Use Shoes, You Lose – Barefoot Running Is A Better Alternative

My Story

I’ve been pretty active since the age of 13, so I’ve owned my fair share of athletic shoes.  It has always amazed me how manufacturers continue to outdo each other in the never-ending “foot” race for a more lightweight, responsive, comfortable, cushion-y shoe.  Much of the technology centered around the most efficient way to implement shock absorption in the shoe to protect lower extremities from acute and chronic injury when running on hard surfaces like concrete and asphalt.  In that respect, manufacturers succeeded.  Ironically, buying these types of sneakers may turn out to be one of the worst decisions you can make for your legs and feet.

As I showed my 20s the door, I continued to maintain a very high level of activity.  Aside from shin splints and occasional acute injuries like a rolled ankle, I hadn’t had any major problems with my legs or feet.  This all changed not too long after 30 came knocking, however.  It was surreal, almost like my mind subconsciously believed all the overblown social hype about 30 being some magic age when your body begins to break down.  My list of chronic injuries would’ve kept the athletic trainer of any professional sports team very busy.  It read like some bizarre physical therapy research project – plantar fasciitis, achilles tendinitis, medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints), patellar tracking disorder, chondromalacia, plica, lower back pain.  As soon as I figured out how to fix one problem another one sprung up in it’s place. 

It got so bad that I reluctantly decided to undergo microfracture surgery on my knee at the behest of an orthopedic surgeon who’d worked on some players from the Washington Redskins.  Big mistake.  It was my fault though, my approach to dealing with my issues used the very same logic that I detested from allopathic doctors – I was playing the cat and mouse game of treating the symptoms, not the root cause.  After spending an untold amount of money on OTC inserts, custom orthotics and supplements, I decided I needed to drastically change my whole plan of attack.  That’s when I discovered barefoot running and had my “eureka” moment.

Good Foot, Bad Foot

I researched exhaustively about the biomechanics of barefoot running and studies that seemingly supported its efficacy.  It all made so much sense after I processed all that information.  In a well-cited 1905 study published in the American Journal of Orthopedic Surgery, doctors sought out to examine the functional difference between a naturally bare foot and a foot that dons shoes (called shod by some folks).  They studied native people in Africa and the Philippines, and came to some interesting conclusions.

In the 1960 Olympics, Ethiopian Abebe Bikila ran a world-record 2:15:17 marathon.  Barefoot.

Clearly, our feet are not meant to be restricted inside a shoe.  Because it is quite literally our physical foundation, a narrow and anatomically incorrect foot is a one way ticket to chronic leg, foot and lower back issues.  You’ll be on a first name basis with your orthopedic doctor.  Fortunately, my feet were nowhere near this bad.  But, I knew I was on to something.

 Conventional athletic shoes make a heel-toe gait feel natural with all the high-tech cushion that manufacturers use.  Without shoes, a heel-toe strike can result in a collision force 1.5 to 3 times body weight.  A heel-toe gait is really only optimal for walking.  Comparatively, barefoot native populations use a much more natural midfoot or forefoot gait when running, which results in much less force…and potentially less injuries.  The Newton running shoe site has a good animated depiction of this.

Barefoot Alternatives

 Armed with all this new information, I felt empowered enough to seek out a shoe that fit the bill.  The concrete jungle, full of miscellaneous debris doesn’t afford many of us the luxury of actual barefoot movement.  I found a decent compromise.  I initially chose Nike Free, which I think is a good transition shoe since working out barefoot will definitely require an adjustment period.  After I felt like my feet were strong enough, I bought two pairs of Vibram Five Fingers (KSO and Sprint models).  I’m proud to say that, I haven’t had any of the aforementioned chronic problems since going barefoot. 

If you do decide to try barefoot alternative shoes, I would personally recommend adding some variety to the surfaces on which you run, however.  Hard, man-made surfaces like concrete and asphalt can be a problem for some folks with preexisiting joint issues.  If you can find more “compliant” surfaces like a trail, sand, grass or a park with recreational artificial turf fields, your joints will be grateful and the change in locale will make your workouts more interesting.

Recent Studies Make the Argument Stronger

In December 2009, the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation reported “increased joint torques at the hip, knee, and ankle were observed with running shoes compared with running barefoot”.

Another very recent study published in the journal Nature adds even more scientific, empirical data to the argument that supports barefoot running.  Daniel Lieberman, a human evolutionary biology professor at Harvard University, conducted the study and  published the findings.  He posits “…actually you can run barefoot on the world’s hardest surfaces without the slightest discomfort and pain…It might be less injurious than the way some people run in shoes” (To be clear, Mr. Lieberman is referring to actual barefoot running…sans shoes of any kind).  This may be true, but somewhat impractical for those that live in urban environments because of the loose debris that litter so many streets and sidewalks.  This is where barefoot alternative shoes are worth the investment.

Apparently, more research is needed before any definitive conclusions are drawn regarding running barefoot.  But, while scientists conduct more studies to prove once again that Mother Nature had it right all along, I’ll keep my feet naked (or use lightly shod alternatives). 

It worked for me and that’s all the evidence I need.

 

Source(s):

Scientific American

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