Barefoot running Pros and Cons
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Statistics have shown that 30% of runners are subject to injury every year.
In his 2009 best selling masterpiece “Born to Run”, Christopher McDougall passionately advocated barefoot running and he is not alone: recent studies have proven that running barefoot enhances stride and prevents injury, and above all it is far more enjoyable than running with shoes.
Still, some renowned doctors beg to differ and argue that it could stimulate more injury and have long-term damaging effects on the feet. Others believe that although running shoes do in protect the feet, they could substantially impact the ankles, hip, and the most problematic area of all: the knees!
So, where to go from there?! This article sheds some light on this controversial issue. Enjoy!
Barefoot Running Advocates Testimonials
“I thought ‘This rocks’ and stopped looking for my flat shoe…” as Michael Legault, a 50+ contractor, explains. Legault’s story with barefoot running is rather unusual. After getting a black toenail during a marathon, he took off his flatfoot running shoes 2 miles before the finish line and the rest is history!
As for Efrem Rensi, barefoot running was his cure from chronic Achilles tendon problems after he tried every imaginable alternative: “I bought a motion-control shoe and walked around, but things really didn’t get any better,” Rensi attests.
Ken Bob, a passionate barefoot runner, ‘s website was the answer to Rensi’s prayers. As shocked and astounded by this “weird hippie” look, Rensi decided to give it a shout and the results were staggering! His Achilles tendon problem became much less intense and he managed to complete Oakland Running Festival, which a 26.2-mile marathon, barefoot in just 3 hours and 33 minutes!
He considers wearing cushioned running shoes a “fad” practice!
For Ted McDonald says, who was featured in McDougall’s “Born to Run,” barefoot running was the only solution he could find for a very common problem: unbearable lower back pain. You name it, he tried it as far as traditional solutions goes. He kept exchanging one running shoe after the other but all was in vain until he decided to set his feet free.
Guess what, not only did his lower back pain disappear but he also managed to become the only barefoot runner in the Copper Canyon Mexican ultra-marathon. Still, McDonald is not a barefoot running fanatic as he occasionally uses the popular feet-molding shoes with a pocket for each toe, known as Vibram FiveFingers shoes. Now he considers wearing cushioned running shoes a “fad” practice!
Michael Sandler, turned his passion for barefoot running into a mission by teaching people how to master it slowly but surely through his book “Barefoot Running: How to Run Light and Free by Getting in Touch with the Earth”.
Sandler was first introduced to barefoot running after a tragic bone breaking accident. When nothing else worked, he went for barefoot running and never looked back.
In his book he addresses all the fears other runners would feel about this experience. He asserts that in the long run, your feet will harden enough that even rocks or glasses won’t tear them up. “My skin has gotten stronger over the years, but it doesn’t look like caveman feet,” Sandler says.
Sandler recommends that new barefoot runners should take the gradual approach. First, walk barefoot. Then start running on grass and/or cement to strengthen your feet skin. That’s it! Now you are ready to run barefoot anywhere you wish.”It feels incredible,” he says. “When you are connected to the ground, you see it in a different way. You are no longer watching the scenery pass by, you are part of it.”
What Do Barefoot Running Opponents Have to Say
Dr. Lesley Wolff who is a foot and ankle surgeon, a marathon runners coach, educated in biomechanics and the director of the San Francisco Bay Area Podiatry Group is completely against barefoot running. On top of that, he has been running in shoes for 35 years.
To him, barefoot runners are taking a huge risk due to “The repetitive pounding on the ground without protection, I think, is ridiculous,” he says. Not only runners may get injured by accidentally stepping on objects like nails and glass (mind you this point was covered by Sandler above) but the man-made hard terrains that runner mostly use makes the running shoes cushions an absolute must.
Perhaps the most valid point that he mentioned is that the fat pads on the feet bottoms get thinner overtime which make barefoot running a long-term risk that is “doomed” with problems.
Scientific Evidence That Backup Barefoot Running
Some Harvard University doctors believe under certain conditions that running with Vibram FiveFingers shoes or barefoot are safer than running with cushioned shoes. Without the cushion, the foot exerts less pressure on the heel which could otherwise lead to stress injury.
On the other hand, forefoot and mid-foot striking is enhanced by running barefoot. The strikes of these particular areas, as studies reveal, have less impact force on the body compared to heel strikes.
In another study, effects of barefoot running on the knees, hips and ankle joints was compared against running in modern running shoes.
The study was conducted on 68 young healthy runners 37 of which are women. They were provided with running shoes and each of them had a chance to run using the running shoes and barefoot in order to compare the difference using a motion analysis system.
The researchers observed increased joint torques at the ankle, knee, and hip with running shoes compared with running barefoot. 54% average increase in the internal rotation torque of the hip, and a 36% increase in the flexion torque of the knee were observed when using running shoes compared to barefoot running.
The study concluded that although contemporary running shoes serve the purpose of protecting the feet, they do have straining effects on these three critical areas.
As you see, the pros of barefoot running far outweigh its cons and the saying goes: ”You can’t learn how to swim until you put your feet in the water”. So, jump in give it a try and reap all the rewards barefoot running has to offer.
Have fun!
Are you a barefoot runner? We’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below!
Stephanie: I have been running competitively for the last 6 years and know a few things about shin splints. They are common among runners due to the constant pounding one receives with the ground. Extremely common with beginning runners because they have no prior experience and their coaches give them too much mileage for their bones to handle. The important thing is to get him new shoes and for running. Rest, icing and cross training will help. When he is recovering and wants to run, it is important to start him on soft surfaces for shorter periods of time, like a turf field. Keep him off running on concrete, it is extremely hard and will not help the healing process. As to his coaching, I’m sorry to hear that. Coaches should be there to help and guide the runners. Feel free to email me if you want.
Great blog Thank you for sharing such as great story.
At just 27, I started having pain in my hip just 3 miles into a 6-mile run. I would run 6 miles 3 to 4 times a week. After a year of “taking it like a man,” I started to feel it when I went for long WALKS… I have been running since I was a freshman in high school. I couldn’t just quit, but on morning I woke up after a long day walking around downtown Seattle and I couldn’t get out of bed!! My hip hurt so bad, like it needed to be popped but I couldn’t get it to pop. So, I started to do other things: spin class, yoga, elliptical trainer, etc. Two years ago, I tried running completely barefoot. It is so liberating. A couple months into running, I decided to try the five finger barefoot “shoes.” I love them. I want to wear them every where and now that I see them on everyone, I may not feel so foolish wearing them when I’m NOT running. Best part is my hip no longer hurts during a run! I mean, it wasn’t a gradual decrease in pain, it just didn’t come back after I started running barefoot. Total believer.
Been running about 18 months. Bout 9 months ago I developed Achilles tendinitis. I was running in good shoes, tried braces, drugs, rest and nothing worked. I slowly transitioned to the VFF and problem solved.
I would question the assertion in this article that “the pros of barefoot running far outweigh its cons”. There is nothing in this article that demonstrates reduced injuries, surrogate measures of torque in small scale studies do not translate into reduced injury rates. It may be that switching for some people with established running patterns may cause greater rates of injury. We just don’t know on the current evidence.
The barefoot specific shoes have different shoe specifications and incur different running mechanics alltogether. The barefoot specific shoes have low sole stiffness, shoe wedge and support for rear-foot control.
When you start running barefoot, depending on the stiffness of your ankle and the speed you are running, your foot either lands more mid-foot or continue to land as rear-foot as it used to (standard shoes). In addition, the average loading rate (the rate of change of ground reaction forces) are about the same (when compared with standard or barefoot specific shoes) for runners who are new to barefoot running. That means your running technique have not altered even though you have changed shoes!
One of the changes the bare-foot specific shoes does to your running mechanics is that it alters – step length. Naturally, (when in barefoot specific shoes) you do not over-stride as you used to do in standard shoes. Which is good.
However, with the change in running mechanics, your muscles have to re-adapt to strengthen the major leg muscle groups – quad, calf and hamstring to provide you the strength and flexibility you will need in which case your barefoot specific shoe does not.
Personally, i tried some, but i will prefer to improve them before i use them on roads. The best thing to do is just head to the fields and run barefoot on them. oh watch out for the mimosa! =) train safe!
I finally purchased a pair of VFF’s. I have to say I am totally satisfied with them. My running is easier and it is easy to keep form when in them. I still run barefoot as well. Ironically the only time I have any knee or hip pain is when I run my dogs in agility trials in my “regular” running shoes. This involves an all out “fast as you can go” run to keep up with the dog on a twisting course. I am concentrating on the dog and not my form and return to the extended leg and heel landing form of running. I can see this from photos taken during runs. Someone actually ran their dogs today in VFF’s – so maybe I might get enough courage to try that too. The twisting and sudden turns may be the catalyst for the pain – so I guess the only way to find out is to try running agility in VFF’s and see if I have the same problem. Anyone else out there run dog agility in VFF’s or similar shoes?
I have been a runner for about…17 years now. I have endured shin splints, stress fractures, knee and hip problems and am currently dealing with another bout of plantar facitis post-baby. It has hurt soo much the last few months that my running has taken a serious decline. My friend sent me a pair of VFF that she didn’t like so I tried them one day. slow worked on it, but not enough. i ran 2 slow miles and was so sore for almost 2 weeks! My claves were in serious pain…i loved it! I loved the feeling of really touching the earth, I felt naked. I continue to do a SLOW increase in VFF running and hope to do a Tri in them as soon as nursing school is finished and I can train again. I am so jazzed about them that I worry about wearing other shoes during formal events and at work in the hospital!!
Hasn’t been long enough to feel a change in my feet, but little by little I can feel it helping.
Lovin’ the freedom!
Jocelyn:- Try barefoot running – it will be a lot more exhilirating than the VFF’s. Go slow and not far to begin with. Walk around on different surfaces for a while before starting running barefoot. With the VFF’s you have the best of both worlds. I run barefoot – but tuck my VFF’s in my wasteband and take them with me. I just stop and put them on if I don’t feel comfortable running barefoot after a while – or if there is broken glass or sharp rocks in the trail. Again – if you like the feeling of running in VFF’s – barefoot running will be whole lot better.
As a former runner and triathlete, I struggled with Plantar F… (can’t spell it!) for 8 or nine years. I tried motion control shoes, cortisone injections, custom orthotics, and even those silly cast things that you wear to bed. Nothing worked! Every morning I endured 10 minutes of excutiating pain before I could get on with my day. A few years back, I bought a trampoline for my family with one rule: no socks or shoes while jumping. Within 3 weeks my PF was gone!! That was 3 years ago, and I still have zero foot pain. This past year, I took up running again, this time in minimalist shoes with some barefoot thrown in for variety. I now love running again, and don’t even think about foot pain anymore! If the barefoot running doesn’t get rid of your PF… get a trampoline!!!
Three and a half years ago I got into running at age 37. After a couple weeks I was doing well, but then strained my arch jumping around. I’ve spent the years since then trying several different techniques to get rid of my plantar fasciitis. Recently on a whim after hearing a friend go on and on how great his new low-heel running sneakers were, I hopped onto my old treadmill in my barefeet. Wow! It felt fantastic and although my calves screamed at me after the first couple runs, it’s muscle fatigue and not injury. I’m taking it very slow, literally running a few minutes every couple days. My PF isn’t bugging me any longer, and my back, hips, knees, ankles, and feet are feeling stronger every day. I can’t wait for spring to try it outside.