Toe Shoes for Correct Running According to WebMD
Posted on January 26, 2012 By Janie Slater (Edit) 2 Comments
We should be running on the balls of our feet (where our toes end and meet our feet)...not our heels.
You’ve probably seen the weird looking toe shoes that have gained huge popularity lately? Have you wondered what all the rage is about? And have you also wondered if people are crazy because they’re probably killing their feet running in those rediculous things? Then you’ll be surprised what WebMD has to say about running barefoot and in toe shoes. Read on:
Running Barefoot vs. Running in Shoes
According to a 2010 study published in the journal Nature, runners who wear shoes tend to strike the ground with the heels of their feet first. This gait, called a heel-strike, generates a force up to three times the body’s weight, which can lead to injuries such as Achilles tendinitis and stress fractures. In contrast, barefoot runners land on the balls of their feet, generating less impact when their foot strikes the ground.
“We’ve oversupported our feet [in running shoes] to the point that our foot doesn’t have to do what it’s designed to do,” explains Irene S. Davis, PhD, PT, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and director of the Spaulding National Running Center. “When you support a muscle, it doesn’t have to work as hard; when it doesn’t have to work as hard, it gets weak.”
Davis believes your body instinctively knows how to adjust when you shed your shoes or run in “barefoot shoes,” ultra-lightweight shoes designed to mimic barefoot running. Barefoot runners shorten their strides, reducing the impact on their lower bodies, and automatically flex their knees, hips, and ankles for a softer landing on hard surfaces, Davis says.
Ditching your shoes means the muscles in your calves and feet will have to work harder to accommodate to a different foot strike and shorter stride; it takes time for new barefoot runners to build up those muscles.
I’m thinking about heading over to the mall. How about you?
photo: finishline.com
There’s a lot more to this story than just “use toe shoes.” There’s a lot of different technique needed, a much longer ramp-up time needed before you can run a given length, and even specific shoe styles for specific styles of running on your toes. If you just grab some toe shoes and start running, you’re probably going to end up with plantar faciitis and an ankle fracture.
I’m not arguing it, just saying that you’ve spent a whole life learning one thing, so you need to be careful about jumping head-long into “the other thing” because it’s much more different than you think.
Slowly encorporate a different running style safely == good
Hey, I’m gonna start running in these! == bad
Hey, great comment and thanks, John! It’s actually pretty much common sense, the way you put it. I actually suffer with plantar faciitis and was hoping toe shoes and running on more on the balls on my feet, per the WebMD article above, would be a wonderful cure/fix for me (if I did it slowly). I don’t know. I am going to give it a try and see. Ease my way into it. But your words are very wise. Nobody should just go out and buy a pair and go out and pound out a 4 mile run!
Thanks for your comments!