Feeling Our Feet

Here is an excerpt from an interesting review of a book about barefoot running in The Toronto Star. The author has done extensive research and learned that athletic shoes are doing more harm than good, and says we should be paying much more attention to natural foot movements...

"LEONARDO DA VINCI observed that the human foot is 'a work of art and a masterpiece of engineering.'

Each foot/ankle combo contains 26 bones (both sides comprise one-quarter of the bones of the human body), 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. Thousands of nerve endings also make our feet extremely sensitive – one of the reasons torturers throughout history have whipped the soles of prisoners' feet.

It's amazing that our feet can sustain the constant shock of walking, let alone running. Especially since, according to some scientists, we've been wrecking our feet. Our shoes, whether stilettos or cushioned, spring-loaded, gel-padded, air-bubble-infused sneakers, make us walk in a way that is not natural for our feet, studies say.

Watch a baby take those first steps. There's a natural way we all walk, with short strides, landing softly on our heels or the balls of our feet before our toes spring us forward.
Now walk in your best running shoes. You'll likely take longer strides and, due to the padding in the heels, strike down harder, unable to roll to the side because of the thick sole and inflexibility of the shoe. This rigid base also stops your toes from springing you forward, so your legs have to work harder.

We're also not feeling what's really going on with our feet. High shock-absorbing footwear prohibits our sensitive plantar surface from sending pain and pressure impulses that would naturally allow us to alter our gait to reduce stress.

"There's a benefit to barefoot running, I really think there is, no doubt," says Dr. Jack Taunton, the chief medical officer for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Taunton, director of the Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Centre at the University of British Columbia, has conducted studies on injured runners and basketball players that show with less support, the body heals faster. The foot and ankle are forced to build muscles that support the ailing area.
It's just the old adage, he says: 'If you don't use it, you lose it.'"