In recent years, barefoot shoes have gained significant popularity among health enthusiasts, athletes, and individuals looking for a more natural way to move. While barefoot shoes are popular among runners, they may also be suitable for daily activities such as walking, running and hiking.
What exactly are barefoot shoes? Here, let’s explore and understand this natural footwear better.
What Are Barefoot Shoes?
Barefoot shoes are a type of minimalist footwear designed to mimic the natural shape and mechanics of the feet. They provide the same feeling as walking barefoot. With minimal cushioning, thin soles, and ample room for toes, barefoot shoes allow the feet to move freely.
Barefoot shoes have some typical features that differentiate them from modern footwear:
- Zero-Drop Sole
Drop is the height difference between the heel and the toes. Zero-drop in barefoot shoes mean both heel and forefoot are on the same level. A flat sole offers the best base for a natural posture, promoting a natural gait and preventing pain to the hips, knees, and back due to elevated heels.
- Wide Toe Box
The wide space in barefoot shoes allows the toes to spread and move into their natural positions for better stability and balance.
- Flexible and Thin Sole
Unlike traditional footwear with thick and cushioned soles, thin sole in barefoot shoes gives a closer connection to the ground, enhancing the feet’s sensory perception and better ground feedback. The flexible sole also encourages the feet to move more naturally.
Benefits of Wearing Barefoot Shoes
Minimalist footwear has several advantages over modern footwear, making it increasingly popular.
- Improved Foot Strength and Function
Each of our feet has 26 bones with 31 joints to allow a wide range of motion. Walking barefoot allows the necessary mobility for optimal muscle function.
Modern shoes often limit foot movement with elevated heels and narrow toe boxes. These features weaken the foot muscles over time.
Meanwhile, barefoot shoes encourage natural movement. Walking or running in barefoot shoes can engage various muscles, tendons, and ligaments to strengthen the feet.
- Enhanced Balance and Proprioception
As feet are the foundation of the body, having strong feet enhances the strength of muscles and joints located higher up, such as the knees, hips and lower back.
When the feet cannot function properly, it can lead to a series of issues such as knee and lower back aches.
The thin sole of barefoot shoes activates the foot, ankle, and lower leg muscles, aiding balance and improving proprioception (sense of surrounding).
- Reduced Risk of Foot Issues
Many modern shoes have narrow toe boxes, squeezing your toes together as you walk. Squeezed toes can lead to foot health conditions such as bunions and hammertoes in the long run.
Bunions are bony protrusions at the side of the big toe. Meanwhile, hammertoes are deformed muscles or tendons in the second, third, or fourth toes. With the toes bending into a hammer-like shape, hammertoes happen due to misalignment in the toe bones.
Wearing shoes with wide toe boxes allows your toes to splay and move freely, reducing the potential foot issues.
- Better Alignment and Posture
Our spine curves naturally when we walk without shoes. By eliminating the elevated heels and cushioning found in most traditional footwear, barefoot shoes can help align the spine into its natural curvature, improving both balance and posture.
Potential Challenges When Switching to Barefoot Shoes
Despite the advantages, barefoot shoes do have some drawbacks.
- Discomfort during the Transition Period
Most modern shoes protect the skin from friction with the floor. While barefoot shoes have minimal cushioning, the feet are in much more contact with the floor; hence blisters can form easily when wearing this footwear.
Switching to barefoot shoes requires time and gradual adaptation. Jumping in too quickly can lead to soreness or injury as your foot muscles and tendons need time to adjust.
- Lack of Cushioning
For individuals accustomed to heavily padded shoes, the thin soles of barefoot shoes may feel uncomfortable initially, especially on hard surfaces. Most modern shoes have cushions to reduce impact and stress, particularly on the heels.
The lack of cushioning in barefoot shoes can cause substantial stress on the muscles and bones of the foot, ankle, hip, and spine, particularly in certain high-impact activities. Excessive stress on the feet can cause injuries such as Achilles tendonitis.
Achilles tendonitis is the inflammation of the Achilles tendon that connects the calf muscles to the heel bone for leg movement. If left untreated, Achilles tendonitis can cause great pain and affect mobility.
- Lack of Protection for the Plantar Fascia
The plantar fascia is a band of connective tissue on the underside of the foot. Plantar fascia supports and connects the heel bone to the forefoot (ball of the foot). Barefoot shoes have thinner soles, offering limited protection and support for the plantar fascia, which can lead to plantar fasciitis.
A Wearer’s Perspective
While barefoot shoes enthusiasts often praise their benefits, the experience can come with a learning curve, as shared by one wearer, S. An avid sportsperson, he transitioned to barefoot shoes after feeling some discomfort wearing popular sports shoes for his workouts.
“The soft cushioning in normal shoes makes me feel unstable during walking and exercising, putting me at risk of foot injuries.” he shared.
“Meanwhile, with barefoot shoes, my feet are more grounded and firmer. I find doing certain exercises like squats and deadlifts easier with more strength and stability from my legs.”
However, transitioning to barefoot shoes has not always been seamless:
“Initially, it felt uncomfortable when I started wearing barefoot shoes as they are very thin and flat. I could feel the ground underneath my feet more in barefoot shoes. This made walking slightly uncomfortable, so it took me 2 to 3 weeks to adapt.”
As barefoot shoes can be uncomfortable in the beginning, hence it is critical to transition slowly to reduce the potential risk of foot injuries.
- Start Slow: Begin by wearing them for short periods daily.
- Increase Gradually: Slowly increase the time and distance you spend in barefoot shoes.
- Listen to Your Body: If you feel pain or discomfort, reduce usage and consult a podiatrist.
Barefoot Shoes May Not Be Suitable for Everyone
We spoke with an experienced team of podiatrists from Straits Podiatry – Mr Jackie Tey, Dr Saw Yu Ting, Mr Benedict Khoo, and Ms Maggie Lee. They shared insights on individuals who should exercise caution with barefoot shoes:
- People who do high-impact activities.
When wearing barefoot shoes, Mr Tey cautioned: “High-impact activities such as running or jumping, especially on hard surfaces, should be avoided to prevent injury.”
Barefoot shoes lack the necessary cushioning to absorb this shock, which increases the risk of foot injuries.
- Individuals with diabetes.
People with uncontrolled diabetes are at high risk of developing diabetic foot ulcers, Dr Saw noted. This is usually due to the high pressure on the plantar surface of the foot, especially during weight-bearing activities.
“Patients with diabetes require sufficient cushioning to reduce the amount of pressure acting on the plantar surface of the foot.” she said.
Hence, appropriate footwear is very important for this patient population – and barefoot shoes may not be it.
- People with a history of foot injuries.
“Individuals with a history of foot injuries may have developed certain foot deformities or restricted joint range of motion, which will limit the body’s ability to absorb shock.” Mr Khoo added.
Padded shoes can absorb shock better, making it more suitable than barefoot shoes.
Selecting Barefoot Shoes
While the podiatrists generally do not recommend barefoot shoes due to the limited high-quality scientific evidence supporting their benefits, there are considerations for those who still wish to try them.
Firstly, understand the purpose of the shoes. “As barefoot shoes are designed to allow the natural movements of the foot when walking, they typically do not provide any support and mainly serve as a layer of skin protection and anti-slip,” Ms Lee cautioned. For those requiring more support for the heels or arches, barefoot shoes may not be the most friendly.
Secondly, understand the activity you will be partaking in. “Individuals should select the right outsole material and design based on the activities they plan to do to get the right amount of grip.” For example, shoes for walking on trails will require more durable and slip-resistant materials compared to those for casual urban wear.
For healthy and active individuals still keen to give barefoot shoes a shot, Mr Tey shared his word of caution: “A quick transition from traditional cushioned footwear to barefoot shoes has also shown an increased risk of injury.”
Sudden shifts to barefoot footwear can place additional strain on your feet, particularly the muscles and joints that may not be used to the lack of support.
To reduce risks, start with shorter durations and progressively build up your wear time. Additionally, consult a podiatrist to determine whether barefoot shoes are appropriate for your foot structure and activity level.
Key Takeaways
Barefoot shoes offer benefits for those who are keen to make the change. With proper guidance and patience, they can become a good addition to your lifestyle by promoting stronger feet, better posture, and a closer connection to the world beneath your feet.
Nonetheless, barefoot shoes may not be suitable for everyone, particularly for those with certain foot injuries or conditions such as flat feet and high arches. Consulting a podiatrist can help determine whether these shoes are appropriate for your foot structure and activity level.
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