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A few words in opposition to barefoot running: My podiatrist told me that aspiring barefoot runners make up a large part of his clientele, and in his professio
by DenisM 7y ago
A few words in opposition to barefoot running:
My podiatrist told me that aspiring barefoot runners make up a large part of his clientele, and in his professional opinion this is a dangerous errand. People who were running barefoot since early childhood (including various native peoples of the world) maybe fine because they spent formative decades of their lives acclimating to the style and growing stronger muscles/ligaments/joints/bones/skin, but everyone else is running a high risk of sustaining an injury (and enriching my doctor in the process).
Vibran Five Finger was targeted by a class-action lawsuit stemming form lack of scientific proof of their barefoot claims, and they settled. Vibram stood to gain a lot from showing the proof, and the fact that they didn't have anything convincing on hand is quite damning.
High risk is obviously not certainty, and people who did derive benefit from the method are likely to speak up, while those who failed are likely to have moved on and say nothing. Survivor bias alert.
Barefoot running has a strong "appeal to nature fallacy" factor. Doesn't make it wrong, but this sort of bias should be noted when calibrating the level of excitement for a particular subject https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_nature https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_nature
If you're gong to do it anyway at least consult a podiatrist about early sign of trouble so you know when you're going down the wrong path. This would be way more useful than acquiring your advice from various internet forums.
My doc refused to answer the question about safe running techniques and told me to get a bike instead. Which I did.
- pcunite 7y agoThis is true because people want "instant" change. I've been slowly converting to a better running lifestyle and I'm now running in ZeroDrop shoes. I think going down to super thin soles is a receipt for disaster for the average office dweller who wants to run on the weekend!
- superpermutat0r 7y agoSimilar to how Masai eat meat blood and milk their whole lives, develop severe atherosclerosis but their blood vessels adapt through childhood so the stiffness is countered with better blood vessels. A 40 year old westerner embarking on a carnivore diet might be missing the necessary adaptations to survive.
- klipt 7y agoSeems the Maasai may also be genetically protected against high cholesterol: https://www.wired.com/2012/09/milk-meat-and-blood-how-diet-drives-natural-selection-in-the-maasai/ https://www.wired.com/2012/09/milk-meat-and-blood-how-diet-d...
- superpermutat0r 7y agoI'm not sure, the study has no baseline measurements. Dietary cholesterol affects serum cholesterol sublinearly. Which means that increasing the dosage couple of times won't really show. The same trick is used by egg studies to show that additional eggs do not increase already high cholesterol. Doing genetics is also a huge dimensionality curse. You're fitting a high dimensional object with a curve that will most certainly fit well.
- DenisM 7y ago>Masai eat meat blood and milk their whole lives, develop severe atherosclerosis Do they really? https://www.atherosclerosis-journal.com/article/S0368-1319(64)80041-7/abstract https://www.atherosclerosis-journal.com/article/S0368-1319(6... >A field survey of 400 Masai men and additional women and children in Tanganyika indicates little or no clinical or chemical evidence for atherosclerosis.
- superpermutat0r 7y agoYeah, young people rarely show signs of atherosclerosis because it's a disease that takes a while to accumulate. https://academic.oup.com/aje/article-abstract/95/1/26/167903 https://academic.oup.com/aje/article-abstract/95/1/26/167903 > The coronary arteries showed intimal thickening by atherosclerosis which equaled that of old U.S. men. This one was brilliant. If you read the whole study, even the 18 year olds are affected. One 25 year old died of congestive failure. > The hearts and aortae of 50 Masai men were collected at autopsy. These pastoral people are exceptionally active and fit and they consume diets of milk and meat. The intake of animal fat exceeds that of American men. Measurements of the aorta showed extensive atherosclerosis with lipid infiltration and fibrous changes but very few complicated lesions. The coronary arteries showed intimal thickening by atherosclerosis which equaled that of old U.S. men. The Masai vessels enlarge with age to more than compensate for this disease. It is speculated that the Masai are protected from their atherosclerosis by physical fitness which causes their coronary vessels to be capacious.
- mattlondon 7y agoI don't know about totally barefoot running, but I have found that switching to lightweight "barefoot-feel" shoes that have a small minimal-drop sole and a really lightweight upper have been amazing at reducing pain while actually running (e.g. shin splints) and typical running-induced injuries. I'd previously been running a lot in "traditional" running shoes with a chunky soles and "supportive" uppers until several years ago when I switched to the like of the nike free range (no association, just a customer) and have never looked back. My persistent arch pain and shin splints stopped and never came back, and I don't ache the next day any more. My advice would be to listen to your body and try some different options.
- sunpar 7y agoI have an identical experience. Switched to a very light weight zero drop shoe, it forced me to change my stride to more forefoot, and all my shin pain stopped.
- synthc 7y agoI also switched to minimal footwear, it improved my running technique a lot. The big advantage is that running barefoot or with minimal shoes forces you to run with a foot strike instead of a heel strike. When running with a forefoot strike you use your calves and achilles to absorb the impact, instead of your knees, which was a big help for me. I would always get pain in my knee when running more then 10k, but that is no longer the case. I can recommend it to everyone who is into running, at least try it a bit, you don't have to run barefoot all the time, but it is really good training. It takes some time to adjust though, in the beginning my calves and achilles would get really sore after a short run, but after about 6 months of gradually increasing the milage I can run for hours without issues. Before switching to minimal shoes I ran on zero drop shoes (Altra) for a few months, which I think eased the transition to minimal shoes.
- snambi 7y agoOnce you buy into the ideas of your "doc" and the "scientific" research behind, it is easier to control you and make you customer (aka subscriber). You pay , they receive, great commerce.
- Swizec 7y agoI used to run barefoot. On asphalt. In the city. Yes it takes forever to slowly build up your feet to be able to take it. It’s a brutal process but you won’t get injured if you go slow. Yes it takes forever and a lot of mindfulness to get the technique right so you don’t destroy your knees. I got professional coaching to learn how to properly land my feet under my hips etc. Asphalt is okay, so is grass. What always got me was pebbles on asphalt. Impossible to run on, I stopped running barefoot for 2 reasons: 1. As my distance went beyond 10km my skin just couldn’t take it anymore. Ripped to shreds. 2. Putting shoes on slashed my running time by a lot. Simply because I could run more aggressively since the skin of my feet was protected. PS: most proper long distance running shoes are surprisingly minimal. Gotta keep the weight down and yes it makes a difference
- abfan1127 7y agoDid you try (athletic) taping your feet to add a protective small layer to your soles?