Humans have been running pretty much the same way for thousands of years. While we’ve certainly worn some kind of protection on our feet some of that time, it’s only recently – the 1970s – that the cushioned, modern running shoe has been available to and worn by the masses.
Some of the original thinking behind the modern running shoe design came from the thinking that if some is good, more is better, specifically pointing to the length of the human stride. Seeing as how we didn’t have shoes that greatly cushioned the heel, most runners landed on the fore or midfoot, in many ways mimicking barefoot mechanics. It hurts to land on the heel, so when running shoes came out with a way to prevent heel pain and still land on it, the myth of the modern running shoe’s gifts was spread.
But the problem is that preventing pain isn’t the same as masking it. Instead of considering the amount of impact on the heel, running shoes are advertised as a more comfortable way to run, without mentioning that repeatedly running on our heels would eventually cause problems. Pain was masked by the cushioning until it created injuries in the hips and shins, and these injuries were attributed to overtraining or improper form, but the real issue is that modern running shoes allow ANYONE to run without proper form for much longer than their pain threshold should let them, which causes injuries elsewhere on the body. Proper barefoot mechanics could have prevented this.
Barefoot or minimalist running, on its own, is not better for you than shod running. What it’s better at is NOT masking pain, so we get immediate, constant feedback on our foot strike, stride length and everything else associated with our running motion. We don’t have the luxury of masking poor form with cushioning, (almost) barefoot runners must learn proper form right away.
Now that I’m going on my tenth month of running in Vibrams, I’ve only had one injury, a pulled calf muscle from landing on the ball of my foot, but have never taken more than a day off because of pain besides that. Previous years have brought me sore hips, pulled thigh muscles, pain in my toes, inflamed arch and far more ankle sprains than I’d like to remember.
It’s form that’s most important. Barefoot shoes allow you to work on your form easier, quicker and with less chance of developing chronic pain or lasting injury. Also, it’s way more fun.
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