Barefoot Benefits (And Potential Risks)
Have you heard of or considered trying out barefoot walking, running, or exercise? Here's what you need to know.
Barefoot walking may be considered a growing trend, but it should go without saying that we were barefoot for some time. It's how we were born, and it's how our bodies are designed. So, how could it carry risks? The answer is shoes.
Wearing shoes has forever altered the anatomy of our feet. This adaptation to footwear has had considerable effects on our gait, stability, and the motor system. Shoes, especially those with elevated heels, heavily compensate for natural gait and stabilizing tissues of the body. They allow you to relax more connective tissue and muscle, shorten the achilles tendon, and as a result these tissues become weak over time.
As you run you will likely naturally strike the ground with your heel leading to a jarring force transitioning into the knee and hip joints without all of that cushioning from modern shoes. This is called heel strike. Without shoes, you will naturally land with a balanced forefoot strike - in an ideal world your arch is like a spring redistributing the force across a wide range of connective tissue and muscles.
Image from REI.com
However, after the arch and associated stabilizing muscles, ligaments, and tendons have deteriorated, attempting to run barefoot can easily pull any of these, and possibly cause a tear or sprain. These muscles and connective tissue need to be reconditioned. Slow and incremental stress placed on these tissues with natural movement patterns will produce adaptation. There can even be adaptations of bone density from incremental stress. Muay Thai is a great example of this where they train to increase bone density through continuous stress on the shins.
However, you don't want to hit the ground running (pun intended) with a barefoot approach. In many cases these maladaptations took decades, or at least many years to develop. It will take time to reverse this decline. Patience is a virtue.
Minimalist Shoes
A practical middle ground and introduction to barefoot.
Enter the minimalist shoe. You may have seen brands such as Vibram, Xero, Merrel, Vivobarefoot, or Lems enter the market in the last two decades. These shoes all have a zero drop heel to toe sole. This means your heel is not in an unnatural elevated position. Most also provide a wider area for your toes to spread out, and very little if any arch support.
Some of these shoes provide more structure, and some less, but all of them provide more support than going barefoot for anyone who would like to transition to a more natural foot posture and eventually walking/running gait.
Image from REI.com
I would recommend easing in slowly unless you have spent considerable time barefoot. You'll notice sore muscles in new places after going on a walk or light jog. It will take time for both your tissues, and your nervous system to adapt to this new approach to walking.
I personally had great luck using Vibrams. Over time my toes lengthened, and my feet became longer and wider. This is my anecdotal experience, and you're free to take it with a grain of salt. Eventually, I was able to hit a full stride and comfortably run entirely barefoot, but I can't stress enough how important it is to transition slowly, and to be careful.
Always listen to your body and the signals of pain. If you injure yourself you will be set back many days, weeks, or possibly even months. Patience will pay off in the end. Eventually, we want to be barefoot more often. However, our modern world doesn't always allow this, so minimalist shoes can be a great starting point.
I will say that when possible barefoot is best. Even the most well designed of shoes are still a compromise to our natural movement pattern. Minimalist shoes are simply a modern tool to encourage more natural movement patterns than shoes with elevated heels and heavily supported arches as well as narrow toe boxes. As with any tool, they can be used incorrectly and you should always respect what you're working with.
Are these shoes good for all contexts?
Maybe, but most likely not. In my opinion, endurance activities aren't always the best fit for these shoes for many reasons. As mentioned earlier you will be using many more muscles, tendons, and ligaments with minimalist shoes than with regular shoes. While this is great for conditioning yourself in shorter bouts of exercise, it may not be wise to attempt a marathon with them unless you've trained extensively.
If you’ve trained for a long time with a heel strike your results switching to a mid or forefoot strike will be subpar. Many experienced runners who heel strike aren’t overstriding, and are landing on a more midfoot strike anyway; this is perfectly fine.
Standing and walking on hard, flat, and unnatural surfaces for long periods of time for work is also likely to be taxing until you've built up a resilient foot structure and have conditioned yourself to walk barefoot with ease.
Even then, it may be too much constant stress for you to deal with. There may be some conditions where you need to wear well supported shoes for a time during your recovery, but, if possible, we can always strive to regain strength and mobility to the extent we are able.
You will also need to be more mindful of your step as you walk, and especially with activities like hiking or walking on rough and unstable ground. This requires more awareness and care in every step. I personally enjoy the challenge of a tough hike with the extra element of observation required to not roll an ankle, but again this is something that will come with time and practice.
You can certainly run a 5k in these shoes, and you can also hike with the right pair, but I'm hesitant to suggest most people should go further than that without at least months or possibly years of conditioning. One wrong step while running a trail can result in a serious stone bruise, sprained ankle, or worse.
I have been wearing minimalist shoes for nearly a decade, and trail running feels second nature. I avoid unstable and potentially stone bruising ground on instinct at this point. It will depend on the person. It also doesn't have to be all or nothing. Wear them intermittently as you adapt, and if you feel pain developing you can always take a break.
Controversy
As with anything in the modern world these shoes (and even barefoot walking) is not without controversy. There have even been lawsuits to address false marketing and claims. While brands such as Vibram may have been overzealous in how they sold these products and didn't stress the dangers as much as they should have, I don't see the legitimacy to these claims against them. I've personally experienced the benefits, and I know many others who have as well.
It's not something that's for everyone, and if you approach it with a weekend warrior mindset you're likely to suffer an injury, or at best see little results.
If you're in doubt, they may simply not be for you, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, for those who are open to the idea, and enjoy being barefoot anyway, I do recommend giving a pair a try. If you haven't been barefoot much of your life I would again caution to be careful with any of these products and transitioning to barefoot walking and running in general.
Image from REI.com
I will also add that not all heel strikes are created equal. Many runners who practice the common heel strike do so with a midfoot strike using the heel as a transition point. From my understanding this is perfectly fine because the force isn’t being transferred from the heel directly to the knee and hip; it is instead using a one-two transfer from heel to midfoot and achieving a similar result of force redistribution. You want to avoid over-striding and inversion/eversion of the ankle. Proper alignment of the ankle and stride length along with force redistribution is key. Also consider alignment of center of mass over your foot’s strike if you develop shin splints. It’s a sign you’re bearing too much eccentric load for your body to handle and should strike closer to your center of mass until you adapt.
Moving forward with your practice
As you transition into a more natural gait and your motor system begins to improve, you may notice less stress on your knees and hips. Movements that you have struggled with may become easier; such as full range squats - this specific motion is heavily tied to tightness in the achilles tendon which an elevated heel will accentuate.
Don't be discouraged if this isn't happening for you. It can take months or even years to adapt your nervous system to a new movement pattern as well as heal all of the associated tissues and achieve a full range of motion. Not to appeal to nature, but rather look at this practically: it makes sense that using our naturally intended movement pattern will improve a wide range of human motion. After all, weight is distributed throughout the body from the ground up. Be patient, and in time you will regain that spring to your step.
If you're struggling to begin, I would recommend barefoot walking on soft surfaces such as a lawn. There is research into rehabilitating people who've developed plantar fasciitis through this approach. Again, take this with a grain of salt as I am not a licensed medical practitioner. Consult the research, and talk with your doctor if you are concerned.
The American Podiatric Medical Association, along with the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine, encourages the public to consult a podiatrist with a strong background in sports medicine to make an informed decision on all aspects of their running and training programs.
If you feel comfortable giving it a try I will again emphasize the importance of starting slowly and working on incremental results. I know I've said this many times, but I can't stress it enough. Pain is not weakness leaving the body; it is biofeedback to warn you that something you're doing is potentially dangerous to your body. The goal of all of this is to "bulletproof" your feet and ankles to prevent injuries. We want to go through full ranges of motion with full force absorption to prompt adaptations.
I recommend other ankle and leg strengthening exercises in conjunction with your barefoot walking and training. Tibialis raises, ATG split squats, full squats, calf raises, and other conditioning exercises will greatly accelerate your results. Something very understated in our modern culture is toe strength and conditioning. Try pulling yourself forward with only your toes - like an inchworm. You’ll notice how quickly your toes will tire. This is a great conditioning exercise as well as stimulation for the nervous system all the way to the tips of your toes. Most importantly, have fun with the process. It’s not necessary to strive for perfection, but rather a way to incorporate mindfulness into standing, walking, and running in your everyday life.