First a little about me: I run between 20-25 miles per week and have recently gotten into triathlons (mainly sprints). I run in the most cushioned Asics shoes (Nimbus) with custom foot orthotics. I have run 2 marathons and recently 2 half marathons. My previous injuries include plantar fasciitis, sesamoiditis, and Ilio-tibial band syndrome.I recently found an interest in barefoot running and am making myself a “guinea pig” with the Vibram Five Finger shoes.
Last Friday was day 1:
I ran 6 miles in the morning with my Asics. Got home from clinic, took the kids to the neighborhood pool and wore the Five Fingers. Ran about ½ mile, mainly on grass and felt fine.
Yesterday was day 2:
Swam for 30 minutes, got on treadmill for 3 miles, switched into the Five finger and ran ½ mile on treadmill. Felt great! A much shorter stride and I naturally stood more erect.
Today was day 3:
Wore the shoes from 7 am to 11 am in clinic seeing patients. Other than the funny looks from my staff and patients, the feet felt good and I noticed my posture was naturally more erect. Once I put on my Asics again, it felt funny. It felt as though my posture changed, not in a good way.
My future plan is to wear the shoes walking as much as I can, run the last 5-10 minutes of my runs for the next 2 months before I increase mileage on them. Will keep you updated.
You can learn more about Dr. Beckman at www.TxFootDoctor.com. I thank him for sharing his experience and look forward to more.
Try actually running barefoot. Its going to give much better feed back and will prevent you from using too much forefoot strike. Envision actually running with your torso lower, placing your feet beneath your body, bending the knees more, and landing on the whole foot. It almost feels like you are leaving your feet on the ground behind you longer. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the first comment. Only barefoot is barefoot.
ReplyDeleteThe sensitive nerve endings in our feet let us know if we are out of alignment. Vibrams mask that sensation, so they can lead to similar overuse and "bad posture" injuries as running shoes.
Think of your car's tires. They need to be aligned properly or else you get uneven wear and vibrations in our car as you drive, which, over the long haul, can cause damage to your car itself, not just the tires.
Imagine if a car had nerve endings in the treads of its tires so it could sense if it is misaligned, and it could make adjustments to align itself. That is essentially what running barefoot, and only barefoot, enables us to do -- sense if we are misaligned and make adjustments.
Having said that, it is very refreshing to see a couple of podiatrists open to the idea that we don't need running shoes to run, and that running shoes may, in fact, have adverse effects on our posture.
This is a great blog and offers good running information. Nice one!!!
ReplyDeleteFrom shin splints to knee pain treatment, the treatment from podiatrist’s Brunswick Foot Clinic will provides the best foot care for you.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.melbournepodiatrist.com.au/
Five fingers are the latest runner's craze. The idea of running barefoot is really fascinating and organic thing. I would really want to try it out when I get the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteFrom shin splints to knee pain treatment, the treatment from podiatrist’s Brunswick Foot Clinic provides the best foot and ankle care for you.
ReplyDeleteDoes any patient or podiatric practitioner have any experience wearing Vibram five finger shoes as a way of dealing with peripheral neuropathic pain in the feet (specifically, nerves entrapped in tarsal tunnel syndrome due to flat feet)? (my email is thomachuck@yahoo.com)
ReplyDeleteVibrams will not help a tarsal tunnel entrapment. The tight fit can irritate the nerve and, if you are an overpronator, greater pressure will be placed by the tarsal tunnel ligament on the nerve.
ReplyDelete