Picture this! One evening in early March, you go about the last few minutes before bed planning what you are going to do the next day. You have just pulled off your socks, and barefoot for the first time since the morning, you lay out next to your bed the attire you plan to wear the next day. Some hours later, that alarm on your nightstand goes off and craving those few minutes of extra sleep, you hit the snooze one or two times. Finally after battling with your subconscious, you roll out of bed. You pad over to your sink in your bare feet, and wash up, brush your teeth and proceed to get dressed for the day, putting on that jacket and tie, blouse or dress. The time seems to flash by and you realize that you'd better hit the road.
Forgot Your Shoes? You rush out the door and while waiting for the bus or train, or waiting to receive a package at the UPS office, you casually glance around. Your eyes are drawn to the shmorgasborg of footwear that is surrounding you. A pair of running sneakers paired with ankle socks. Next to that a pair of worn out scuffed up work boots flanked by a pair of jeans. A lady wearing a pair of elegant high heel boots with stockings making her legs appear as they were dipped in a bottle of indian ink. As you shift your stance, you feel your toes bend and as soon as your heel lands softly but unimpeded on the cool pavement, you realize that something is quite not right, but at the same time, it is so right. You finally force yourself to look down and much to your shock, that your toes are in plain view and between your bare soles and the ground exists nothing in between. Before you tell yourself to snap out of it - it is only your imagination, something brings you back to reality when the lady beside you asks matter-of-factly, "forgot your shoes?" You look down again and tell yourself that it can't be. But there are your toes staring back up at you. You feel the pavement underneath get colder as your foot feels the reality underneath. You lift up one foot and turn it in to notice your bare sole, now blackened from having not worn any footwear since the night before. You put your bare foot back down and look around again to realize that all those looks of those around you - some chuckles, some in shock or slight smiles - are fixed on your bare feet - quite a rare sight!Not even a pair of socks or the most minimalist footwear like flip flops - your feet in the raw! You feel like you're having one of those nightmares where you are naked in the company of everyone around you that is clothed. Chances are you may react by clutching the side of your head in disbelief as you utter - "OMG! I can't believe I forgot to put on my shoes and socks! How was I barefoot this whole time?!" You are ready to panic and dash home if you are close enough to scramble into your shoes and socks. If you are far from home already, you resign yourself to the fact you're somewhat naked - stuck in your bare feet while you toggle through your mind looking for first excuse you can find to tell them that you're going be late for your job or interview - any way to avoid of being seen "GASP" barefoot! Now rest assured, chances are that since putting on footwear before leaving your home is so routine, it is highly unlikely that this will ever happen to you. Let's say it did, however. Another feeling comes over you. You shrug and smile at those around you as if to say, "hey, look at that. I'm barefoot on a cool winter day!" It could actually be fun and you may relish in the fact that while others are bundled up, their feet separated from the outside world in their shoes and socks, here you are experiencing full freedom by feeling the cool ground underneath your bare feet. I know I do. Many times I'm asked if I forgot my shoes. The question tends to be irrelevant since most of the time I don't wear shoes or socks at all. Sometimes the answer is yes - since I'm so used to having absolutely nothing on my feet, those seldom occasions where I feel that footwear might make a favorable first impression, I'll end up anyway forgetting to bring along my footwear and end up coming to my appointments or meetings barefoot. But rather than panicking, I end up being thrilled as I look forward to another day of living a healthy lifestyle in my naturally reliable bare feet and go forward with what I was planning to do for the day. Barefoot as a Healthy Lifestyle Guys, how many of you enjoy that feeling of getting home after a long day of work, and kicking off your shoes and peeling off those socks? And ladies in those uncomfortable heels, how great a relief is it to relieve your feet of that constraining feeling as well as peeling off those hose! As soon as your feet are breathing and your bare soles hit the floor or carpet, you feel like a new person, right? Now how about those days when you go to the park or at the beach, you rush to be the first one to ditch your footwear and feel the cool grass under your soles or ocean waves brushing between your toes! Invigorating, right? Now, just imagine experiencing that relief for an entire day. Your heels, arches, and toes are able happily stretch and breath without the constraints of anything on them. No waiting til you get home to bring your feet back to their natural state - bare - after almost ten nonstop hours in the office, or running around. Just imagine that feeling for an entire day. If you can imagine that, imagine being in that blissful state for multiple days at a time? If you haven't imagined it, no need to worry, I don't imagine it either since, to begin with I almost never wear any kind of footwear. So rather than using my imagination, I get to live the experience of allowing my bare soles be in contact with every surface uninteruppted 24/7 and live the barefoot healthy lifestyle! Living A Barefoot Healthy Lifestyle Many people are realizing the health benefits of going barefoot. There are many articles written, and several health and wellness specialists are highly recommending it. However, although there is a wealth of resources pertaining to the health benefits of bare feet, it seems that most of Western society looks at it as a something unsanitary, uncivilized and unprofessional while the most fashionable shoes, however uncomfortable and constraining they may be for your feet are seen as sophisticated and fashionable. For the person who is educated about the benefits of going barefoot and conscious having healthy feet, unless he lives in a barefoot society, this can actually cost him his livelihood and social life. and it is for this reason that I created this site and named it the Barefoot Healthy Lifestyle. The Barefoot Healthy Lifestyle is more than just about the joys of going barefoot. In this site I provide ideas and examples about how to implement your lifestyle choice. Your lifestyle choice consists of three components: Health - as this site will show you through the careful research of articles and cases, the health benefits of going barefoot far outweigh the benefits of shoes. You will have the knowledge to present to anyone that challenges your lifestyle. Wealth - This is a key determining factor about making your lifestyle choice. We all need to put food on the table, pay our bills and support ourselves and our families. But the question is do we need to sacrifice the things we are most passionate about? This will not bring happiness or even wealth. Wealth is not necessarily about having a ton of money and material possessions. Rather it is about having the freedom of choice how you want to live. Does your work mainly get you by on your daily expenses or are you able to decide on the choice of the lifestyle you want to live. Since I made the choice to be barefoot every minute of the day, I ruled out the option of a corporate 9-5 job carefully researching my other options and finding many that earn way more income than the 9-5 life. In other sections in this site I will delve further about how you can earn a substantial income without having to compromise your lifestyle. If fact after you've gone through this site you will have the ability to earn more than the nine to five employee forced to comply with the office dress code Freedom - Freedom is having the ability to live a lifestyle you want, deal with who you want, where you want and when you want. In living a life based on wages rather then profit, this is next to impossible. Since freeing my feet and living a healthier lifestyle my goal is to help like-minded people achieve the same goals while accumulating wealth so you will never have to comply with someone else's rules and thus attain the freedom to maintain the lifestyle of your choice! The Barefoot Healthy Lifestyle promotes the pleasure of being barefoot any time and any place you choose. You will learn and teach others how they can live a not only a healthier more prosperous lifestyle - and of their choice! So kick off your shoes, take off your socks, flex those bare feet, wiggle your toes, and experience the joys of the Barefoot Healthy Lifestyle! The author writes about giving valuable tips to promote foot health for acute and ongoing foot problems and pain on top of foot [http://www.painontopoffoot.us/] Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Sergio_Barclay/1446707 Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7367540
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Mr. G.K. from Lünen, 79, reports on his barefoot experiences with leguano “A year ago, I'd never have dreamed of being in this situation. I'd just had some new insoles made for a pair of trainers I'd bought. Now they're just sitting there, I don't wear them any more. I was 40 years old when an orthopaedist ascertained that my left leg was 1.8cm shorter than the right. After that, I had to wear height increasing insoles. Years later I had an operation on my knee because of arthrosis. I also developed an oblique pelvis position over the years, which caused me frequent pain in the adductor muscles as well as sciatica. If I didn't keep moving, my body would be in pain. Since I started walking with leguanos six months ago, I have rediscovered the joys of fast walking, especially on flat surfaces and sometimes uphill too. Wearing leguanos regularly over the past six months has brought about a number of changes and improvements. 1. Firstly, I very quickly became more confident going up and down stairs. Straight away the leguanos put an end to stumbling, which is dangerous, and there was no more slipping on shiny soles when going downstairs. 2. Wearing leguanos has changed the way I walk. I don't bring my foot down hard on the heel any more, which is better for my knee joints. 3. There was also a third change: when I tried to put on my cushioned shoes with insoles when the weather turned bad, my whole body protested and I got painful cramp in my calves and my thighs. After a lifetime of walking with strong insoles, it’s a great experience to find I can walk much more confidently without them. I can feel solid ground under my feet and I don't turn my ankle any more. I'm very thankful that wearing leguanos has enabled my body to adopt a new, properly balanced posture. Pulled muscles and other muscle pains are now a thing of the past, and I rarely need to go through the uncomfortable experience of correcting the sacrum. Thank you leguano! ” Share your leguano story
The present world has ever-new athletic gear for runners with a promise to protect from injury and damage. However, the truth is that even with such athletic gear, there is only a small minority who runs or walks. Most of us spend a lot of time sitting on the couch munching on popcorn and watching our favorite TV shows, or surfing the net or gaming online. The similarity in all these all activities is laziness in being physically active. But apart from becoming lethargic, such activities cause a hindrance to us using our feet. Our feet are designed by nature to run, hop, jog, sprint and take a stroll, which a majority of us just don't use well enough. So when our youth is spent in being couch potatoes, old age eventually could lead to the feet not being strong enough to carry the increased weight. And then people start complaining of all pain in the joints and muscles.
It is vital to optimize the usage of your feet during your youth. After all, childhood is best spent in running around in the park and being physically active all the time. The best way is to do it barefoot. Take a look at the structure of the human foot; it is designed by nature to run in without any "protection" from shoes. The majority of contemporary running shoes aren't prepared for running naturally with no damage. They are fashioned with the erroneous idea that people fall on the heels and with a requirement for some false machination to soak up the shock as the heel hit next to the ground. If running naturally implied to land on the heels, nature would have placed springs in our heels! The shoe corporation may well try to make us consider that humans are not made to run in any case not on artificial planes. There are two key issues with the story that the shoe corporation forces us to believe. One is that nature did not intend that the heel should soak up shock. The flaws are quite easy to discern: One that the collision of landing on the heel costs the Achilles tendon, then the impact goes straight up the leg to the knee, and if the knee isn't permitted to curve, then up to the back, resulting ultimately in utter damage. Secondly, consecutively to land on the heel, the foot must be moving frontward even as the ground is moving rearward underneath us. So that although the heel hits, it is thrusting next to the ground in the reverse direction we are aiming to run. Basically, when the foot lands, it ought to go in reverse, corresponding with the pace of the ground underneath, since the body is required to be pushed onward when running ahead. This happens perfectly when the landing is on the ball of the foot, and not the heel. The foot has a natural curve, unless of course it has been tampered with with orthotic inserts. This particular curve serves as a natural coil. It is fashioned by nature to support movement. It serves as a foil for the first part of the landing, after which the role of the heel comes in the way. The heel allows the calf muscles to relax after which automatically the knee bends. This is the way nature intended and this is the way it ought to be. The shock is not felt so shockingly but soaked up naturally. However, while you permit your knees to bend, do not let the rest of your body go in to hunchback of Notre Dame mode. Keep the back straight and erect. This is why when you run barefoot not only are you able to develop a lot of stamina and patience, but it also allows you to fight off all injuries that otherwise may plague your feet. And it increases your speed as well. This is perhaps why the Kenyans are always on top of every competitive racing event. To take a leap in barefoot running, start to walk in slow motion first so that you are able to get the feel of the ground. This will allow your feet to get accustomed to walking or running on the irregular, jagged surfaces of twigs, rocks, sand and even dirt. Once exhausted, you can try walking on a golf course or on the grass in the park to refresh and soothe the feet muscles. Be careful while treading barefoot. Unlike your ancestors you never ran barefoot in the fields did you? So take it slow and make barefoot running a gradual hobby instead of an abrupt one. It just takes around a year. Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Brandon_Johanson/352175 We all know how we feel after wearing shoes for the best part of the day; achy, throbbing, painful are a few that pop into my mind. We spend our days walking on flat and hard surfaces inside and pounding on concrete and tarmac outside. We wear shoes to protect ourselves from causing ourselves serious injuries, but wearing tight ill-fitting shoes stop our feet from working properly. Have you ever taken your shoes off after a long day and just sat back for a moment and gone Aaaah. A wonderful feeling when you can feel your feet again, away from those tight, hard, pointy shoes. It feels good to be able to wiggle your toes and just to be able to feel everything around you again. Imagine feeling like that all the time. Do you take off your shoes when you enter your home? Some people ask you to remove your shoes when entering their home and for some people it is a cultural tradition. If you live in apartments then the plus side is you will have happy people who live below you. When you are at home you want to be comfortable, you wouldn't relax at home with your work clothes on and your high heeled boots then why not get barefoot and enjoy your time at home and relax properly. There has been a lot of research about the benefits of walking barefoot. A lot of us walk barefoot in our homes. It gives our feet a chance to breathe. Experts say that walking or running barefoot develops muscles in the hips, legs, calves, thighs and feet, making them stronger. These are parts of the body which are restricted in shoes. It will also strengthen and stretch your calf muscles in turn which will improve how you walk or run and you will have better balance due to having more of your foot on the ground whilst barefoot. Wearing high-heels can be the cause of back pain but walking barefoot can ease this too as your weight is equally dispersed throughout the legs thus less pressure on your back. Nevertheless if you suffer from certain serious health problems like poor circulation then it is important you wear shoes. Take a moment and imagine running around barefoot outside in the garden on the grass when you were a child, or feeling wet sand between your toes whilst walking along a beach on holiday. There's not much that can beat that feeling. Going for a shoeless look isn't against the law either, you can go shopping, eat out and even drive barefoot if you so wished to. Spending a bit of time barefoot is a good way of letting them heal. Walking barefoot strengthens your toes and your feet; it will also help prevent any deformities of the toes from developing. With time you can have happier healthier feet and when you have happy feet you will feel more relaxed. If you are thinking of giving walking barefoot outside a go, it goes without saying that walking or running where there may be potential hazards such as glass, stones or other sharp objects is a big no no. To begin with you should go for a five minute walk a day to get used to the different surfaces and to prepare your feet for the great outdoors. This will strengthen your leg and foot muscles that are not used regularly and harden the skin on the bottom of your foot. Over the weeks begin to slowly increase the time you walk or run barefoot, go for a walk in the park or nip to the corner shop. You won't have to worry about balancing or running in your high-heels. As long as you use your common sense and stay clear of walking barefoot in places where you can be injured, this could turn out to be an enjoyable experience for you and benefit your health at the same time. It is one of those things you can do as little or as much as you like, it all depends on how comfortable you feel. Summertime is a good time to begin this but don't forget to use sunscreen on the top of and the bottom of your feet to protect them from the sun. Walking barefoot in summer is a good way of keeping your feet cool too. Walking barefoot on natural surfaces such as grass can be very beneficial if done regularly. A few of the benefits are;
To enjoy all the benefits mentioned in the article but avoid the downside of glass, sharp stones and other painful obstacles use leguano barefoot shoes. It is important to remember to wash your feet after walking barefoot outside to get rid of germs and walk where it is safe. There are health risks from walking barefoot and wearing shoes can protect you from cuts, bruises and sharp objects on the ground. But wearing shoes can limit the mobility of your feet. One-fifth of the world's population never wears shoes at all. We should at least try to walk barefoot around the house as much as possible. Your shoes will last longer if you begin to wear them less as well as getting a good massage for free when going for a walk barefoot on the grass. What have you got to lose? Your feet need to be in their natural state to keep working properly and walking barefoot makes sure this happens. You should be barefoot at least 12 hours or more a day everyday. Kick off your shoes whenever possible. Some people think it is unhygienic to wonder around in bare feet. Your feet will get dirty if you walk outside but you can wash your feet just as much as you wash your hands, there's nothing wrong with that. In a matter of fact, shoes can be dirtier than going barefoot. When your feet sweat, the moisture is trapped in the shoes which provide a damp and dark environment for fungi to grow and as we don't wash our shoes often, can you imagine all the germs living inside them? Wearing thick soled shoes also prevents us from knowing how to position our feet on different surfaces. We tend to land on our heel which is not the natural landing position which can lead to sprains and other injuries. For your body to absorb the impact properly and without harm when you land, it is vital to know how to place your feet. You will quickly notice the difference when you begin to walk or run barefoot. There are many sports which people play barefoot, such as, gymnastics, running, martial arts and volleyball. Try to set time aside to walk barefoot and make the most of all the healing benefits which walking barefoot offers. Click here for more information on Plantar Fasciitis, and Pain in Heel Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Abid_Hussain/55806 New York, Knee osteoarthritis (OA) accounts for more disability in the elderly than any other disease. Running, although it has proven cardiovascular and other health benefits, can increase stresses on the joints of the leg. In a study published in the December 2009 issue of PM&R: The journal of injury, function and rehabilitation, researchers compared the effects on knee, hip and ankle joint motions of running barefoot versus running in modern running shoes. They concluded that running shoes exerted more stress on these joints compared to running barefoot or walking in high-heeled shoes. Sixty-eight healthy young adult runners (37 women), who run in typical, currently available running shoes, were selected from the general population. None had any history of musculoskeletal injury and each ran at least 15 miles per week. A running shoe, selected for its neutral classification and design characteristics typical of most running footwear, was provided to all runners. Using a treadmill and a motion analysis system, each subject was observed running barefoot and with shoes. Data were collected at each runner’s comfortable running pace after a warm-up period. The researchers observed increased joint torques at the hip, knee and ankle with running shoes compared with running barefoot. Disproportionately large increases were observed in the hip internal rotation torque and in the knee flexion and knee varus torques. An average 54% increase in the hip internal rotation torque, a 36% increase in knee flexion torque, and a 38% increase in knee varus torque were measured when running in running shoes compared with barefoot. These findings confirm that while the typical construction of modern-day running shoes provides good support and protection of the foot itself, one negative effect is the increased stress on each of the 3 lower extremity joints. These increases are likely caused in large part by an elevated heel and increased material under the medial arch, both characteristic of today’s running shoes. Writing in the article, lead author D. Casey Kerrigan, MD, JKM Technologies LLC, Charlottesville, VA, and co-investigators state, “Remarkably, the effect of running shoes on knee joint torques during running (36%-38% increase) that the authors observed here is even greater than the effect that was reported earlier of high-heeled shoes during walking (20%-26% increase). Considering that lower extremity joint loading is of a significantly greater magnitude during running than is experienced during walking, the current findings indeed represent substantial biomechanical changes.” Dr. Kerrigan concludes, “Reducing joint torques with footwear completely to that of barefoot running, while providing meaningful footwear functions, especially compliance, should be the goal of new footwear designs.” The article is “The Effect of Running Shoes on Lower Extremity Joint Torques” by D. Casey Kerrigan, MD, Jason R. Franz, MS, Geoffrey S. Keenan, MD, Jay Dicharry, MPT, Ugo Della Croce, PhD, and Robert P. Wilder, MD. It appears in PM&R: The journal of injury, function and rehabilitation, Volume 1, Issue 12 (December 2009), published by Elsevier. The article has been made freely available and may be accessed at: http://www.pmrjournal.org/article/S1934-1482(09)01367-7/fulltext .
Peter Milburn, Griffith University
The human species is one of the most efficient terrestrial animals. We adapted to run on dry riverbeds and grasslands, but development of modern society has strained the evolutionary process. Footwear was initially introduced to protect the soles of the feet or provide traction or warmth. But as society has changed, footwear’s role has adapted to provide cushioning for the hard cobblestones or pavement, broad protection for industrial tasks, and more recently, as a fashion accessory and performance optimiser. A return to barefoot running has emerged as a subculture in recreational running, its devotees pointing to reduced injury rates and a more “natural” running experience. Perhaps the biggest impetus for the trend was Christopher McDougall’s 2010 best-selling book, Born to Run. While based on the story of Mexico’s Tarahumara Indians who run ultra-endurance distances barefoot or in tyre-tread sandals, McDougall also concludes that running shoes have done little to prevent injuries over the past 40 years. Apart from the aficionados writing in the popular literature, a key proponent of barefoot running is Harvard University evolutionary biologist Dr Daniel Leiberman. He argues that habitually barefoot runners land more on the mid-foot or forefoot, which reduces the transient shock on contact. Runners who wear shoes, on the other hand, land more on the heel and rely on the design of the shoe to absorb shock and control the foot during running. But Leiberman suggests the issue is less about barefoot running being better than shod running and more about how we run. Running barefoot encourages the runner to cushion the impact of landing by adjusting their running style to land with their toes down. The shock of landing is transmitted largely to the muscles at the back of the leg. As a result, barefoot and minimally shod running appears to reduce the risk of injury because they generate much lower collision forces. But don’t throw your running shoes away just yet. Barefoot runners must learn to change the way they run: landing more on the mid-foot or forefoot, rather than on the heel. Then the elastic structures within the foot will do the job they were designed to do. And the Achilles tendon and calf muscles will contract eccentrically to cushion this extra load. For those new to barefoot running, the unaccustomed strain on muscles and tendons can actually lead to injury – exactly what the change to barefoot running was supposed to prevent. The solution? Start out slowly on a safe surface (grass or sand) to toughen the sole of the foot and allow the soft tissue of the foot and ankle to adapt to the new loading strategy. Alternating running barefoot one day and shod the next will also decrease the risk of injury. We all have different abilities to learn and to adapt to new skills: some will make the adjustment and thrive as barefoot runners; others will struggle to make the change, particularly if they have irreversible structural problems with their tendons and muscles, caused by decades of wearing sneakers. Unfortunately, ditching your sneakers isn’t the silver bullet to preventing running injuries. Peter Milburn, Professor, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Griffith University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Robert Lockie, University of Newcastle
There’s a growing interest in barefoot running, especially in relation to running long distances. Research articles, opinion pieces, and websites have argued both for and against the efficacy of running without shoes, but few have stressed the importance of a measured transition. The primary argument for barefoot running is that it encourages the use of more natural biomechanics, which is lost when using traditional footwear. But it is very important to keep in mind that changes occur to technique when transitioning from shod (wearing shoes) to barefoot running. Primarily, there is a shift to forefoot/midfoot contact, as opposed to a rearfoot or heel, contact. Research has found this has performance benefits by showing that faster elite distance runners tended to have forefoot/midfoot contact. To facilitate this change in foot contact, step length is reduced, and step frequency increased. This means that over a given distance, you will complete more steps of a relatively shorter length when you run with bare feet. This change of technique is important, as when you remove the cushioning that is built into most running shoes, your running style must change to ensure the shock experienced when landing is reduced. Research on habitual barefoot runners found shorter step lengths helped reduce the force of impact. Proprioception and strength of the individual muscles in the feet could also improve with barefoot running. These muscles act to stabilise the foot during ground contact, a demand that is greatly reduced when running with shoes. Despite all this, there are some problems associated with barefoot running. When running without shoes, your feet have no protection have against the outside environment. While this may not be an issue on certain surfaces, such as grass, there may be problems if you’re a trail or urban runner. It also takes time to adapt to the changes in stress that will be experienced when running under new conditions. A habitually shod runner will need to adapt to the different stresses experienced during barefoot running. Several shoe companies are tapping into the barefoot running trend through changes to shoe design. These shoes are designed to mimic barefoot running – they don’t have the cushioning that’s present in traditional running shoes – while still providing protection from outside elements. Examples include the Nike Free, New Balance Minimus, Saucony Kinvara, and Vibram FiveFingers. The use of these shoes could serve as a bridge from running with shoes to running barefoot. Interestingly, all the current research has focused on distance running: no research has analysed barefoot maximal sprinting. This is significant, as correct sprinting technique should incorporate forefoot contact to help reduce ground contact time and increase step frequency. Further, if the muscles within the feet are strengthened during barefoot running, they could provide benefits for sprinting, where maximal force output is required. Here are some useful pointers for barefoot running, especially for those conditioned to running with shoes:
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is it’s not necessarily the shoes you wear that cause injury, but rather incorrect running mechanics. Ensuring that your running gait doesn’t predispose you to injury should be a stronger concern than just considering the type of footwear to be used. Robert Lockie, Lecturer in Exercise and Sports Science, University of Newcastle This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Peter Francis, Leeds Beckett University
Humans have gone unshod for millions of years; it is only in the last few centuries that people have started wearing shoes. However, a recent survey shows that shoe wearing among young boys isn’t universal. German children and teenagers spend most of their day in shoes, while about 90% of their South African counterparts go barefoot. Aside from the obvious climate differences, it is tempting to think that South Africa’s lower economic ranking, compared with Germany’s, is the main reason for the absence of footwear. But this reasoning has been challenged by results from our recent survey. We gathered information on the footwear habits of 714 boys attending a secondary school in a wealthy part of Auckland, New Zealand. Almost half of the students (45%) spent most of their time barefoot. Many of the students in this study were even willing to run distances of 100 to 3,000 metres on a hard track surface without shoes. Foot structureDifferences in foot structure between those who have never worn shoes and those who are usually in shoes have been described for over a century. In one seminal 1905 study, Phil Hoffman, warned how putting the fashionable desires of customers over the health of their feet had led to shoe design “that more or less crowds the front of the foot”. The main developmental result of growing up in shoes appears to be a narrower foot and a lower arch. The result of this is more concentrated pressure at the heel and the ball of the foot during movement. By contrast, those who grow up barefoot have wider feet and have a more even distribution of pressure towards the outside edge of the foot and across the toes. Running as nature intendedWe don’t know what effect growing up in shoes has on the development of movement skills, or the risk of injury in sport, but logic suggests that growing up barefoot is a good thing. The heel of the foot is highly sensitive to pain, meaning that when people run barefoot they tend to avoid landing on their heel and instead defer the pressure to the mid and forefoot. This allows a broader surface area to absorb force. In order to avoid a heel strike, the foot must never be too far in front of the body. As a result, barefoot runners tend to have a shorter stride. A shorter stride needs less leg extension, which is why barefoot runners have greater bend at the knee and a more pointed foot toward the floor. These joint positions allow muscles around the knee to help control landing and allow the ankle to behave in a more spring-like fashion. The problem with shoesCovering the heel of the foot reduces the sensation it experiences when coming into contact with the ground. The running shoe, containing a cushioned heel, allows the runner to land on the heel of the foot with an extended leg. This is perhaps why about 75% of runners nowadays are heel strikers. Running using an extended limb (overstriding) results in force being absorbed through the heel, bony structures and joints, with less assistance from muscle. This may be one of the reasons most running injuries are to structures that are not designed to absorb force (shins, feet and knees). Interestingly, when people remove their shoes, most revert to middle and forefoot striking. Children and teenagers who grow up mostly barefoot appear strong enough to run quickly and for long distances without shoes. The prevalence of leg pain in the New Zealand students we studied was at the lower end of that reported globally in students of a similar age. This finding, combined with an absence of evidence for the role of shoes in the prevention of injury, makes it seem reasonable to suggest that children should spend as much time as possible barefoot. Social acceptability is a barrier to barefoot activities in many Western countries, as a result, adults who did not grow up mostly barefoot may not have the same foot structure and leg strength to transition to barefoot activities quickly. Gradually building time spent walking and running in bare feet is key for people who are new to barefoot activities. The increasing availability of shoes that mimic the structure of the foot (minimalist shoes) and have little cushioning other than to cover the foot, may help people transition to being barefoot. The improving design of these shoes may also help to tackle the issue of social acceptability. Peter Francis, Director of the Musculoskeletal Science Research Group, Leeds Beckett University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. |
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