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Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners
Is running barefoot better for me?
Related Topic
I like to run at the beach in the mornings (well, jog) and usually wear my trainers. I have heard that running barefoot also has benefits – true? -
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Dr Richard Wong
Personal Trainer
Qualified with a B: Human Movement Science and Certificate. I grew up with sport. I competed succesfully at a state and national level as a … View Profile
You must have the two side of the story to fully encompass your running training. we must realise that for years we have had structure shoes on our feet. therefore our body has come acustom to cushioing and supportive technoology. but yes, barefoot running will increase the strength in all of the intrinsic muscles in our feet, and legs because simply they need to work alot hard to support your body whilst running. your feet are built already to take impact and support your body through movement but if you go ahead and start running with just berefoot technology then you will put yourself in an increased risk of injury. especially if you already have an incorrect pattern of movement when you walk or run. if your foot, or legs dont move in a perfect position when walking or running then you will placing forces upon your joints and muscles that will create more injury. therefore i suggest that you use both a structured shoe and barefoot. a structure shoe for running long distance and on the sand and walk with barefoot technology to slowly increase the strength in your feet, legs and body.
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Kylie Royal Meehan
Exercise Physiologist, Personal Trainer
Owner, Accredited Exercise Physiologist, Recreational Running Coach, Speaker/ Presenter Fit Well You is all about joining the circle of health and wellness. Who you are, … View Profile
Definitely get into running barefoot!! It is incredible for the muscles in your feet, buttocks and legs and the sand is the BEST place for it!
Just beware you dont do too much too soon. Just start with a short distance then gradually build up. You need to give your muscles time to get used to working again.
Goodluck and enjoy the long term benefits!Report this post
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Dr Nicholas Miller
Chiropractor
Special interest include; Wellnes,nutrition, physical exercise, headaches and sports injuries. My aim is to improve the wellness and health of all my clients. View Profile
Some people think barefoot running is the answer to all there injuries or aches and pains. Just like its possible to run in shoes with poor technique it is also possible to train barefoot with poor technique. Barefoot training has its benefits of increasing the demand and strength of thE small intrinsic muscles of the feet as well as having greater proprioception (movement signals sent to your brain). Proprioception is vital for balance. Barefoot training does have the benefit of allowing out feet to function as they were designed as a three dimensional structure consisting of 26 bones and 33 joints. Things to remember when going from shoes to barefoot. You will most definitely change the way you run, often a shirt stride and lighter on your feet. Slowly transition the change. I.e start of with smaller distances and increase length with time. You may find an increase in foot and ankle muscle pain and tightness due to increase muscle usage. I run courses on running technique and barefoot running. Email me at Nicholas@healthspaceclinics.com.au if you are interested or would like more info.
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Dr Beau Woods
Chiropractor
Dr Beau Woods Chiropractor BSc. BChiro (Murdoch)Special interests; Postural correction, family care, spine related disorders, fibromyalgia & motor vehicle injuries. View Profile
Yes!
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Kristen Ross
Counsellor, Kinesiologist
Kristen Ross is a qualified Kinesiologist, Counsellor and Sports Therapist.Affinity Wellness is her holistic wellness practice offering a holistic wellness experience by focusing on all … View Profile
It depends on how you're running, you will want to make sure that your technique is good before training barefoot, there are a number of training programs out there and methods to look into such as the Pose method. Overall, once you are ready to go you will benefit holistically by running barefoot.
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Dr Andrew Lim
Chiropractor
Andrew has a Masters in Chiropractic and his interest in Sports Chiropractic has led him to treat many athletes from junior to elite levels in … View Profile
I think a more suitable question would be, ‘is barefoot running good for me?’
It really depends on each individual, like many others have said above, individual technique, conditioning of the muscles, training history, running surfaces etc.
Theoretically, barefoot running is meant to be good for you as it allows you to land on you midfoot/forefoot, which is a much more efficient way to land.
However, you would not go off and run a marathon for the first time in bare feet. To start, you would need to gradually condition your muscles to the different type of stresses of running without shoes i.e. higher impact forces on the joints, muscles and tendons, less absorption/cushioning provided by a supportive shoe and the change of stride length. If you are fimiliar with Newton's 3rd law, ‘for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’, meaning that the force that you impart on to the ground with your foot, there will be equally as much force coming back up through your foot, to the rest of your lower limb and potentially your spine and so on. Without a shoe you would need to learn to absorb these forces with your own body tissues.
Start with your training, just say 1km or 5 mins then gradually build up time or distance as each week passes. There is a 10% rule with distance running. That is, increase 10% of the distance covered each week.
Another big factor is the surface you run on. Most distance races are run of paved, hard, non forgiving surfaces. The idea of barefoot running start with the trail runners. They needed to be able to mould their foot into the different surfaces that the trail would present. If you prefer to run on softer more forgiving surfaces like sand or grass, barefoot running may suit you better. Just watch out for the bindis!Report this post
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