Foot Fetish part 2
Topic: Myths about barefoot running
Intended audience: Runners
Essay Map: Educating yourself about the facts of running barefoot (if that’s your goal), will allow you to safely transition from thicker soled running shoes.
I’m back with part 2 of Foot Fetish. In the first post, we went over the a few perceptions on barefoot running like how it leads to stress fractures, and how if you have flat feet, you’ll need support. In part 2 we will look at weight, and knee issues.
Once again, you’ll be reading direct quotes from Nicholas A. Campitelli, DPM, FACFAS. I will place my views, and opinions in underlined italics 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
“I weigh too much. While this is a common excuse to not run, being overweight is not reason enough not to run barefoot or in a minimalist shoe. In 2010, Leiberman and co-workers were able to demonstrate that habitually unshod runners were able to generate smaller collision forces than shod heel strikers.6 In other words, by forefoot striking, we decrease the force that transmits through the lower extremity, thereby reducing torque forces to the ankle, knee and hip joints.7 Clearly, we can see that if people weigh 250 lbs., they would be placing more force through their joints by heel striking then by landing on their forefoot”.
I agree that you can decrease the force transmitted through the body by changing your strike, however I believe the writer is overlooking a critical component. If someone is overweight, odds are they have not been exercising regularly, could be sedentary, but most importantly not conditioned to start a running program. When I say unconditioned, that could mean that the individual might not have the cardiovascular endurance of more importantly the muscles, and connective tissues of the body lack the strength and endurance to handle any type of force transmitted through the body. AH.
Would Bad Knees Inhibit Barefoot Running?
“I have bad knees. Osteoarthritis of the knee is a common concern among many runners, especially older individuals who have run the majority of their lives. There are many theories as to why running is bad or even good for your knees. So many in fact that elliptical machines were invented to be used as a form of exercise similar to running without causing excess pressure to the joints.8 However, these elliptical machines do not reproduce anatomical motions and an in vivo force analysis reveals there is less force with walking than with an elliptical trainer”.9-11
You can’t out run time, age will eventual catch us all, and osteoarthritis is an age related condition. I have not read the study on elliptical machines versus walking, however from personal experience, both are less stressful to my body than running and the elliptical machine can get me to train all my cardio zones better than walking. What I would suggest though is that you may want to talk with your doctor in regards to supplementation like joint support. As a personal trainer what I would recommend if you haven’t yet, is to start a mobility/flexibility and strength program. I would emphasize the ankles and hips, because allowing full ROM in those respective areas could take some of the workload (force transmission) away from the knee, and transmit it throughout the rest of the body like we are designed to do. AH.
“As I noted previously, we know that ground reactive forces are greater with heel strike in comparison to unshod or barefoot runners who adapt a more forefoot strike pattern.6 Numerous studies have demonstrated higher ground reactive forces and mechanical stresses to the knee while running in traditional running shoes as opposed to barefoot.12-13 A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine looked at patients with knee osteoarthritis over 12 months and found no difference between wearing a lateral wedge orthotic versus a control flat insert.14 Similarly, a systematic review of literature demonstrates that external knee adduction moment and pain associated with knee osteoarthritis is higher in individuals wearing sneakers in comparison to those who do barefoot walking”.15
When I complete the 10 Myths of barefoot Running, I will post all of Nicholas’s bibliography for referencing.
Reference:
Campitelli A. Nicholas (2012 January) Tackling the 10 Myths of Barefoot Running. Podiatry Today Volume 25 Issue1.
February 13, 2012 | Categories: Fitness | Tags: Advanced Training Performance, Arthur Hsu, ATP, Barefoot Training, health and fitness, Running, sports performance | Leave A Comment »
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.
January 24, 2012 | Categories: Fitness | Tags: Advanced Training Performance, Arthur Hsu, ATP, Barefoot Training, health and fitness, Running, sports performance | Leave A Comment »
Alleviating Pain: It’s the shoes!
The second of a series of blogs on staying healthy
Last I left you I mentioned the idea of working out barefoot or in minimalist shoes to strengthen the all-important foot. Knees hurt? Lower back hurts? If so, there is the strong possibility the pains in the aforementioned areas originated down below the knees. By now, most of you already have heard why due to the popularity of barefoot shoes – Our feet have basically ‘turned off,’ due to heavily cushioned shoes and orthotics, and become weaker. This in turn has lead to unnatural changes in pronation, gait, etc..
What does this have to do with your aching knee or back? Everything, duh. Let me explain by example:
Okay, stand up. Seriously, stand up. Do so in a bilateral stance with your feet about hip width. Now, rotate your torso side to side and pay attention to what your feet are doing. They should be rolling side to side as you rotate. In short, that is pronation and supination. Now, do it again but roll in both feet and focus on keeping the inside of each foot in contact with the floor as you rotate your torso. In other words, don’t let your feet naturally roll side to side. How does that feel? Not so good I would expect – especially in your lower back.
Do it again, but this time, roll both your feet to the outside. As you rotate, don’t let the inside of the feet touch. Once again, didn’t feel as good as when you allowed your feet to roll side to side huh?
Now, think about what happens when you walk without proper pronation and supination, or worse, run miles at a time. Because (breaking news) your hips rotate back and forth contralateral to the shoulders when you walk or run, and your feet should pronate and supinate to properly distribute the forces it encounters. When the feet don’t do their job the rest of the body can’t move like it’s supposed to. Think of the pressure you felt in your lower back when you rotated without allowing the feet to roll naturally. Multiply that by a few thousand and now you can see why pain can develop in the lower back or knees.
In short, that is why it may be a good idea to wear shoes that allow the feet to do what nature intended. Just do so in moderation. Don’t, and I mean DON’T, go out and buy a pair of Vibram FiveFingers and run a 5k. Your calves won’t appreciate it. Start off walking around in them for a half hour or so. Wear them as you strength-train. If you intend to run in them, try jumping rope first for 30 seconds to a minute to begin with and build up.
So now you are saying “eureka!” I have found the cure to my aches and pains. Not so fast Sparky – what you found is the start to recovery. As I mentioned in my last blog, the entire posterior chain needs to be strengthened to combat problems caused by the modern lifestyle.
Next, we’ll go back to basics and discuss some of my favorite exercises for strengthening the rear such as the deadlift, the good morning, and the squat.
Chris Lewis
August 17, 2011 | Categories: Fitness | Tags: Back pain, Barefoot Training, Knee pain, Pronation, Running, Vibram FiveFingers | Leave A Comment »
Alleviating Pain: From the Bottom up
The first in a series of blogs regarding alleviating pain.
Back hurt? Knees hurt? Rotator cuff aching?
If so, there’s a strong possibility the root of the problem stems from your poor movement patterns. Am I placing the blame squarely on you? Not at all. In general, many of the damaging movement patterns we all have developed are due to environmental factors. That’s right – it’s society’s fault.
We are descendants of Homo erectus not Homo sit-and-typus. For hundreds of thousands of years we walked erect, hunted prey, gathered food and lived a pretty active existence. It’s really only in the past 150 years our lifestyles began to change to the point of where it is today. Now – instead of spending most of our day standing upright and moving – we sit and type for hours at a computer (hunched over at the shoulders I may add), sit and drive a car, and at the end of the day sit and watch tv. The average human must spend at least 10-12 hours a day in an internally rotated position. But we don’t have these big brains for nothing. To combat this damaging lifestyle of inactivity we created exercise.
And for a lot of us, it goes like this: After spending hours internally rotated, we drive to a gym where we pound away on exercise machines and do endless numbers of crunches. Which does what? Further compounds our internal rotation.
How do we combat this problem of epidemic proportions? Simple – strengthen your posterior chain. In other words, strengthen your behind. This includes the muscles of the scapular region, the spine, the hips, and the back of the legs. In general, I recommend doing three and even four posterior related exercises to every anterior one to relieve that internal rotation of the shoulders and that pelvic tilt.
But I want to take this a step further (hence the title). By looking at our fascial lines, in particular the superficial back line, we see it originates at the bottom of our feet. By leading the attack against the modern lifestyle by strengthening our feet, we will gain a solid foothold for the rest of our program – no pun intended.
And we can do so quite simply by working out barefoot or in minimalist shoes…To be continued.
Chris Lewis
July 15, 2011 | Categories: Fitness | Tags: Barefoot Training, Corrective Exercise, Fascial Lines, Minimalist Shoes, Posterior Chain | Leave A Comment »
