Barefoot Running - The Craze

The popular book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall published in 2011 has been instrumental in having most runners think about trying the “new” style of running and dream of being one of the “super-runners” from the Tarahumara tribe in Mexico. While we are far removed from the high desert regions of Mexico, runners around the world and in our community would enjoy reading this stimulating book. The book is a good read and I would recommend reading the book for the interesting details of these runners and the excitement of running in an Ultra marathon. That being said, the new “craze” of the barefoot  running gives rise to frequent questions that are posed in the clinic, as well as, “What about these shoes that are supposed to make your feet stronger?”  

In the clinic, we as physical therapists can offer numerous suggestions based on what an individual’s evaluation reveals to us.  The postural patterns (muscle weakness and tightness) that your body may have developed running, with or without minimalist shoes, will be evident upon your PT evaluation.  Our treatment approach will be tailored to your specific problem(s) which may include exercises or a new suggestion of footwear. There are reasons for the footwear suggestions that we as PTs promote because of the body’s amazing ability to compensate in recruiting the wrong muscles for walking and running. 

At Essex PT, we like to promote heel control, as well as a “hip strategy vs. an ankle strategy.” Minimalist shoes are unsupportive at the heel, arch and forefoot thus resulting in a foot that hits the ground with no control and subsequently having more muscle groups involved in the walk/run cycle at the ankle vs. the hip. Those of you who have experienced our PT evaluations and treatment plans know that we promote a lot of buttocks/hamstring recruitment on both the left and right hips and left inner thigh recruitment. Thus we are promoting a “hip strategy” approach to correcting faulty postural patterns. Since the minimalist shoes do not fit into the “heel control” shoes, more often than not we as PTs would not recommend these types of shoes to address your body’s postural problems.  We may also gently point out how these shoes could be potentially keeping your body in an undesirable postural pattern. Overall, it is about how your body responds to your treatment plan and the tools (exercises and footwear) you use to correct the body’s dominant postural pattern.

When it comes to making changes in your running style having an assessment of your running gait would be beneficial. Before you make a major change in footwear there are some key things to keep in mind:

• There have been no studies published to date that can show that barefoot running can make the foot muscles stronger or improves your running biomechanics.  
• It has been shown that running barefoot is “different” in regards to the biomechanics of running.  Promoting a more upright posture and thus recruitment of your back muscles.
• There is no evidence that barefoot running reduces injuries other than the blogs and pro barefoot running sites.
• Should you decide to make the transition to barefoot running, several studies do support the need to slowly transition to shoes that have a lower heel height and to prevent metatarsal bone injury.
• Other than the famous Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikala winning the 1960 Olympics in barefeet, when was the last time you saw an elite runner competing in a Marathon without wearing shoes? 

Happy Running!

Jim Cummings, PT