Another new trend and money making scheme in the sports market is ‘barefoot’ footwear.
These minimalist shoes are now making up 15% in a running shoe market worth $6.5 billion.
Common sense would suggest that a quick transition is going to cause some damage as your feet move from a lot of support to nothing. But this isn’t stopping people from just putting them on and going…
Research has shown that transitioning too quickly can lead to greater increases in bone marrow edema (inflammation causing excessive fluid in the bone). The stress of running causes bones to remodel to get stronger. But the increased pressure and stress caused by running in ‘barefoot’ shoes isn’t giving bones a chance to remodel before more impact reoccurs.
There are some benefits to be found from running in barefoot shoes but you need to bare in mind that you’ve probably spent the whole of your life wearing a much more supportive type of footwear.
So if you are going to make the transition, do it SLOOOOWLY!
I like the idea of these shoes, because well …. I hate to wear shoes, so the second I walk in the door when I get home is take my shoes off. Heck, at work, I often have my shoes under my desk and walk around my office barefoot. However, for running, and my knee and hip issues, not a good idea. Plus the feel of things between my toes… Yea… not going to happen.
If someone quickly changes from a super supportive shoe to a barefoot shoe and DOESN’T expect to have issues, then… they ain’t thinking with all 5 brain cells.
Yeah, it is a bit of “research from the department of the blooming obvious” but there’s such a strong attitude now that if it’s putting you thru pain then it’s a good thing, but people are doing themselves serious injuries!
I agree. Its like the phrase.. “Common sense isn’t so common anymore.”
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I just found this, and I have just bought a pair of vibram fivefinger shoes…This seems like very good advice! I cant believe people would just run in them straight off…they are so odd to wear, I intend to get used to them very slowley before i run in them…definietly short bursts of walking and such first!