to a road, which most running shoes are made for, so presumably there is less impact on a treadmill anyway?

Have you tried running on the road with them?
(The Kwyjibo A big, dumb, balding North American ape., Wed 15 Jul 2009, 15:21, closed)

Not tried road running yet...
... but am considering it if the knee improvement holds.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 15 Jul 2009, 16:08, closed)