Until the 20th century, China practiced a custom called footbinding, in which young girls’ had their feet in tightly bound shoes to make their feet smaller. This painful and damaging process often left women with permanently deformed feet. Even though it was once considered a status symbol, it is now seen as a symbol of cruelty. People today are horrified by the images and stories of footbinding.Still, few people realize that our modern-day footwear often leads to its own set of deformities, which while definitely not as extreme as footbinding, still are impactful to our foot health.
Many of the shoes we wear today can contribute to a range of foot issues, including plantar fasciitis and flatfootedness. This is partly due to how they alter our foot structure and limit natural movement. Although they are not bound to us, the majority of our shoes confine our feet in ways that compromise their strength and flexibility. One way shoes do this is with their toe boxes. Many shoes have an angled toe box called a toe spring that forcefully angels our toes upwards instead of allowing them to splay out naturally. This reduces activity of the muscles in our feet, leaving them to atrophy, and potentially causing many problems down the road as our foot muscles weaken.
Another problem is thick cushioning in shoes, which seems comfortable at first, but actually leads us to put more impact into each of our strides, increasing the risk of injury over time.
The solution: Barefoot shoes.
When most people hear “barefoot shoes,” they imagine freaky toe shoes or hippies in bare feet, but barefoot shoes are created by a really advanced technology. Sometimes referred to as minimalist shoes, they all share a few qualities. They have little to no cushioning with zero heel elevation, a wide toe box for your toes to spread out and are very flexible. Barefoot shoes don’t necessarily have individual toes, in fact, many barefoot shoes look like sneakers. They solve the problems of usual restrictive footwear and they still prevent your skin from being damaged by dirty streets and sidewalks.
The barefoot philosophy argues that after millions of years of foot evolution, when we walk barefoot, our feet are innately strong. The foot has thirty-three joints and a ton of muscles that stabilize the foot. Therefore, having cushioned, overly supportive shoes are, for the most part, unnecessary. The common narrative is that the solution to foot pain is wearing more supportive and cushioned shoes that further numb the feet. However, barefoot advocates argue that going barefoot can strengthen the feet and reverse the effects of restrictive footwear.
For example, one study published in Nature found that wearing barefoot shoes for six months increased foot strength by an average of 57 percent. Another study found that wearing barefoot shoes for eight weeks caused a foot strength increase of 41 percent.
It has also been found that going barefoot can improve balance. For children, wearing non-restrictive footwear is very important because it can help develop better walking mechanics that can improve posture and build good walking patterns. This increase in strength is very helpful for preventing injuries and foot pain. It is easy for a young child to start wearing barefoot shoes, yet the older you get and the weaker your feet get, the harder it is to transition to barefoot shoes.
After wearing cushioned shoes our whole lives, our feet become weak. If out of nowhere you go right into being barefoot all the time, you risk injuries from your feet being too tired. At first, your feet will get sore from training the muscles. That’s why it is important to gradually walk around barefoot a little more each day until your feet are strong enough to be barefoot all the time.
While barefoot shoes are a great option for every day walking around and a great option for weightlifting, they are not suitable for all sports and activities. Sports that require sprinting and fast-changing directions are better done in cleats, and traditional athletic shoes should still be worn for almost all sports and running. Additionally, hiking in difficult terrain in barefoot shoes should be done with caution but can be done after a lot of barefoot experience and foot and ankle training.
After wearing barefoot shoes for over a year, I have experienced tons of benefits for my feet. My foot muscles are now stronger and I can balance much more easily. My feet are also more flexible and experience almost no pain. I prefer wearing barefoot shoes for daily use because they don’t squish my toes together and are much more comfortable. While barefoot shoes may not be a one-size-fits-all solution, they can be a valuable tool for anyone interested in improving their foot health and increasing their foot strength. If you are worried about having to constantly complain about your feet hurting when you’re older, it is definitely worth it to give barefoot shoes a try.