Going Back to the Primal Days.

Since about the age of 5 I have been told my feet ‘suffer’ from under developed arches, this in turn leads to pronation (toes pointing out) and excessive rolling of the ankles. Throughout the years of ‘suffering’ I have been told to wear orthotic insoles, use shoes specifically designed for this problem and tape my feet. 

As a result of this genetic miss-creation I have genuinely suffered from bilateral shin splints (yes I know that’s a generic term) furthermore; I have torn both my plantar fascias (the muscle running long ways down the foot) and perhaps the most annoying has been the bilateral development of calcium deposits (Bone spurs) on my Tibia’s that has left me hating running on any kind (I mean a quick jog across the road makes me want to punch small kittens). 

Now, I turned 30 the other day, I don’t like to admit it but I did and a quick mental review of injuries, shows the ‘suffering’ in my feet has not improved one bit over the previous 10 years. 

So here is a quick bio-mechanics lesson; humans have a built in shock absorber, it’s called the calf muscle (and associated structures). There is an argument; excessively padded shoes have ‘allowed’ us (humans) to heel strike. Heel striking means the calf cannot activate and the striking force is directly translated to the joints. Padded shoes have also allowed the foot and ankle to weaken and rely on the shoe, not the foot, to maintain a suitable gait pattern. And finally, the raised heel position has allowed the calf and Achilles to shorten and reduce the range of motion around the ankle (REFERENCE). 

So I got thinking outside the square, and I noted there is a growing movement of barefoot or ‘minimal’ shoe running advocates. I have spent a considerable amount of time researching the subject and let’s just say it’s a more heated debate than a Jerry Springer episode.  The advocate’s claim it’s only since the development of the sports shoe in the 70’s that injuries have started to present. The other party claim that ground reaction forces (shock & loading) is not reduced by a modification of gait pattern. In one review study, it was even claimed a researcher incorrectly accepted a hypothesis in their own study (for those who don’t speak science this is an inexcusable mistake that means they concluded 2 + 2 = 5)(REFERENCE). 

A quick barefoot walk to the beach immediately showed some problems; for starters I am a prolific heel striker, second; after a worrying short period of time my feet were aching and perhaps the biggest concern was while barefoot I had a notable shift (improvement) in hip posture. 

So I have decided to do my own self administered case study (in some ways this is best possible research!)

For the following week I plan to go barefoot, with some considerations and limitations, I will wear one or two pairs of socks to protect the soles of my feet. Furthermore; I plan to tape the soles of my feet to offer some support during the transition phase and to further protect the skin from debris. I also plan to wear shoes with driving as I feel this is a safety issue and obviously in social settings I will still wear my old school Jordans or Converses.  I am lucky I work in a gym that encourages this kind of experimental behavior so there is no problem there I plan to give this a go for a solid week; the hypothesis is there will be a qualitative improvement in strength and stability of my feet and the size of my calcium deposits. Furthermore I expect an improvement in posture. 

I will endeavor to update you all on my progress in a week or so time.