Inflated claims: The shoes typically feature elevated cushioned heels intended to absorb impact, protect the Achilles tendon and stop the foot from rolling, but experts say the claims have never been put to the street test.

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SYDNEY: An Australian study has found no scientific proof for the claim that hi-tech sneakers improve athletic performance or limit injury.

Craig Richards a physiologist at Newcastle University in New South Wales said the myth of the modern running shoe had exploded into a vast industry since the 1970s, but his study of sports medicine literature since 1950 found there was no scientific proof they worked.

Never proven in the real world

"A collective psyche has developed around these shoes," said Richards. "It's so ingrained now that to even suggest that there's no evidence that they work gets a very rude reaction from people."

"But we searched all the sports medicine literature we could find looking for a carefully controlled trial measuring whether or not modern hi-tech running shoes decrease injury rates, improve performance or decrease the risk of osteoarthritis later in life," he said. "We basically couldn't find anything."

The study is published in the current edition of the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

While the shoes were subject to extensive biomechanical testing, Richards said his study showed they had never been examined in a real-world environment. "You can't determine whether or not a shoe changes your injury rates in a laboratory," he said.

Elevated cushioned heels

The shoes typically feature elevated cushioned heels intended to absorb impact, protect the Achilles tendon and stop the foot from rolling, but Richards said the claims had never been put to the street test.

Sports medicine, not advertising, that was to blame for the myth, he said.

"The manufacturers don't actually promote them as injury prevention devices, that's not where the message comes from. It's actually coming from health professionals," said Richards.

Richards said his team would launch their own study on the benefits, if any, of such shoes later this year.