Running shoes may cause injuries – but is going barefoot the fix?

From the April 23, 2020 article in The Conversation

About 100 years ago fashionable shoes started actually changing the shape of the foot! And a recent review concludes “wearing shoes changes the way we run and weakens the foot in a way that can contribute to many common sports injuries.” With ” between 35 and 50% of runners were injured at any one time. ” Most injuries were connected to muscles involved in movement.

Minimalist shoes may reduce injuries along with balance activities. And running barefoot will not guard against all injuries. Age, BMI, previous injuries, and a sedentary lifestyle are all injury factors no matter the shoe.

The article concludes stating “It’s likely that these factors might also make humans less conditioned to move how they did millions of years ago. This suggests a combination of getting more active, walking or running barefoot more often, and other conditioning exercises may help prevent further injuries in the future.”

So, don’t wholly blame the shoe or think a proper shoe alone is the answer!