Barefoot Training
Remember when you were little and hated wearing shoes? How about a nice barefoot walk on warm sand? There is something about being unshod that makes you (or at least your feet) feel freer. Whatever your sport, if it involves using your feet and lower extremities, you may want to consider barefoot training. Though maybe not practical for everyday activities and competition, barefoot training can give you an edge over the competition and boost your performance to new levels.
Barefoot running and training is associated with a substantially lower prevalence of ankle and chronic lower limb injuries. 1 It is claimed that footwear increases the risk of acute ankle sprains by decreasing awareness of foot position (from mechanoreceptors in the bottom of the foot) 2 or by increasing the lever arm and twisting torque around the ankle joint 3. Footwear, particularly running shoes, reduce your tactile and proprioceptive awareness (your awareness of where your foot is in space), while going bare feet tends to preserve it 4. Barefoot running and training may induce an adaptation in the gait cycle, transferring forces away from the ligaments and fascia and to the musculature, which is able to absorb the forces 5. When running on hard surfaces while barefoot, the runner compensates for the lack of cushioning by plantar flexing the foot at landing (which acts as a shock absorber) 6 and often lands with a midfoot strike, making the muscles of the foot and lower leg work harder, and taking stress off the ligaments 7.
If you are going to train barefoot, you may still want some protection from the elements (rocks, gravel, snow), or a little extra traction (how slippery are hard surfaces when wet?). A great alternative is a new product available from Vibram, called the 5 fingers. It is basically a glove for your foot, with a few great innovations, like articulated toes, a splined bottom for better grip, and comfy nylon (or even neoprene for colder climates!) upper which acts like a second skin, so you hardly know its there. It’s construction doesn’t interfere with the natural function of your foot, and its available in several different models for different usages. Dr Ivo Waerlop and Dr Shawn Allen (Dr Ivo’s lecturing, research and publishing partner in Chicago www.doctorallen.com) are biomechanical consultants for Vibram and help to bring about some the great innovations found in this innovative training device.
Dr Waerlop and Dr Asthlater, at Summit Chiropractic and Rehabilitation, PC, are the only practitioners in Summit County who offer barefoot training, along with real time digital video analysis of movement, muscle facilitation techniques, and specific exercises, tailored to your needs, to assist in your training needs, and help you to achieve your goals.
1. Warburton M. Barefoot Running. Sportscience 5(3),
sportsci.org/jour/0103/mw.htm, 2001
2. Robbins S, Gouw G. Athletic footwear and chronic overloading: a brief review. Sportsmedicine 9, 76-85, 1990
3. Stacoff A, Steger J, Stussi E, Reinschmidt C. Lateral Stability in sideward cutting movements. Med Sci Sport Ex 32, 471-6, 1996
4. Siff M, Verkhoshansky Y. Supertraining (4th Ed). Supertraining international, Denver, CO 1999
5. Robbins S, Hanna A. Running Related injury prevention through barefoot adaptations. Med Sci Sports Ex 19, 148-156, 1987
6. Frederick E. Kinematically mediated effects of sport shoe design: A review. J sports sci 4, 169-184, 1986
7. Yessis M. Explosive running. Contemporary Books. ILL, USA 2000