Human Locomotion
About Us
About Dr. Michaud
Since graduating from Western States Chiropractic College in the early 80s, Dr. Tom Michaud has published numerous book chapters and over 50 journal articles on subjects ranging from biomechanics of the first ray, to the pathomechanics of vertebral artery dissections. He has also served on the editorial review board of several chiropractic and podiatric journals.
In the early nineties, Williams and Wilkins published Dr. Michaud’s first textbook, Foot Orthoses and Other Forms of Conservative Foot Care, which was eventually translated into four languages. His next book, Human Locomotion: The Conservative Management of Gait-Related Disorders, which was published in 2012, is used in physical therapy, chiropractic, pedorthic, and podiatry schools around the world. In addition to technical books, Tom also published a book for recreational runners: Injury-Free Running: How to Build Strength, Improve Form, and Treat/Prevent Injuries, now in its second edition.
During his 40 years of clinical practice, Dr. Michaud designed and patented numerous diagnostic tools and exercise products to help with the evaluation and treatment of a wide range of sports injuries. Since his recent retirement from clinical practice, Tom is devoting his time to researching, writing, and designing new products in order to develop evidence-based evaluation and treatment protocols that can assist in not just the prevention of sports injuries, but also in ways to stay fit as we age.
Real People. Real Results
“I started using the ToePro about two years ago at the recommendation of my chiropractor, John Ball. When I first started using the device, I could feel it target very specific muscles in my arches and legs, and knew it was going to be helpful. I highly recommend this device, not just for improving running performance, but also for preventing injuries.“
“Simplistic genius! The ToePro is incredibly easy to use and my athletes love it. I’m always surprised how many high-level athletes present with toe weakness, and how much they improve after using the ToePro. I wish I started using it sooner!“
RESEARCH
Monthly Research Articles
Interesting Articles
Fuller J, et al. Longer-term effects of minimalist shoes on running performance, strength and bone density: a 20-week follow-up study. European Journal of Sport Science. 2019 Mar 16;19(3):402-12.
The study investigated the longer-term effects of transitioning to minimalist shoes on running performance, running economy, strength, and bone density over a 20-week follow-up period. Fifty male runners who previously transitioned to using minimalist or...
Firminger C, et al. Effects of footwear and stride length on metatarsal strains and failure in running. Clinical Biomechanics. 2017 Nov 1;49:8-15.
The study investigates the effects of footwear type (traditional vs. minimalist shoes) and stride length (preferred vs. 90% preferred) on metatarsal strains and the probability of stress fractures in recreational runners. Fourteen male participants ran under...
Plesek J, et al. Acute effects of footwear on running impact loading in the preschool years. Sports Biomechanics 22.3 (2023): 442-458.
The study explores how different footwear conditions (barefoot, minimalist shoes, and standard running shoes) affect running impact loading among preschool-aged children. The authors evaluated 48 habitually shod preschool children aged 3 to 6 years, which were...
Xiang L, et al. Shock acceleration and attenuation during running with minimalist and maximalist shoes: a time-and frequency-domain analysis of tibial acceleration. Bioengineering 9.7 (2022): 322.
This study investigates how different types of running shoes—minimalist (MINs), maximalist (MAXs), and conventional (CONs)—affect the shock experienced by the tibia (the shin bone) during running. The researchers wanted to understand how these shoes influence the...