The benefits of kicking off our shoes and going barefoot are gaining momentum, mostly due to positive evidence from barefoot running studies (Lieberman, 2010).
Runners who wear shoes have been found to contact the ground with their heels first, as opposed to barefoot runners landing on the balls of the feet first. This results in a completely different foot strike, and minimal impact collision with the ground. This natural shock-absorbency has far-reaching effects throughout the body.
Although the majority of research has been focused on barefoot running, I’m going to discuss the many benefits of simply standing, or walking barefoot, and some simple exercises to ‘wake up’ our feet!
Our feet relay a whole host of useful information to our brain and spinal cord, via the nervous system, to help us constantly adapt to the environment. A large part of this information is through what we call proprioception.
Proprioception and our feet
Proprioception is a sense of the relative position of neighbouring body parts. It is a feedback mechanism that is constantly letting us know where we are in space. It is part of how we feel balanced on our feet.
Try this simple exercise: Stand with your arms extended at shoulder height and close your eyes. Can you sense your arms? This is our proprioceptive sense.
Our foot muscles and ligaments are full of these proprioceptive nerve endings, which provide feedback about the surfaces we are standing on. There is a fair argument that, since the advent of the modern running shoe in the 1970s, our feet have become too reliant upon passive support from thick, shock-absorbing shoes, thus dampening this feedback mechanism, and weakening our feet.
The main reason humans created shoes was to protect our feet from the environment. This is why I prefer a thin-soled shoe with plenty of comfort room up front for my toes to grasp and stretch whilst walking. This enables me the protection my feet require without dampening the proprioceptive feedback so vital to a healthy foot and body.
For those that are interested I really like the vivobarefoot range of shoes. Check them out HERE.
Alternatively, choosing a flat shoe, that can bend easily at the sole, and has plenty of room up front, is a good place to start.
Check out my video below on the difference between ‘regular’ running shoes, an Aussie thong (jandal for any kiwis out there) and a barefoot shoe:
Osteopathy and our feet
As an osteopath, when working with people suffering from lower limb, low back or pelvic complaints, I like to begin with an awareness exercise involving foot contact.
I usually start people off with a yoga exercise, that involves sensing a ‘three-point contact’ between the heels and the inner and outer points of the balls of the feet.
Try this exercise standing barefoot, with feet parallel (facing forwards) and hip-width apart:
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Start by putting your weight back on your heels.
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Gently roll your body weight along an imaginary line from your heels, along the outer edge of your feet, to below your little toes, on the outer-aspect of the ‘balls’ of the feet.
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From here, gently roll across the balls of your feet to the inside point, just below your big toes.
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Return your weight to the heels. Repeat this three to four times to get the ‘feel’ of it.
After this, stand with feet facing forwards (parallel) and hip-width apart. Place approximately 70% of your body weight over the balls of the feet and feel contact on the two front points on either side of the balls as practised above. You should feel a slight transverse ‘arch’ develop across the balls of the feet. This vital arch indirectly strengthens and supports the more commonly known ‘longitudinal’ arch of the foot. This arch is what flattens, or pronates in many people, leading to a reliance upon arch supports.
Now bring your weight back slightly, so that 50% rests on the heels and balls of your feet. This feet facing forwards position may feel weird at first, but it’s actually the evolutionary position of our feet. Years of wearing shoes creates a weakening, and outwards rotation of the foot and lower leg (and a compensatory ‘inwards’ rotation of our thigh bone). This is why you may feel a slight twisting or rotation through the muscles and fascia (connective tissue) of the leg.
CLICK HERE or CALL 07 3368 1300 to contact Dr Arun Shapleski (osteopath)
What about orthotics? (Disclaimer)
Now I realise that you may be wondering about where orthotics and arch supports fit in to this. I am fully aware that some people who have marked foot weakness and other conditions (e.g., diabetes) DO require some passive support from orthotics. They should always consult with an osteopath or podiatrist before deciding which footwear to use. The vast majority of people I see however, benefit greatly from ‘waking up’ and strengthening their feet, even if they use orthotics.
If you feel any discomfort with the above exercises, stop immediately, and if pain persists, see your health-care practitioner.
References
Lieberman DE, Venkadesan M, Werbel WA, Daoud Al, D’Andrea S, Davis IS, Mang’eni RO, Pitsiladis Y. 2010. Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners. Nature 463: 531-5.
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