[Guest]

I need information on the advantages of walking and running barefoot vs. wearing shoes. In the course of my research, I have come across an article published by The Barefoot Society (www.barefooters.org/key-works/case_for/index.html) that says many shoes are harmful, especially for children. This article further says that for adults, especially runners, all modern running shoes are dangerous as a result of their construction. Can you comment? The claims from the article are summarized below:

1. Shoes hinder the natural foot development of children

2. Running shoes undermine the foot's natural ability to adjust to the terrain and absorb impact.

Here are some brief excerpts from the article that expand on these points.The full citation for the excerpts appears at the end of this email.

In Europe and America flat foot is a common reason for attendance at a children's orthopaedic clinic, but in India children are seldom brought for treatment for flat foot. The few children who do attend with this complaint are from affluent urban families and they all wear shoes [Joseph].

...

In barefoot populations, running-related injuries are rare, which indicates that humans adapted to barefoot running run with lower impact than the unadapted group referred to above [Robbins].

...

References

Udaya Bhaskara Rao and Benjamin Joseph. "The Influence of Footwear on the Prevalence of Flat Foot." The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 74B(4), 1992, pp. 525-527.


Steven E. Robbins and Gerard J. Gouw. "Athletic footwear: unsafe due to perceptual illusions." Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 23(2), 1991, pp. 217-224

[Guest]

There are may opinons on this topic but not a lot of proof. Personally, I agree that children should be allowed to walk barefoot a fair amount of the time. However, sneaker companies have put millions of dollars into reserach for better shoes for all sports and activities. Therefore, as an adult, wearing sneakers when performing activities such as running and jogging is almost mandatory. Finally, it has been shown that people who grow up never wearing shoes have foot problems. Therefore, shoes that provide support are a great benefit; especially when playing sports. Have a nice day and please write back if you have any further questions.
[quote] I need information on the advantages of walking and running barefoot vs. wearing shoes... [/quote]