Introduction:

Over the course of millions of years, human ancestors (and indeed humans) evolved to run long distances. Despite this, the earliest records of footwear only date back as recently as 40,000 years ago. So, do we really need footwear to run? And is the barefoot running movement warranted? Let’s find out.

Overview:

There are two types of “barefoot” running. The first being literal barefoot running, while the other refers to the use of minimalist runners (basic shoes that lack the cushion or control of modern runners while still protecting to sole of the foot). Examples include the Vibram Five Finger, Nike Free and New Balance Minimus.

Mechanics:

Barefoot running encourages a forefoot strike, which involves the foot making initial contact with the ground at the balls of the foot and then progressing until the heel is on the ground. This results in a shorter stride length than in typical heel-to-toe running and can result in landing with the foot more aligned with the knee and hip, which has a load reducing effect. Landing on the balls of the foot also increases the demand on the muscles of the foot and ankle, which can strengthen internal structures that have been weakened by long term footwear use.

Pros of Barefoot Running:

• “Where barefoot & shod populations co-exist, injury rates of the lower extremity are substantially higher in the shod population.” (Robbins and Hanna, 1987)

• “Barefoot runners land forefoot, increasing the work of the foot’s soft tissue support structures, thereby increasing their strength and possibly reducing the risk of injury.” (Yessis, 2000)

• “A large majority (68%) of runners experienced no new injuries after starting barefoot running. Runners responded that their previous knee (46% of participants), foot (19%), ankle (17%), hip (14%), and low back (14%) injuries all proceeded to improve after starting barefoot running.” (Hryvniak et al, 2014)

• “The world record holders for almost every long-distance running event race and sometimes train in racing flats or other kinds of minimal shoes…running in minimal shoes is 2.4%–3.3% more economical than running in standard running shoes.” (Lieberman, 2012)

 Cons of Barefoot Running:

• “Forefoot striking does result in increased loads to the calf. This may result in greater strain to the Achilles…landing on the ball of the foot will likely increase the stress to the metatarsal heads.” (Altman et al, 2012)

• “A majority of runners (55%) found no or slight performance benefit….Those who did experience injuries mostly suffered foot and ankle problems…most respondents (55%) experienced Achilles or foot pain when they initially began...” (Hryvniak et al, 2014)

• “…when running in the Nike Free 3.0 footwear, subjects exhibited greater vertical load rates and tibial shock compared with a standard neutral running shoe.” (Willy and Davis, 2014)

• “The shock attenuating fat pad under the calcaneus deforms 169% more during a bare rearfoot strikers than in shoes.” (Altman et al, 2012)

Conclusion:

As you can see, the research can be conflicting. I feel that this is a “horses for courses” type of situation, meaning some people will benefit from barefoot running, while others won’t. However, if you feel like a change is warranted, then this may be the answer. Just remember, one of the biggest injury risk factors with barefoot running is doing too much, too soon. The body must have time to adapt, so if you decide to change it up, make the transition slowly. My only caveat, train on surfaces that your feet are evolved to handle (ie not concrete or bitumen!)