Is Barefoot Running Bad for You and Your Feet?

About a year and a half ago, I bought a pair of Nike Free barefoot-style running shoes.  Although I am not a runner, I do try to walk two to three miles a day.  As with a lot of runners and walkers, I was fascinated by the articles and books that touted the benefits of running barefoot or with shoes that mimicked that style.  Supposedly, according to anecdotal evidence, it prevented a whole host of foot and leg injuries. After wearing the Nikes for about a year, I developed a pain in my right ankle and foot.  After several months of pain and visits to several doctors, I finally learned that I had three fractures to my heel. Since I could not relate the injury to any specific time when I struck the heel or suffered an accident, I began to wonder if the shoes were the cause. A recent study suggests that may be the case.

In an article published in the journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the author, Sarah Ridge, a professor of exercise science at Brigham Young University, presented the results of an experiment she conducted to determine whether barefoot running reduced injuries or caused them. Dr. Ridge gave a group of 18 men and women Vibram Five Fingers shoes which are designed to mimic barefoot running. Another group of 18 wore their normal shoes.  All of the participants were experienced runners who usually ran between 10 and 15 miles per week. Before beginning the study, all of the runners were given MRIs and tested for foot injuries.  Both groups tested similarly.

After ten weeks, both groups were re-tested.  Those tests showed that nearly half of the runners wearing the barefoot style shoes showed signs of bone injuries to the foot.  These included increased edema, or the accumulation of fluid around the bone, and actual stress fractures to the heel and metatarsal.  Those in the control group, who wore their usual shoes, showed no such signs of injury.

What does this mean for the average runner or walker?  I think it shows that before choosing to wear the barefoot style shoe, make sure they are right for  you and your style of running or walking. And, above all, be very cautious as you use the shoes, making sure that they are not causing injury.