What are Barefoot Shoes?
Recently at work I’ve had a few patients comment that my shoes look a little different to normal shoes. They often ask what type of shoes they are. Barefoot shoes!
What are barefoot shoes you ask?
Barefoot shoes are exactly what they sound like. Shoes made to feel like you’re walking barefoot. The purpose of Barefoot Shoes is to replicate the feeling of not wearing any while also providing protection from the outside world.
They have a thin and flexible sole allowing your feet to feel the ground beneath them. This promotes strengthening of the foot and ankle muscles and improves feedback from your feet to your brain.
They also have a wide toe box to allow the toes to spread wide as they naturally would if we hadn’t crammed them into “normal” shoes. Enabling the toes to spread as wide as they can without restraint allows your body to have better balance, better foot stability, and reduce the chance of developing bunions. This is where the big toe crams into other toes which can lead to pain.
Barefoot shoes also have no heel lift. This allows for adequate lengthening and stretching of the calf muscles which may reduce calf tightness. Although they don’t offer any “support” to the arch of the foot, it’s actually not a bad thing! This lack of arch support allows the natural arch of your feet to strengthen, improving the overall function of your feet!
Have you heard the phrase “use it or lose it”? Wearing barefoot shoes encourages strengthening of the small muscles within the feet which would often be overlooked in regular daily shoes. It seems almost contradictory to wear shoes that are cushioned and provide huge amounts of support to the arch of the foot, as you are limiting use of the muscles responsible for maintaining the arch naturally.
What happens when you take your shoes off and the muscles have lost their ability to work?
Benefits of Barefoot Shoes:
So if you’re deciding what to do, just remember, Barefoot shoes are a great functional addition to anyone who has an active life or values the health of their feet. However, it is important to note that transitioning to barefoot shoes is not for everyone.
You should speak to your podiatrist when making the decision about what footwear is best for you.
If you are interested in purchasing your very own barefoot shoes, you can use the code MYMSC2023 for 15% off at Sole Mechanics.