Good Sweat
Barefoot and injured: How safe is the popular new fitness footwear?
Serious runners were the first to embrace the Vibram FiveFingers (VFFs to the cultishly devoted). Now even casual gym-goers are also velcroing on these curious Aqua Socks-meets-Mork from Ork shoes. Well+Good predicts a Croc’s so-ugly-they’re-hip aesthetic takeover for these must-have athletic shoes (and, invariably, a NYC walking-around shoe) for summer. Be afraid.
The sudden VFF craze stems from the compelling thesis of Christopher McDougall’s NY Times’ best-seller Born to Run. The greatest long-distance runners in the world—Mexico’s Tarahumara Indians—don’t wear shoes, he explains, and neither should we. It’s a theory that has a lot of buy-in from the running community. Reviews in Runner’s World give the Vibrams the thumb’s up. Evolutionary biologists are on-board too. Daniel Lieberman, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University, recently said in an interview with Wired, “People have been running barefoot for millions of years and it has only been since 1972 that people have been wearing shoes with thick, synthetic heels.”
"Safe on asphalt?" Probably not.
But not everyone agrees that the barely-there Vibrams are a panacea for injuries or a boon for a stronger foot. Well+Good talked to holistic podiatrist Dr. Sherri Greene about whether New Yorkers should throw out their sneakers in favor of these glorified sock substitutes. “Barefoot activity strengthens the foot and I’m a huge fan of yoga and martial arts for this reason,” says Greene, “But for runners to suddenly replace their sneakers with Vibrams could introduce problems like tendonitis, inflammation, or stress fractures, depending on the individual. I would urge caution and slow change.”
Exercise physiologist and Urban Athletics owner Cara Macari goes a step further, “There’s no reason to risk injury in the Vibrams when you can achieve the same result—to develop a forefoot strike—in a lightweight running shoe.” Macari is seeing Vibram wearers with strained calf muscles and Achilles tendon pain because the zero-cushion Vibrams are better suited to trail running than NYC cement pounding. “You can develop good running mechanics, and limit joint strain, by alternating your regular running sneaker with a lightweight trainer like Acis’s DS-Trainer or Mizuno’s Wave Elixir 4.” So, if you simply can’t resist replacing your Crocs with the latest in ugly ergonomic footwear, then walk–don’t run–in them.
Are you considering buying a pair of Vibrams? Tell us, here!
Super useful! Thanks.
Spotted on a flight back from Los Angeles—a marathoner proudly wearing his pair of VFFs, which he confirmed he ran the Sunday L.A. Marathon in. “They work for me,” he said.
I see many articles like this under the guise of ‘vff – not fit for use’ yet any ‘expert’ simply cautions against jumping in to full running in them without building up your muscles. This is the safety aspect – not training properly. Also, many podiatrists cannot sell their orthotics if you don’t need them – what interest do they have in promoting something which will take away their business :)
I went VFF crazy last year. I loved them.
Then my Achilles tendon started to hurt and I founld I had a 2 1/2 inch vertical tear in it.
If you look at the evolutionary design of the foot, it is a leaf spring, made to soften impact during running. Our bodies were not made to take running impacts thru the heel even when padded with Nike Air. Using these shoes forces you to run as our legs and feet were designed. Heel striking is for low impact walking, running of any kind should be done on the balls of the feet. Just make the adjustment from the wrong way to the right way slowly.
I’ve researched these for my son and feel these would be totally unsafe in rocky terrain, etc. Cross country running on unknown trails in these would be very dangerous not to mention unsupportive. We’ll see fallen arches etc with these!
If the main benefit is to strengthen the foot through forefoot impact instead of heel strike impact then why don’t you just alter your running technique in a pair of trainers like stated and train yourself to run with “proper” technique. I’m in the army – parachute infantry – and I’m noticing that a lot of guys around base catching on to this trend. I just think that sure our ancestors ran barefoot but don’t think they ran great distances for sport they ran to hunt or hide or whatever. Also they didn’t run on hard surfaces like cement sidewalks or asphalt roads especially for extended periods of time. And if your like in my type of job where you may have to run with a heavy load on your pack like a ruck I don’t know how well VFF’s would be. I think best to play safe and develop proper running technique with a product that offers some level of protection ’cause God knows I’ve had my share of injuries.
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