It isn't really about the shoe, strictly speaking. It's about running form. Good form means you land on the paw of your foot instead of the heal. If you have good form you will have less injuries. landing on the paw of your foot is something that is hard to do when wearing regular running shoes unless you are going faster. All these new sock shoes are doing is making it easier to have good running form since you naturally land on your paws at lower speeds when you are barefoot. this translates into absorbing the force of landing in your ankle muscles instead of slamming your heal into the ground with every stride.