Nike’s line of “Air” athletic shoes are a pseudoscientific swindle, according to Zheng Qingsheng, dean of the Beijing Zhengzhiben Institute of Body Mechanics. He claims that air-soled shoes are 4.3 times more harmful to the ankle than regular sneakers, that there is no scientific evidence for Nike’s claims about the importance of shock protection, and that their assertion that Air technology prevents injuries is nothing more than deceptive marketing.
Zheng’s institute as early as 2001 cited research done at Australia’s La Trobe University that identified over 10,000 cases of air-sole injury. He sued after purchasing a pair of Airs in late 2004.
Links and Sources:
Legal Mirror article [Chinese]
British Journal of Sports Medicine paper, and a synopsis in Fitness News (from 2001)