My doctor tried to tell me to run barefoot

Is you doctor a GP or a podiatrist?

a fad ? are you kidding? i think its pretty obvious that its legit in strengthening the feet , you shouldnt need science to back that up

Barefoot "style" shoes and a mid foot strike made it possible for me to run again. For me... it's already fact. I'm running 5 days a week, 25+ miles with no pain since changing. Read "Born to Run", then read "Chi Running". Run in Nike FREE 3.0, Saucony Kinvara, and looking forward to trying NB Minimus. Vibrams are next.

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fanotheflag wrote:

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Either this or the OP is a legitimate idiot/dolt/simple person.

Med School Runner wrote:

I went to the doctor today to get a referral for new orthotics, and she tried to tell me that I should be running barefoot as "many studies have shown that shoes don't help reduce injury rates."

I was under the impression that barefoot running was a fad and not based in science, and thus have been very opposed to it. Is barefoot running legit for serious runners?

research the physics behind running barefoot, or minimalism, and running with the modern day trainer. you'll find pros and cons from both because of where they produce or don't produce force on the body and how those forces travel through the body and the effects of that path. for example: barefoot and minimalism, gravitates toward the forefoot strike=more stress on the foot, ankle, and lower leg. the modern trainer gravitates toward a heel strike=more stress on the knee, upper leg, hips. so both ways of running are science based. is barefoot running legit for serious runners? if you know what you're doing, yes. like i hinted before... it's all about physics. how the different forces act upon each other.

Yeah minimalism is more than just a fad. But if thus doctor really recommended that someone who's been running in orthotics switch right over to barefoot... that's borderline malpractice.

Med School Runner wrote:

I went to the doctor today to get a referral for new orthotics, and she tried to tell me that I should be running barefoot as "many studies have shown that shoes don't help reduce injury rates."

I was under the impression that barefoot running was a fad and not based in science, and thus have been very opposed to it. Is barefoot running legit for serious runners?

It is a bit of a stretch to go from "many studies have shown that shoes don't help reduce injury rates." to "go barefoot and it will reduce injuries."

However, from what I can tell the strongest thing we know about shoes and running is that there is no compelling evidence that shoes designed to correct alleged foot alignment issues, i.e. over- and under- pronation, have never been demonstrated to reduce injury.

Guys, this did happen. It was a primary care physician that I was getting a referral from to a podiatry clinic that made my previous three orthotics over the last seven years. (Insurance didn't let me go to the podiatrist directly).

I understand some of the pros to barefoot running, but I honestly don't know if it's a legitimate way to train for serious athletes. I understand the appeal to the general runner, but for an All-American guy who runs 80+mpw it seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

Are there any serious/elite runners who train barefoot?

(And for the record, in college we did some barefoot running, but just strides, not distance runs).

There are multiple things to consider when looking to try barefoot or using "shoes" that allow you to run barefoot (i.e. Five Fingers). Depending on age, weight, and how long you've been running, consider if you start trying to run barefoot, you'll start landing on the front part of your foot. This will change the way you run (form wise) but will also increase the load you put through your ankle, likely causing some ankle pain, calf stiffness/Achille's stiffness/pain..............so if you try barefoot, be VERY conservative. Think about 100 meters at a time to start out and increase slowly. If you are a heavier runner, consider moving into a lighter weight shoe or even a racing shoe. This is not barefoot running, but with less support in the shoe, it may encourage you to change your foot strike pattern/stride rate which could allow you to run with less pain or lessen injury risk. The last thing to consider........realize that when people say there is a lot of research out there that says barefoot is better, that is not necessarily true. There is a recent article in Nature magazine/journal (Lieberman is the author) and they talk about changes in the impact/loading forces at the knee and ankle in shod/un-shod runners. There is no conclusion that the unshod runners are at less risk of injury. People who have had good results with barefoot running will shout about it on sites like this; those who've not had success, and have ended up with injury will likely not say anything. I think the trend is headed toward shoes with less "meat" in them, and more minimalist approach. It's likey better for strengthening neglected muscle groups of the lower leg/ankle/foot, but in moderation. Sorry for the long post.........I'm a PT, and a runner (heel striker mostly) and have been doing a lot of personal research on this for people i take care of. Good luck. mj

A couple of other things to consider:

1. The book "Born To Run" goes into great detail about the shoe industry and it's impact on running and it's not so great impact on running injuries (most injuries are due to training/volume, not the shoes). It also leads us down the road with regards to barefoot approach, that people hundreds of years ago used to run and live barefoot, hunting, etc., so we should be able to do the same!! There are very few of us, if any, that are hunters and gatherers..........most of us have jobs where we sit for many hours at computers, commute to/from work, etc. Our lifestyles are much different.......even in that hunter/gather lifestyle, there were probably few people who actually went out after big game, running barefoot.

2. Lastly, if you've run for quite sometime, your body has adjusted to wearing footgear, so like I mentioned in my previous post, your body will take a long time adjusting to the barefoot approach (if you try it). Many distance coaches, I'm sure, would encourage their athletes to do drills/strides (short ones) while barefoot.I think there is benefit to it, as I said, in that it encourages your lower leg to work differently, using stabilizing muscle groups more than when you wear shoes. I saw our cross country team in Oregon do this while I was in college (late 80s). So that would be a way to initiate barefoot workouts in your case.

Again, good luck!

Our family doctor told my mother that she should have all of her 4 children in barefeet as much as possible because we would have strong feet and be fast runners. This would have been in the 1960s. He was a little Mr. Magoo-ish and although we liked him as a doctor, my mother never took that part of his advice seriously thinking it was a bit odd. His son, who was one year older than I, was the conference champion in the two-mile his senior year of high school. I was somewhat slower and now I can blame my mother for being such a slow ass high school runner.

shoelessjoe

fck barefoot running, except once a week on grass normore then 800m.

OP, I'm a 14:00 guy on a pretty solid D1 team. We do a few miles barefoot most days of the week as cool downs, and always do strides barefoot. Many of us train in flats or lightweight trainers.

Pretty much all of my friends on other good teams (top 20) seem to do similar stuff.

If you're ever in Boston, you should check out the podiatrists at MIT. They really know their stuff over there.

Like anything worth doing, patience and work is required. It took me 6 months to make the switch, but it was worth it. I run in flat sandals. Check points: Can you stand barefoot with knees straight and touch your toes? Now put a 2" thick book under the balls of your feet - can you still touch your toes? If not, work on flexibility with toes straight ahead, turned out, and turned in (using the book).

As I said, I dont' run barefoot, but in flat sandals - Nike Rayong I, and Nike Straprunners. Rayong I's are great, with a nice flexible sole, but are no longer made, so I am looking for replacements. I paid $80 for 4 pairs. I taped the velcro straps so they would hold on sharp turns. Rayong II's have a forefoot design defect on the edge. Except in deep snow, I run through all 4 seasons in sandals, wearing Wright Socks medium weight spring thru early fall, and Smartwool medium-weight socks from late fall thru early spring. The sandals only weigh about 5.5 ounces.

There is something magical about running on pine needles barefoot style. Find yourself a pine needle trail - I don't care if it's only 50 yards long - and run on it. If it has a slight 1-3% uphill slope, you will find your forefeet easier. Some areas have old pine plantations planted in even rows. Loblolly Pines are great, because the branches are high up. The spring from the needles combined with your flexible achilles is great. Broadleaf trails are great too, but pine is the BEST!

To develop barefoot strength, hop on a treadmill. Keep it s-l-o-w, no more than 6 mph. Hard to find your forefeet on the flat, especially in heeled shoes. Raise the incline to 3%. You begin to find your forefeet. Now go up to 4.5%. Bingo! Now you can feel it. Light steps. No pounding. Footsteps like brush strokes. A little spinal engine twist. Walk some. Try it again. Take it back to the pine trails.

I run 4:21 pace trail sprints thru trees using this technique, and 5:20 pace over rolling, twisting, single-track trails for 3 miles. I'm 50.

Have fun!

Barefoot or minimalist TRAINING has been around forever. Nearly every track athlete does some training in spikes or racing flats, since modern athletics in the 1800's.

Barefoot RUNNING/JOGGING, that is something faddish in Western society in the post running boom era, especially the concept that it prevents/treats injuries.

Prior to the running boom, most training shoes would be considered "minimalist" by today's standard. Also prior to the running boom, about the only people running were "genuine" athletes (no "fun runners"), so they were already genetically gifted and able tolerate minimalist shoes with some exceptions (Bob Schul had heel wedges on his spikes, Frank Shorter taped his arches).

In my opinion, the increase in injury rate is due more to the drop in caliber of athlete (more fun runners), than due to modern shoes. Admittedly some shoes do promote improper mechanics like the Adidas Torsion shoes of the 1990's.

The "science" is similar to the science that says stretching has not been shown to reduce injuries. Obviously if I haven't stretched I could simply avoid injury by not sprinting as hard/fast. Similarly if I'm not wearing shoes, I'm going to be more gentle on my feet and therefore expose it to less shock.