Beginner's Fitness Programs

Have you ever wondered why some famous African marathon runners run barefoot without getting injured, but we can’t even run a block without thickly padded $100 running shoes? In fact, people were running without “proper” running shoes until the 1970s when modern running shoes were invented and, even now, many people around the world are still running with minimally-padded footwear such as sandals.

Shoes Heel Strike Running with Force

Barefoot Forefoot Strike Running with Force

As you can see from the videos, the heel-striking running impacts suddenly when the heel strikes the running surface, but the forefoot-striking running does not. The researchers reported that forefoot-striking running can tolerate several times one’s body weight without much damage to leg joints.

We actually know this. When you jump off a chair, do you try to land on your heels or toes? We instinctively land on our toes and then flex our knees to absorb the impact. This is normal, and probably when your grandparents were kids, they were running with the forefoot striking! Yes, our running methods changed significantly after the invention of running shoes. Some people know this fact and there are groups of people who have been running barefoot for a long time, with more and more people joining the trend.

They believe potential benefits of barefoot running include:

• less impact on joints
• strengthens muscles of the feet
• cost-effective
• develops more sensory sensitivity in the feet
• prevents deformations of the feet, such as bunions

Of course, there are some negative sides, too:

• potential injuries to soles of the feet by stepping on glass and other sharp objects
• may cause metatarsal stress fractures (see below)
• takes time to develop a new way of running
• may develop achilles tendonitis if you do not train properly

Should you try barefoot running? If you are totally new to running, it is a good option. If you have been running for a while, and if you do not have any problems with that, it is probably not worth changing your form, since it takes time to change and in the meantime your workout efficiency would suffer. However, if you have had knee injuries or problems, you may want to consider barefoot running.

Although you may not get the full benefit of running, you can also try barefoot walking, especially if you regularly wear high heels. Some research indicates that high-heeled shoes cause degeneration of knee joints and also cause shortening of achilles tendons. To counter these problems, you may want to walk around barefoot at home, and in totally flat shoes outside.

Either running or walking, it is probably a good idea to wear some sort of protective footwear so that we don’t injure the soles of our feet. Several companies offer shoes suitable for this purpose. These shoes are very flexible with no arch support, and minimum cushioning in the heel area. Some of them may even be fashionable enough to wear for daily work or play. There are even shoes with separated toes that were originally developed for surfers and rock climbers, but more and more barefoot runners are using them. There are, however, some indications that running barefoot with separated toes shoes may increase the chance of metatarsal stress fractures. We should probably stick with more of the “traditional” simple flat bottom types of barefoot shoes.

If you really want to start barefoot running, I strongly recommend that you consult with an experienced barefoot runner. You may want to contact a local barefoot running group like New England Barefoot Runners.

Sources:

Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners: Nature 2010
Biomechanics of Foot Strikes & Applications to Running Barefoot or in Minimal Foot We are: http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu
Foot Pain: Is Current or Past Shoewear a Factor? Arthritis Care & Research, 2009
High heels may lead to joint degeneration and knee osteoarthritis, study finds: Iowa State University (2010, August)
On muscle, tendon and high heels. Journal of Experimental Biology, 2010; 213: 2582-2588

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