Are women's running shoes improperly designed? Inga Krauss, a physiotherapist at the University of Tuebingen, believes they are.

Krauss believe that women's running shoes need to be flatter and smaller. In addition, they should provide more stability and give more of a foothold without adding extra weight, Krauss is quoted as telling the German news service Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. She based her conclusions based on comparisons of the feet of 850 men and women and viewing how women physically run.

NetSweat.com Comments: This is the first study of this type that we've seen. Given physiological differences between men and women, it would not surprise us if gender-specific athletic shoes (be they for running or another sport such as tennis), reduced the risk of injury. However, we'd like to see additional research before forming our own conclusion.