Walking barefoot is good for your feet (most of the time).
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Your shoes are messing up your feet. Not just your pointy high heels, although those are probably the worst. These rooms, comfortable sneaks that you use to run errands or exercises – those intended and marketed for physical activity – are actually messing up your feet.
Experts believe that cushioned shoes negatively affect the balance, stability and strength of the feet because the foam layer between the feet and the ground blunts the message between the feet and the brain. Dressing padded shoes it can also become a kind of crutch, making your feet extremely sensitive and causing your ankles to weaken.
Before taking off your shoes forever, however, know that walking barefoot isn’t really the best answer (at least not for everyone). Living a lifestyle without shoes can strengthen your feet, but it is not without risks.
For those who wish to walk barefoot, knowing the pros and cons before starting is the key to preventing injuries.
Above: What should the feet and toes look like, according to Vivobarefoot, a minimalist shoe brand.
Why you should spend more time barefoot
Spending time barefoot is good for your feet.
“Walking barefoot allows your feet to spread more naturally and also forces your muscles and joints to work harder,” says Dr. Paul Langer, podiatrist at Twin Cities Orthopedics. “which is beneficial for keeping your feet strong, your toes aligned and your joints mobile.”
In fact, some research shows that people can gain strength in their feet just by wearing minimalist shoes, without doing foot exercises.
We move differently in shoes with cushioning than when barefoot or with minimal cushioning and support, he says. People tend to take longer strides, which affects how the limbs absorb impact on the feet, ankles, knees and hips.
Some studies show that the morphology of the foot is different in cultures that walk barefoot compared to cultures that wear shoes, says Dr. Langer. He cites Benno Nigg, a Swiss pioneer of podiatry, who called shoes “filters” because they filter the sensory input signal from the feet to the brain.
Although Dr. Langer says he has not seen any studies proving long-term changes in proprioception due to footwear, “certainly the more material between the soles of the feet and the ground, the less sensory stimuli there are, which alters proprioception.”
In other words, walking barefoot sends stronger messages to the brain and can result in better balance and agility over time.
And if you walk barefoot long enough, your feet will form calluses for natural protection, which is apparently as good as shoes.
Expose your feet to different textures to invigorate your nerves.
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Is it safe to do barefoot exercise?
Yes, but it is not without risks, says Dr. Langer. Some common risks of training barefoot include:
- Plucking, scratching or cutting your toes or feet
- Stepping on something sharp
- Stepping on something disgusting (and potentially catching a bacterial or fungal infection)
- Drop weight or other equipment on tiptoe
In addition, if you are just starting out, you will face risks such as instability and difficulty with balance. Since your feet are used to the support and stability provided by padded shoes, you are at a greater risk of falling or twisting your ankle thanks to your newly bare feet.
Whether it is safe or not to exercise barefoot also depends on the type of exercise you are doing and where you are doing it. If you live in a large city, for example, the nearby streets may be dirty and prevent you from walking or running barefoot. Going to a sandy beach is a different story. Likewise, training barefoot at a gym is disgusting (and generally frowned upon), but doing a dumbbell workout at the gym at home with bare feet is good.
If you want to work out barefoot, but feel hesitant for any of these reasons, try minimal shoes to start.
Shoes that have no cushioning or support, like Vibram FiveFingers, Vivobarefoot or Inov8 BareXF210, are almost as bare-footed as you can get, says Dr. Langer. “They allow the fingers to align more naturally and do not add midsole, which means that they do not have foam cushioning or stability devices”, he explains.
Bare shoes Vibram FiveFingers.
Vibrate
How to start exercising barefoot
Dr. Langer warns against the immediate transition from comfortable shoes to barefoot exercises. If you want to start exercising barefoot, start small. Walk barefoot through the house and backyard to learn how to feel your feet from walking on different surfaces. Step carefully and pay attention to objects that can hurt your feet without calluses.
Yoga and strength training with body weight are great next steps. These types of exercises eliminate the risk of dropping objects on your toes, because there are no objects involved. They also provide the opportunity to “get to know” your feet and how they support you, says Dr. Langer.
Eventually, you can prepare to take longer walks outdoors with bare feet (in a safe and clean place) or with minimalist shoes. Lifting bare weights is generally safe, as long as you are careful to keep your feet out of the way of the weights. Ballistic exercises, like CrossFit exercises, present a higher risk.
Potential risks of barefoot lifestyle
While the case for walking barefoot is clear, this lifestyle is not without its risks. “In addition to the obvious – stepping on sharp objects – the biggest risks are making the transition from conventional shoes very quickly and not allowing adaptation,” says Dr. Langer.
This concept applies to any change in activity, he points out, not just for walking barefoot. “Just as you should not stop being sedentary to run five days a week, neither should you stop wearing shoes with cushioning to be barefoot or minimalist [shoes]. “Instead, you must gradually adapt to the scenario and allow your body to adapt comfortably to new stress or loads.
Trying to leave the crucial adjustment period can cause severe pain in your arches, heels, ankles, calves, knees, and even your hips. In the worst case, you can worsen your gait by trying to make the transition very quickly.
Padded shoes are not without benefits.
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Benefits of padded shoes
It would be remiss not to recognize the benefits of cushioning and support for those in need. For people with an existing injury or tendency to foot pain, adequate cushioning is required.
Dr. Langer says he ensures that his patients have fully recovered from an injury before starting to walk barefoot or minimalist, and he always emphasizes that if bare or minimalist shoes cause pain, there may be a limit on how much a person should wear them or if they are a good option at all.
“Some of my patients like to walk barefoot, but they found that [a certain] The amount of hours a day works best for them, “he notes.” As with any shoe, comfort is very important and people should not force themselves to wear something or walk barefoot if it consistently causes pain.
In addition, cushioning improves comfort and can delay the onset of muscle fatigue, “so it is not as if cushioning has no value,” says Dr. Langer. You just have to keep in mind that cushioning has benefits and costs.
Dr. Langer quotes Benno Nigg again: “There is probably an ideal amount of cushion for each of us. We just don’t have a way of measuring what it could be.”
The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended for medical or health advice. Always consult a doctor or other qualified healthcare professional regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health goals.