Feets Don't Fail Me Now

Have you seen the shoes with the individual toe compartments? Vibram FiveFinger shoes are the most popular( and I own four pairs- working on five.) The so-called barefoot running crowd is an enthusiastic proponent of these shoes, but there are many medical and fitness professionals who aren't sold. These professionals believe that the shoes do not provide enough protection from musculoskeletal injuries.


I wear them daily, both for workouts and regular daily activities. Since I began wearing them a few years ago, I have less back pain, stronger feet and lower legs, and have suffered noinjuries. I do not run on hard surfaces in them, however. But I digress.


We may have gotten some answers about the safety of these shoes from Dr. Stuart Warden, Associate Professor of Physical Therapy at Indiana University, who presented at the recent American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting. Based on current research, he asserts that running in the shoes may both increase and decreasethe risk of injury. How can this be?


As shown in the diagram above, people who run in shoes typically land on their heel. Barefoot runners tend to shorten their strides and land more toward the front of their foot ( mid foot strike) and they land more lightly, reducing the amount of ground reaction force. This is good for the body, right?


The problem is that the change in running form from heel strike to mid foot strike creates a ground reaction force that is lower in frequency than the heel strike. And herein lies the rub: higher frequency forces travel through bones, and higher frequency forces travel through soft tissues such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments.


So, while barefoot runners may reduce their injury potential in one area, they may increase their potential soft tissue injury. The key is to break into barefoot running slowly, and to adjust running form accordingly. Still, as Dr. Robert Kornfeld argued in his 5-25-11 Huff Post article, he expects to see barefoot runners to develop a myriad of issues including big toe pain, Achilles tendonitis, plantar fascia issues, stress fractures, and hip, knee, and back pain.


Dr. Kornfeld believes that only people with a stable first metatarsal and very strong lower leg muscles should even consider barefoot running shoes. As for me, I will continue to enjoy my FiveFingers ( and acquire new ones!)


"Feets don't fail me now" -Willie Best from The Ghost Breakers, 1940