Readers of this blog should probably be pretty familiar with a lot of the concepts in the graphic. As always, I’m the most intrigued by the finding that barefoot running is more efficient than shod running (as indicated by the “4% reduction in energy expended” item in the graphic). It’s somewhat ironic to me that the notion that shoes are necessary for running is juxtaposed by data demonstrating that shoes make us worse at it.
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12 Responses to Free Your Feet – Barefoot Running Infographic
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What experience and/or education do you have in order to suggest benefits of barefoot running? Are you familiar with cuboid subluxations, hallux ridigus, pf, periosteal bruising; all common injuries in bf running.
Some foot types cannot accomodate bf running. And in fact, if done, can produce permanent life-changing damage in feet. Hyper/hypomobility and imbalances in fore foot issues, come to mind.
Without medical education, nor years of podiactric experiences, it’s best to not comment on bf running. Coming from a “cubicle monkey turned fitness enthusiast” is a not sufficient experience to advise humans on any kind of fitness endeavours. Especially your pdf of “Couch to Barefoot.”
If you are truly interested in bf running and advising people, study podiatry; a masters degree in informational science in not sufficient for this field.
“What experience and/or education do you have in order to suggest benefits of barefoot running?”
I’ve engaged in it frequently, and read about the subject a great deal.
“Are you familiar with cuboid subluxations, hallux ridigus, pf, periosteal bruising; all common injuries in bf running.”
I’m aware that injuries can occur, and have mentioned that on many occasions. I think that the preponderance of evolution, anthropological, and anatomical evidence still supports the idea that humans were meant to run without shoes.
“Some foot types cannot accomodate bf running.”
No argument from me there, years of wearing shoes can deform the human foot.
“Without medical education, nor years of podiactric experiences, it’s best to not comment on bf running.”
Thank you for your opinion.
I am totally with you on the shoe thing. What about those vibram 5 fingers shoes though? A little protection can go a long way with all your little toes. Thoughts?
Nick,
Re: VFF’s – Running on some trails, I have on occasion had twigs or vines get caught up in between my toes. And, if I wasn’t paying good enough attention to what was ahead, I’ve stubbed my toes by kicking a root.
So yeah, you might need to be mindful of the environment as to whether or not VFF’s will be appropriate for what you’re doing.
Note – Vibram does have some models which have more significant toe protection, like the Trek Sport or Treks.
Dr., with all due respect, I would think someone such as yourself who has studied the human foot and the biomechanics thereof would understand that the most natural state of the foot is to be…natural, not confined and restricted in shoes, shoes that cause deformities and crippling pain. Don’t you realize that the majority of the people you see on a daily basis, shoe wearers, are there because of the types of shoes they have worn throughout their lifetimes? Most of the foot ailments “we in the supposed developed nations” experience are void in those areas that are less developed, those areas where the population lives barefoot.
Studies show the number one cause of Morton’s Neuroma is the types of shoes we wear. Over the past 10 days, I have had two surgeries to remove the neuromas from my feet (two in each foot), directly related to the types of shoes I used to wear. Had I lived completely barefoot since day one, I would not be in this predicament.
No one is saying all shoes are bad. What we are saying is that only those shoes that allow the foot to move in a way in which The Creator designed it to should be worn, and only when they are truly needed, extreme temps and terrain. The typical elevated heel, thick padded, confining, disfiguring shoe the medical community overlooks yet blindly promotes is not a healthy option for everyday wear (over barefoot).
Studies show that aging adults and the elderly have a higher chance of falling due to the lack of proprioception not just at the moment of their fall but also due to the lack of “feeling” the ground beneath them throughout their lifetimes. The connection from the foot to the brain has been increasingly extinguished. The elderly in underdeveloped nations do not suffer the same high incidents of falls that we do.
The human foot is not broken nor defective and is quite adaptable to most conditions. Somehow, we managed to survive above nearly all other species without the types of footwear that we wear today and without any type of footwear for millions of years prior. If living barefoot and chasing down our prey barefoot over these past millennia would have been detrimental to our survival as a species on this earth, then we would have no doubt become extinct. Yet, I am here speaking with you today.
Leonardo da Vinci wrote, “The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.” He truly understood the beauty of the human foot in its natural state.
@barefoot tj
I agree with your evolutionary biology explanation of the foot.
However, it’s the discordant interaction of the species with environment which is disease-producing. For millions of years we did not have concrete, any floors, sidewalks, asphalt, nor also any type of shoe. You can’t just blame shoes. Foot deformaties and certain sports/injuries can be blamed as well.
Our environment is much, much different today, than before. We evolved without our current “floors”….
Do you have any theories to suggest why these foot deformities have become so prevalent? If not shoes, what do you believe is the precipitating factor?
As to environment, I’m quite sure that much of the planet is not covered in grass and sand. How did native Americans migrate through such rocky places as the various mountain ranges in the Americas, without having rubber-soled shoes?
There are many natural surfaces that are just as hard, if not more so, than modern paved concrete and asphalt surfaces. Rocky terrain can be hard and even more treacherous than smooth paved surfaces. Some dirt trails or dry lake beds can become even harder than cured concrete. So yes, there have always been hard surfaces on which people have run, even before modern road paving.
Dr., first, let’s tackle this comment “You can’t just blame shoes. Foot deformities and certain sports/injuries can be blamed as well.” I agree. But tell me, what component do most if not all of your patients have in common when they come to see you for their foot deformities (barring birth defects) and injuries? Shoes.
You really should do some research about the surfaces that cover various, entire regions of the earth. I was completely surprised when I learned what our predecessors/ancestors used to run and walk on. Humans have traversed much harder surfaces than what we walk and run across today. The manmade surfaces of today are much more barefoot-friendly than some of the textures our species use to travel over. Don’t forget about lava, stone, unbroken plates of granite, and the desert floor, miles and miles of it. But we managed to do it, and we did it barefoot.
Getting a disease from the ground is a very, very rare thing, and I can point you to many who have done exhaustive research in this area to settle your concerns if you wish.
About the harder, flatter manmade surfaces you are referring to versus the soft, cushiony running shoes adopted by so many today and supported by the medical community: a study was conducted by Dr. Daniel Lieberman, PhD, at Harvard, and others called “Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners” and was published in the Nature Journal. (Lieberman DE, Venkadesan M, Werbel WA, Daoud AI, D’Andrea S, Davis IS, Mang’eni RO, Pitsiladis Y. (2010) Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners. Nature 463: 531-5.) Here’s the link exposed: http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/Nature2010_FootStrikePatternsandCollisionForces.pdf
Here is a summary of their findings: Our research asked how and why humans can and did run comfortably without modern running shoes. We tested and confirmed what many people knew already: that most experienced, habitually barefoot runners tend to avoid landing on the heel and instead land with a forefoot or midfoot strike. The bulk of our published research explores the collisional mechanics of different kinds of foot strikes. We show that most forefoot and some midfoot strikes (shod or barefoot) do not generate the sudden, large impact transients that occur when you heel strike (shod or barefoot). Consequently, runners who forefoot or midfoot strike do not need shoes with elevated cushioned heels to cope with these sudden, high transient forces that occur when you land on the ground. Therefore, barefoot and minimally shod people can run easily on the hardest surfaces in the world without discomfort from landing. If impact transient forces contribute to some forms of injury, then this style of running (shod or barefoot) might have some benefits, but that hypothesis remains to be tested.
Now why do you suppose that is? Not only does our gait change to a natural stride (non heel-striking) reducing the impact forces traveling up our bodies, but when we remove shoes with elevated heels and cushioning, we also instinctively know to step lightly when traversing difficult or rough terrain (manmade or natural). Studies show that when we are wearing shoes, we lose our ability to gauge feedback from the ground, our proprioception is compromised. In fact, you don’t even need a study to tell you this. We bolt down the road or across the trail without concern for the shock forces now traveling up our bodies, through our feet, legs, hips, spine, and necks.
Try this tonight (or at least imagine it). I’m guessing you live near an asphalt street, yes? With your shoes on, run a good 1/8 of a mile and give it your all; after all, you’ll tend to believe the shoes will protect you, the shoes will do all the work for you, and you may not even know there is a problem developing as the injury(ies) may be cumulative. Then do the same thing barefoot, giving it your all. Not only will you find that your instincts will kick in, and you step more lightly, but if you heel-striked in those shoes previously (as most runners do, not all), you have a good chance of being one of the majority who stop heel-striking the moment the shoes are taken off.
There’s a whole lot more to our sport than what most doctors understand, which is a shame, really.
But don’t worry. We don’t predict the shoe revolution dying out anytime soon, so you’ll have lots of business from your shoe-wearing patients.
One favor though, please? When a runner comes to you and says they were injured while running barefoot in their Vibram FiveFinger toe gloves (“barefoot shoes”), please make the distinction and tell them they were actually running shod. It will be a very, very rare occasion when you actually do treat a true barefoot runner.
it is not the shoe but the mechanics of running. Shoes alolw for the incorrect landing on the heal, but I was taught to run by a very enightened track coach wy back in 1969 to land on the ball of the foot, lift the knee and flick out the ankle. I wear shoes and still run that way- mostly sprinting. Diabetics can not run bare foot nor should they feel inferior that they can’t.
“Diabetics can not run bare foot nor should they feel inferior that they can’t.”
I agree completely, and mention that often.
“I wear shoes and still run that way- mostly sprinting.”
Sprinting is always on the ball of the foot.
Either way, it’s understood that form is probably the most important component here.
But, shoes do change running form and mechanics, that much has been proven. Just do a Google Scholar search for just about anything by Benno Nigg.
That is why minimalist shoes are regarded as a generally OK thing, because they don’t get in the way of proper form as badly as thicker shoes do.
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