Should You Be Running Barefoot or Not?

Artur | | 0 Comments

From hundereds of years ago to the advent of the 21^st century, man grew up wearing shoes or footwear as a necessity. Oddly enough, people tend to have a knack of trying something strange every now and then, so there are sports enthusiasts who discovered for themselves how it is like to try running barefoot. Barefoot running simply means running without any shoes on your feet. If you can notice, the footwear you have can alter the way you move. When you put on your shoes, the steps you can make become longer in range than when you are barefoot and when running barefoot, you tend to land on your feet with more force on the heels. Landing on your heels with more intensity and force is scientifically found to be better for the body because that means less pounding on your feet which may prevent wear and tear.

So the question is, does running barefoot actually reduce the risk of stress fracture or not? Is it bad for you or not? In early 70s, the health and medical implications of barefoot running emerged when people developed an interest and enthusiasm to jogging and running. Because running has been a popular activity, modern and customized running shoes were introduced in the market. However, the same specialized running shoes have been blamed for the increasing rate of running injuries and incidents that many runners switched to barefoot running to relieve them from chronic feet injuries.

The structure of the foot and lower leg is very efficient at absorbing the shock caused by landing and turning the energy of the fall into forward motion, through the springing action of the foot's natural arch. It is only by placing large amounts of padding under the heel that humans are able to land on the heel rather than the ball of the foot. In doing so, the foot's natural motion is impeded so the shock is sent up through the heel, to the knees and hips, allowing the body system achieve a balance. In every era, there will always be some who hype running barefoot claiming that this can cure various running-related injuries and regenerates the runners skeletal system and some who argue that it heightens the risk of chronic injuries. Nevertheless, barefoot running remains as popular and controversial a topic among exercise specialists as it is among athletes, even though it is practiced by only a tiny subset of American runners.

Finally, medical experts advise the people who are into barefoot running to keep these dos and donts in mind before going for the gold in any racetrack they aim.

Running Barefoot: What to ensure

Start running barefoot gradually and not instantly so as to condition your system.
Feel free to remove your running shoes on the last mile of your usual run for your feet to be conditioned firstly before moving on.
Be careful in scanning the pavements of the track you are about to run to prevent lacerations and wounds.
Pay attention to the form and pace you are running, especially when barefoot.

Running Barefoot: What to avoid

Do not overstride. Be sure to make your every stride shorter when running barefoot than when in your running shoes.
Do not lean forward as you run; it might cause you to trip.
Do not venture into barefoot running without consulting a specialist and having a proper physical training, lest you be injured.