Comments on: No Shoes, No Problem? Barefoot Runners Put Far Less Stress on Their Feet

By: Trent Orrell

Trent Orrell — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:52:45 +0000

2. I finally went to a podiatrist (foot doctor) and got specially made shoe inserts. They were not cheap but was well worth the cost.

By: Melissa McNamara

Melissa McNamara — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 02:42:23 +0000

I have always been an active person but for some reason I was unable to run for any real distance no matter how slow I started out. I was never able to progress beyond the beginer run 1 min then walk 1 minute routine advocated. As a person born with several heart defects I always believed that my inability to run for more than a minutes was directly due to my medical issues. After hearing about how running barefoot can increase stamina I tried it and have found a drastic improvement. I gradually eased into the new style (although even with care I did suffer severe calf and top of the foot pain for the first month) and now I can run for at least ten minutes before taking a minute break in between the next ten minutes. It was like my body was doing what it was meant to do. I am amazed at the change. The change to my body is incredible and I don’t feel like I am harming my body to do it.

By: David Zasloff

David Zasloff — Mon, 10 May 2010 00:59:42 +0000

There are alternatives to the VFF. Barefoot Running can eliminate foot and body problems, by building foot strength, and relying of G-ds gift of a wonderful Human Body.

Body mechanics are important, and small changes to the natural tendencies, can create a whole bunch of problems. A small limp, can easily throw a back out.

Shoes that feel like socks are the future. We believe that the old method of making shoes is outdated, and that the 3/4″ thick sole is wrong. Runners with good body mechanics can run their whole life.

There is a lot of information on the web regarding this, and we advise people to get back to the basics, and re-think what footwear should be. Sockwa is starting a revolution in footwear, that will allow all different shaped feet to be comfortable. Tread Earth Lightly.

By: Alan Norman

Alan Norman — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:26:57 +0000

I have been running either barefoot or in Five Fingers for approximately a year now. Prior to losing the shoes, I could barely pull 10 miles without terrible pain in my feet, knees and the constant threat of rolling my ankles. Now in Five fingers, 15-20 miles are possible again. Surface hasn’t made much of a difference, although gravel over concrete is painful. But asphalt has been pain free for me. Also, since beginning with minimialist running, I’ve had no tendonitis, no foot pain, and fewer blisters.

By: Sonoma Outfitters

Sonoma Outfitters — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:11:31 +0000

Our store has seen a *huge* increase in interest in the past few months in barefoot running and in the Vibrams Five Fingers and other thin-soled shoes. As I understand the article you don’t actually need to be shoeless to get the benefits of “barefoot” running, you just need to avoid big thick cushioned heels and stiff soles that stop your foot from flexing so any thin-soled flexible shoe would work. The advantage to using a shoe like that are obvious – no one wants to be running on rocks or broken glass with their feet totally unprotected!

A word of caution though: if you’re going to switch to barefoot make the transition slowly and make sure you’re actually landing on the balls of your feet and not continuing to heel strike! running barefoot the way you run in sneakers is a surefire way to end up with a serious injury! If you can slow down, pay attention to your stride, and run with a bit more care then barefoot might be for you, otherwise stick to the sneakers.

By: JMW

JMW — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 11:30:58 +0000

…Even a jog in high heels was better for joints than specialized tennis shoes…

This certainly explains all those female superhero costumes with high heels.

By: terra incognita

terra incognita — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:51:15 +0000

might the running surface have a great deal of impact (pun intended) on the effectiveness of going shoeless? from what i’ve seen many of the east african runners are running on clay surfaces, not concrete, when training in their home country. i can’t imagine running barefoot on concrete or blacktop for any period of time without significant joint/connective tissue damage.

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:30:15 +0000

Well, were shoes designed more to reduce impact or to support the arch of our foot and protect it? It kind of makes sense if you look at it from the aspect that a shoe doesn’t allow our feet to flex as much as they were naturally designed to. An Arch makes for a good spring, no?

By: Vermonster

Vermonster — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:58:42 +0000

Maybe I’ll just run a marathon in my high heels, be sexy and have less chance for injury!

By: Gary

Gary — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:04:12 +0000

Conversely, I have a high arch and have always run on the front of my feet. My knees won’t tolerate the heel strike impacts of jogging or the military double time. The pain becomes excruciating. But when I lengthen my stride enough to let me land on the front middle of my foot, I can run comfortably.