Foot Fetish
Topic: Myths about barefoot running.
Intended audience: Runners,
Thesis: To help runners sort through the facts and fictions of barefoot running.
Essay Map: With the proper education you can enjoy barefoot running (if that is your choice). This article will help better prepare you for the road ahead.
I stumbled across an article on Facebook, posted by Rodney Corn from Podiatry Today. The article was called “tackling the 10 myths of barefoot running”. Written by Nicholas A. Campitelli DPM, FACFAS. In the upcoming blogs, I will post sections of the article so we can digest this information a little bit at a time. This will give us time to fully digest some of the concerns that can come about from barefoot running. I will have some input of my own which will be underlined with my initials AH.
“Barefoot running, minimalist running and natural running are all terms that describe running in a manner that allows our foot to function the way it was designed (or has evolved). This happens through the use of little or no shoe at all. Many runners suffering from chronic injuries are adopting this way of running and are experiencing relief of symptoms to find themselves running with enjoyment and a more relaxing form.”
The key word is many not all. AH
I too have been cured of a running injury, which I suffered from for over eight years after transitioning my gait to that of a “barefoot” runner. Without further ado, here are the 10 myths of barefoot running.”
Cured is a provocative word to use, as it might lead readers to assume barefoot running will cure them as it did the author. As a DPM I’ll guess that he might have started some sort of regimen to help in his ”curing” i.e. flexibility, mobility, and/or strengthening exercises He also could have added a warm up ”movement prep” and “cool down” to his routine. AH
“Barefoot running leads to stress fractures. Without a doubt, the most common concern with barefoot or minimalist running is the development of a stress fracture. While there have been documented cases of this in the literature, stress fractures occur as a result of a change in activity without gradual adaptation and are not directly related to the shoe gear or lack thereof.1 We actually should see a decrease in the likelihood of stress fracture given the change in stride and cadence that one acquires while running barefoot.”
I bold faced this sentence, because I felt was an important statement. AH
Stress fractures occur secondary to overuse without the body having adapted adequately as proven by Wolff’s Law.3 In fact, if we adhere to Wolff’s law in theory, we should see weaker bone trabecular patterns on those wearing cushioned running shoes due to decreased intrinsic muscle strength, resulting in a proportional decrease in the force acting on the respective bone.”
Trabecular patterns: an irregular meshwork of stress and stress-related struts within a cancellous bone.
“I have flat feet and I need support. Lees and Klemerman have demonstrated that there is no correlation between foot type and running injuries, specifically with a pes planus deformity.5 During barefoot running, we avoid heel striking and land more on our forefoot or midfoot. Once the forefoot strikes the ground, pronation of the entire foot begins (not isolated pronation of the subtalar joint) and continues until the point where the heel touches the ground. Arch height becomes irrelevant, as does the commonly described concept of pronation with the heel striking the ground first. With a forefoot/midfoot strike, pronation is very beneficial and helps to absorb shock.”
On top of that studies shows and research articles state that flexibility, mobility, and strength exercises can reverse flat feet as one of the causes associated with flat feet is weakened muscles and other connective tissues. AH
Reference:
Campitelli A. Nicholas (2012 January) Tackling the 10 Myths of Barefoot Running. Podiatry Today Volume 25 Issue 1.
