Age old argument…shoes or no shoes?
January 24, 2010 – 11:30 amHow about today’s custom-fitted shoes? Do they permit natural gait? While providing custom fit, they also incorporate the usual biomechanical faults, i.e., elevated heels, lack of flexibility, toe spring, & loss of ground reaction force. Ironically, the closest we’ve come to an ‘ideal’ shoe was the lightweight, soft-soled, heel-less moccasin. Dating back 14,000 years, it consisted of crudely tanned but soft leather wrapped around the foot and held on with rawhide thongs. Presto! custom fit, perfect in biomechanical function, and no encumbrances to the foot or gait. But what about feet/knees/hips and spines that less than ‘ideal’. Do custom-fitted shoes or orthotics help? See www.scientificamerican.com/…/episode.cfm?…running-shoes-jog-joints
53 Responses to “Age old argument…shoes or no shoes?”
I think the question of what is natural to put on our feet has to consider the unnaturalness of the surfaces on which we walk. A moccasin might be perfect for the forest, but for concrete I’d like some padding.
The research should eventually spur development of better shoes though.
See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100104122310 Running Shoes May Cause Damage to Knees, Hips and Ankles, New Study Suggests for more info.
Also consider that primitive folks grew up unshod or in their mocs http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090724091339.htm Footwear Alters Normal Form And Function Of The Foot Slowly increasing the time we spend barefoot may be a good idea, but it should be in context of our modern lives.
Positive Massage Therapy
By Steven on Jan 26, 2010
This link does not work!
By Judie on Jan 26, 2010
Try this one Judie:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=running-shoes-jog-joints-10-01-18
By Erik Dalton on Jan 26, 2010
Looking forward to the next wave of running shoes. Also, thought this article was relevant.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100127/sc_livescience/runningshoeschangedhowhumansrun
By Jayne Thomas on Jan 27, 2010
I just finished reading your recent post on shoes and feet. Interesting and informative as always, I especially enjoyed the question of marathon runners and barefootedness.
I was not clear on the outcome of the study, though I assume barefeet won out. The treadmill also effects the kinetic chain as the ground is moving. But we can assume the results would be the same if they had been running on ground.
You also wrote that “on the bare foot…body weight (is) shared equally between heel and ball.” Doesn’t the ankle bear more weight when the body is at rest. That is how it feels to me. The ball is the fluid forward part for motion; the toes are the antennae of the feet, sensing the ground.
I have been thinking about your idea of the spring motion and the core’s involvement. Also posture and the obliques.
A last question: Did you mention something about the plumb line of the body being incorrect? Because it sticks in my mind from somewhere.
Thanks for all the great info, Erik.
-Jody
By Jody on Jan 28, 2010
Yep Steven: Despite all the shoe-induced handicaps on gait, the human species is doing fine. But we might make our lives a bit better if we could find a way to regain our natural manner of walking and at the same time keep shoes on our feet. Thx for the post..
By Erik Dalton on Jan 28, 2010
Hello Jody:
The results of that study can be found in my new “High Heels and Back Pain” e-newsletter @ http://daltonarticles.com/HighHeelsandBackPain.html
Yes, I’ve written about the importance of observing the moving body vs a static plumb line posture. But, the legendary movement guru Judith Aston (who’ll be contributing a chapter to my new book), best describes the inadequacies with these 4 aspects of optimal standing:
1. Slight asymmetry in the frontal plane is necessary for full function.
2. Optimally, the body should be slightly inclined 2 – 5 degrees forward of the standard plumb line. This balances the weight over both the ball and heel.
3. Feet should have 5 – 15 degrees of external rotation to match individual anatomical and structural design.
4. Because of the above, the plumb line should fall slighty anterior of the lateral malleolus.
Interesting ideas on a complex matter. Thx Jody.
By Erik Dalton on Jan 28, 2010
Steven,
As one who practices barefoot running I can tell you that a hard surface does not add any shock to my system. You absorb and disperse the shock with proper form.
Here is an excerpt from the website runningbarefoot.org:
“We are NOT designed to run on any surface, without the ability to feel HOW we are running. Mountains are hard, and yet, they are also natural. And, the African savanah, the great plains of the United States, and countless other surfaces, we tend to think of as nice, comfortable, natural surfaces for running barefoot, are, for much of the year, sun-banked, hard, and flat, just like our modern roads.”
For more information on running barefoot this website is an excellent starting point.
Also, the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall is a MUST READ.
I used to HATE running, now I can’t wait to go again now that I am doing it barefoot.
By Carl on Feb 3, 2010
Carl, by coincidence I was just writing a blog entry about a brand new and compelling study about barefoot running Very informative and readable. The short story is that the gait changes so that the forefoot strikes first, and the foot absorbs the impact, even for hard surfaces.
By Steven on Feb 3, 2010
Yes Carl, I believe barefoot running can possibly alter what we think of as normal gait allowing the forefoot to strike first. It won’t and shouldn’t happen by kicking off your shoes and taking off…many adaptations must take place over time to avoid Achilles and plantar fascia problems. Got a funny Boston Marathon story concerning heel vs ball strike I’ll offer in a separate blog post…thx.
By Erik Dalton on Feb 4, 2010
Hi Erik,
interesting debate, unfortunately I think there are too many variables. The study was on a treadmill and we step differently on them vs. the outdoor terrain. I am a massage therapist and a Pedorthist(foot care specialist). From my experience the biomechanics of the foot have more to do with the weight distribution and exertion of pressure. It is possible that the distribution of pressure increased on the ankles, hips and knees because the shoe may be overcorrecting the foots mechanical issues or enhancing it. From what I have seen over the years I would say custom-made foot orthotics which are made from start to finish not pre-molded (like most are) work best because they are made to accommodate each foot separately. Distributing the weight more evenly from the foot to the ankle, knee, and hip. Thanks for the discussion, take care ,Tina
By Tina Hull on Feb 6, 2010
Thx for the post Tina:
Was expecting a greater response from the podiatry community on this issue due to the widespread use of foot orthotics in America. For a fair and ballanced discussion, Id like to offer this interesting post from another of my blogs:
Erik: In answer to your question, “Shouldn’t a doctor who’s career is dedicated to fixing feet benefit by first studying/observing a ‘perfect’ foot in action?”
For someone like me whose occupation is to make a proper diagnosis and heal broken feet and prescribe corrective footwear, the answer is No. Maybe it would be helpful from a teaching/education standpoint, but to a podiatrist, there is no “perfect,” just “normal.” Not that a podiatrist shouldn’t be interested, but as stated by a previous poster, the podiatrist can’t bill for gawking at healthy feet. In fact, as you so correctly note in your very question, it is the job of the podiatrist to fix broken feet. In short, diseased, deformed, and broken feet pay.
Having said all of that (likely to stimulate some gasps, and possibly even heart attacks, from my colleagues) I will also suggest that there is no “perfect foot” to a podiatrist.
In medial school we are taught all about “normals.” We are not taught about what is “perfect.” Normals are all based on nothing more than averages. So in some sense those that suggest barefoot running is only for those with “perfect biomechanics,” they may simply mean the closet to the middle. A sort of Goldilocks of feet. Not too much pronation, not too much supination, etc.
The interesting thing to me (as a runner and podiatrist) is that Podiatry as a profession has published a position statement saying that barefoot running cannot be condoned, because there are no studies (until now??) that show it is safe, healthy, etc. It is also a fact that no study has ever shown that a runner with a rectus foot type, cavus foot type, or pes planus foot type is less prone to injury when wearing running shoes. It is just theory. Little more than reasonable opinion, but opinion none-the-less. Thx for the informative discourse…Dr. Peters
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By Erik Dalton on Feb 6, 2010
Erik,
This is a great discussion and I really like your article on Back Pain and High Heels.
I just want to share the NPR story on this issue because it has an excellent video showing the two different gait patterns with the resultant ground reaction force. One can literally see the difference, especially the force or shock wave travel up the leg of the person running with the heel strike gait.
Dr. Aaron LeBauer, DPT
http://www.LeBauerPT.com
By Aaron LeBauer on Feb 7, 2010
Oops,
looks like I forgot to paste the link to the NPR article
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123031997
Aaron LeBauer
By Aaron LeBauer on Feb 11, 2010
i live near memphis and am looking for someone to work on my daughter. she has flat feet right hip is higher and spine is twisted on exray and curved. she wears shoe inserts formed to her feet made by a podietrist. i just got my massage liscens and have watched all your tapes many times. i can work on her but i dont want to mess somthing up, if ive assesed somthing wrong. i know several people who have taken some of your classes but they dont know either. i think she is getting worse. HELP PLEASE !!!
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I suffer greatly (2yrs) with a plantar fascia injury. I do exercises, have orthotics and wear a straight last running shoe for support. Barefoot walking or flat shoes give me the most pain. Might be OK to go barefoot if it is a knee problem, but definitely not if it is the foot
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By Jordan Sneakers on Apr 12, 2010
Howdy Louise:
Yes, I don’t recommend kicking off the shoes if the foot has adapted to years of supported walking. It must be done in a precise manner and there are several You Tube videos under barefoot walking and rehabilitation to learn from. A popular concept is grass walking proceeding to running in grass but there are hundreds of articles on this very hotly debated subject.
Most feet I see in clinic are not ideal…pronation being the most common culprit. The burning question is…should these people prop their arches with custom shoes or orthotics? One of the problems in discussing this controversy lies in our society’s definition of normal vs natural feet.
Normal is defined as an accepted standard, a mean or average. For example, everyone occasionally catches a cold, hence the common cold is ‘normal,’ though it is neither healthy nor natural. Conversely, natural means the pristine, ideal state, the ideal of form and function stemming from nature itself. Hence the difference between normal and natural is essentially the difference between what is and what can or ought to be.
Applying this to human gait, we can say that in shoe-wearing societies many people have what appears to be ‘normal’ gait, while in shoeless societies many have ‘natural’ gait. And there are pronounced differences between the two both in form and function.
In shoe-wearing societies, a visibly faulty gait can often be corrected and made normal, but it can never be made natural as long as conventional shoes are worn. It is biomechanically impossible because of the forced alterations from the natural in foot stance, postural alignment, body balance, equilibrium, body mechanics and weight distribution caused by shoes. See my new e-newsletter @ http://daltonarticles.com/HighHeelsandBackPain.html for a more in-depth discussion. Thx for the post.
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I have never liked wearing shoes and am barefoot as much as possible, which has been limited by outdoor terrain and of course, out-in-the-world places where shoes are required. Due to postural habits from childhood, I have always had a strong pronation bias, especially on my right. Yet I have remained more comfortable without shoes through the years. When I went through my Feldenkrais training, it became clearer and clearer as to why that is (the shoes never really fit my feet well, and as you say, Erik, are a huge constraint on how one can move) and has allowed me to continue refining my awareness of and ability to organize my feet, and therefore entire self, for more comfortable and efficient walking, etc. This led to shoes really driving me crazy with their restrictions!
Just recently I came across the news that Vibram has developed a barefoot shoe… the Vibram Five Fingers. They are like a glove for the foot with a thin Vibram sole for protection (stones, heat, etc). After much ado, I found out the size I would need and got a pair ordered. I just got them last week and have been out walking in them on gravel, pavement, grass, concrete. Just a bit at a time to begin with as I experiment with gait, because while I have lived barefoot throughout much of my life, I never took long walks or hikes in bare feet, and this extended, ongoing walk, also moving over varied terrain is different. Many different muscles getting the opportunity to do their share! I am able to actually engage the medial arch, and the medial gastrocs, and up into the pelvic floor, and the ability to really push off the foot uses the gluts in a completely different way in order to land softly to the fore of the landing foot. The movement through my back… on and on. The gait is completely and gloriously different and is really fun for me to be feeling it throughout my skeleton. It will definitely require continuing practice and awareness to integrate and become more and more spontaneous and “natural”. And, I look forward to learning to run at some point, which I have avoided thus far because the attempts really bothered my knees and my back. I am finally in love with a pair of shoes!
While I strongly support LEARNING to use oneself in bare feet, I also recognize that the general public has too little self-awareness or self-use skills to just go out and do it on their own. And as suggested in the NPR article,just by getting out and doing it, the system MAY begin to spontaneously adjust through the systems pain-avoidance, however in my massage practice and in the social world I find all too often that many people have come to believe their pain is just their normal and nothing can be done about it and so they learn to live with it, rather than learn to change. But by getting one self into one of the many somatic learning methodologies out there, it can certainly be done, (actual structural deformities aside) and the total-body benefits to re-organizing the skeletal use can be life-changing. Choice is good.
And a big thank you to posters that sent links to articles and videos on this topic–very enlightening.
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One of my teachers and an excellent therapist lives in Knoxville. Call Paul Kelly at 865-216-8600…he’ll be able to help her.
By Erik Dalton on Apr 25, 2010
I’ve been slowly transitioning out of running shoes and it must be done carefully. Fortunately, there are some excellent ‘You Tube’ videos that teach effective ways to bring atrophied feet {from years of wearing confining footwear} back to a state of health.
If you adhere to the Tom Myers/ Vleming/ Serge Gracovetsky explanation of the importance of developing a powerful stirrup spring system, then barefoot running on hard surfaces is the most productive, i.e., greater ground reaction force thus better spring. Of course, that only applies in the presence of a fully functioning tib anterior/posterior peroneus longus and fascial kinetic chain.
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By creative recreation on Jun 30, 2010
Thought provoking to say the least. I know I usually have my shoes off while in the house as it’s a lot more comfortable. I’ve see some documentaries that chronicle barefoot runners in extreme measures such as ice cold temps, hot roads, etc. I have found that my most comfortable shoes are the ugliest. They are my Crocs.
By Tulsa Chiropractor on Jul 27, 2010
Having repaired and worked on treadmills for years I have spoke to 1000′s of treadmill users. I would say that over 95% always wore tennis shoes during walking or running on a treadmill.
By Treadmill Repair on Jul 29, 2010
Before I read this blog I was ready to promote high heels, but now I am not so sure this is a good idea. I have a lot of sisters and cousins who are urging me to do so…but at what health cost?
My best pair of shoes also were moccasins, and before I knew better lamb skin dress shoes, and for over 30 years I have not had a better pair of comfortable fitting shoes.
By Phil on Jul 30, 2010
Unless someone can come up an injury-free way to run without a pair of running shoes. I still prefer New Balance WR993 and Brooks Ariel women’s running shoes. They are amazingly comfortable for my low arches.
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Very thought provoking blog. Especially whether we should wear shoes or no shoes, while walking, running outdoors, or even indoors, on treadmills, tracks, etc. It would be interesting to have you spend more time and provide more information on body mechanics, and how our gait in walking or running affects this. For those who are interested in purchasing custom orthotics and/or custom shoes, to help with plantar fasciitis, bunions, heel spurs, foot pain, knee pain, hip pain, etc., visit http://customorthoticsdenver.com and see information about our Custom Orthotics, Custom Shoes, and more.
By Mike the Custom Orthotics and Shoe Guy on Aug 10, 2010
Barefoot running costs less energy. According to research, running without shoes or with shoes lighter than normal allows the runners leg to accelerate more as there is less mass to actually accelerate at the end of the runner’s leg. According to Divert et. Al., 2005 and Squadrone and Gallozzi, 2009, running barefoot has been shown to use about 5% less energy than shod running.
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Our society is so accustomed to wearing shoes. Growing up I lived near a beach and always went barefoot in the sand yet thought nothing of wearing shoes on the street. I’ll go barefoot on the beach any day. Perhaps the five fingered shoes are the next best thing while protecting my feet on the street.
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