flip......................... flop
Posted on 06/09/2006 9:35:41 AM PDT by Sam Cree
Is Barefoot Better? Some Athletes Say Running Shoeless Benefits Body and Sole June 6, 2006; Page D1
Runners and athletes are always searching for the perfect shoe to improve performance and reduce injury. But some say shoes are the problem, and the best solution may be training without them.
Some experts now believe that most athletic shoes, with their inflexible soles, structured sides and super-cushioned inserts keep feet so restricted that they may actually be making your feet lazy, weak and more prone to injury. As a result, barefoot training is gaining more attention among coaches, personal trainers and runners.
While exercising without shoes may sound painful, the idea is that your feet need a workout, too. Proponents believe running barefoot changes a runner's form and body mechanics to prevent some common athletic injuries.
Although a few coaches and marathon runners have preached the value of barefoot training, the method has received more attention lately because shoe giant Nike is promoting its Nike Free shoe, which it claims mimics the sensation of running barefoot. Popular training methods aimed at improving running form, including the Pose Method (www.posetech.com) and ChiRunning (www.chirunning.com), also are prompting runners to consider minimalist foot gear or none at all as a way to allow their natural body mechanics to take over.
It isn't just runners who are going barefoot. One new fitness trend, a dance-inspired workout called Balletone (www.balletone.com), places heavy emphasis on foot strengthening and flexibility, something that is essential to dancers. Boulder, Colo., fitness educator Shannon Griffiths-Fable says her chiropractor encouraged her to try barefoot training, and she has also seen a difference in clients who take part in Balletone classes. "I've noticed just how fatigued people's feet get," she says. "They haven't used their feet and they don't know how to support themselves while exercising."
But barefoot training remains controversial. Many podiatrists cringe at the notion of unshod feet pounding the pavement, where the risks include cuts, bruises and unsanitary conditions. "If we want to mimic barefoot running, shoes should come with broken glass and twigs," says Stephen M. Pribut, a Washington, D.C., podiatrist and president of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine. "The emphasis should be on getting the right shoe for your foot."
While doctors also worry barefoot running can lead to injuries, proponents say barefoot training helps correct form and reduces foot, shin and muscle injuries.
Someone considering barefoot training should be careful. Doctors strongly discourage it for patients with diabetes, because a foot wound can lead to serious complications. Athletes with foot pain or injuries should consult with a sports-medicine expert, trainer or physical therapist before shedding their shoes. Even proponents of barefoot training say you should start slowly. Runners can start on grass, a clean sidewalk or a rubberized track. Be careful not to overdo it and give feet and muscles time to adapt. If you aren't willing to give up shoes while running on streets and trails, you might consider switching to a more flexible shoe or one with less padding if you like the way barefoot training feels. Yoga, pilates or group fitness classes that allow you to exercise while barefoot are also options. [Salt Lake] Runner Brett Williams ran the Salt Lake City marathon, his first-ever marathon, while barefoot.
Advocates of barefoot training swear by it, claiming that ditching their shoes has improved the running experience and solved injury problems. Four months ago, 29-year-old Salt Lake City runner Brett Williams was on the verge of buying the Nike Airmax 360, a $160 shoe. In researching the shoe, he stumbled across www.runningbarefoot.org, which has become the Web-based bible for barefoot runners. "I decided I'd had enough and went barefoot," says Mr. Williams, who on Saturday ran the Salt Lake City marathon, his first marathon, while barefoot. Mr. Williams says he enjoys running more now, and suffered only a minor scrape during the race that was less painful than the blisters that often develop on the feet of shod runners. "Your connection with the ground beneath your feet is absolutely lost with shoes on," says Mr. Williams. "I am utterly convinced your feet don't need support or cushioning. If they do it's because you're not running correctly."
There isn't a lot of scientific study on barefoot training. Research has shown that wearing shoes to exercise takes more energy, and that barefoot runners use about 4% less oxygen than shod runners. Other studies suggest barefoot athletes naturally compensate for the lack of cushioning and land more softly than runners in shoes, putting less shock and strain on the rest of the body. Barefoot runners also tend to land in the middle of their foot, which can improve running form and reduce injury.
One series of studies from Canadian researchers concluded that heavily cushioned shoes were more likely to cause injury than simpler shoes. They also concluded that more expensive athletic shoes accounted for twice as many injuries as cheaper shoes. The data aren't conclusive. It may be that buyers of expensive shoes are more injury prone or more active, and therefore more likely to sustain injuries. A summary of the data on barefoot training can be found at www.sportsci.org/jour/0103/mw.htm.
Dr. Pribut says he would like patients to seek out more appropriate athletic shoes, and gives advice on how to do this at www.drpribut.com/sports/spshoe.html. He notes that some athletes who go barefoot or give up structured shoes risk injuring themselves further.
Although barefoot runners say their feet become conditioned to running on pavement, some are choosing minimalist footwear to protect the feet without impeding the barefoot experience. A quirky foot-glove called the Vibram FiveFingers (www.vibramfivefingers.com) developed to keep sailors from slipping on their boats is one option. A toe-less nylon band used by dancers (www.dancepaws.com) also helps protect feet of barefoot trainers without the structure of a shoe.
In my bad ol' drinkin' and smokin' days as a Thoroughly Wild Thing, I nearly always went barefoot. Could snub out a lit cigarette butt on the bottom of my foot, and often did.
As a child growing up in small towns on the coast, I was pretty much always barefoot, even in the rain. Climbed all the way to the top of 575-foot-high Morro Rock barefoot -- barefoot was the only way to go; you have much better climbing grip. The only time I wore shoes as a kid was when I had to. My feet are very healthy, no fallen arches, no corns, no bunions, no ingrown toenails. I will say, though, that going barefoot on concrete is the one thing I never could tolerate for long. Barefoot works for asphalt, dirt, grass, gravel, sand -- but not concrete for any extended period of time.
No glass, bolts, screws, nails, or thorns in the beach sand.
This isn't practical anywhere but perfectly vacuumed indoor tracks, indoor stadiums, and manicured plastic running areas.
Me too... Shoes come off as soon as I get home.
Going barefoot or even wearing flip flops for an extended time is painful if you have a neuroma like me. With a well cushioned running or hiking shoe or loafer, it doesn't hurt at all. I can walk/hike for more than 10 miles (even on rocky trails) at a time with no pain.
Going barefoot or even wearing flip flops for an extended time is painful if you have a neuroma like me. With a well cushioned running or hiking shoe or loafer, it doesn't hurt at all. I can walk/hike for more than 10 miles (even on rocky trails) at a time with no pain.
I recommend sleeping barefoot, in fact it is the only way I'll do it.
LOL!! I call my closet "the shoe museum". Tons of shoes, all sorts of styles, and hardly worn. I like to buy them, I just don't like to wear them.
I just took mine off about 10 minutes ago......I'm not home yet. {hanging my head}
Hey, it's casual day! :-D
Just wait until you can't step on your knee at all, then maybe you'll figure out jogging isn't such a great idea. I'd quit while I was ahead if I were you, a total knee replacement isn't fun either. If you keep pounding away at it, the pain becomes so excruciating you will have no choice. Just imagine having that long rod hammered into your bones. And running is out of the question afterwards, unless you want to go through that every few years.
blew off my flip-flop, stepped on a pop top, cut my heel had to cruise on back home.............
About the only place I run is on the beach barefooted -- but a good pair of athletic shoes are great for walking on hard surfaces. In and around the house I go barefooted as much as possible, and I've never had any foot, ankle, knee, or back problems.
Same with bathing.
"I saw a guy running naked through my neighborhood. I asked him why. He said, 'Because you came home early!' I asked him who said he could make love to my wife. He said, 'Everybody!'"
Im sure the Navy SEAL recruits would love to hear that from their drill instructors in CA. LOL
They even have to run *in place* when they are not running full sprint...and this for hours and hours and hours on end.
Well, while I have had it scoped twice... the damage to it was very nominal... first scoping actually found nothing... I dislocated my tibula, and they feard I must have had some small tears since there was still water on it months later.. went in and found nothing.. 9 years later, I did get a slight tear when my tibula again dislocated.. this time they went in with allegator clips and cleaned up the small tears and have been fine ever since.
I started exercising regularly again and started on the Eliptical, purely because I didn't want to stress my knee... however I rapidly maxed out in terms of pushing my body any harder with it.. I was being lazy and the machine allowed me to... can't cheat at jogging you either are doing it or you aren't.. no leaning on the equipment for support.
Knee bugged me when I first started, now I get no issues with it jogging on the treadmills...
Main time I feel it these days is when I play basketball on a particularly hard court. And I am not giving up basketball until the basically make me.
If I could find a no impact workout I could do consistently on my own other than running on a treadmill, that I could push myself I would likely do it.. However eliptical isn't challenging enough (same with the stationary bike) and if you think jogging is bad... try the stair stepper... I'm not doing that one ever.. that pust some serious strain on my kneecap tendons... which as you might have guess from having dislocated it twice... I'm not exactly looking to push.
Well hell, I certainly recommend the feet have nothing on them when ya sleep.. I also believe none of the rest of the body should have clothing on it either.... its the only way to be.
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