Barefoot Walking

Why is the idea of barefoot walking becoming so popular?

The discussion about barefoot walking has become more and more common in recent years. Much of the discussion was preceded by a similar discussion about running technique which was prompted by the popular book, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, published in 2009. This book launched a wave of barefoot runners, minimalist footwear, and assertions that footwear is the cause of and not the cure for foot pain. 

Foot pain, knee pain, and back pain are very common in runners, but also in walkers as well. It is not surprising that many runners develop pain due to the high impact of the activity. But why would people develop pain from what should be a low impact activity such as walking? Finding the correct reason for the problem would go a long way toward prescribing the correct solution.

One of the proposed problems for runners was that heel striking was resulting in high impact forces reverberating through the feet, shins, and knees. Some describe the heel impact as akin to "putting on the brakes." It was then postulated that heavily cushioned footwear was the cause of people landing unnaturally on the heel. Without footwear, people would naturally land on either the forefoot or the midfoot. The solution then becomes removing the footwear, which would presumably force people back into a "natural" forefoot or midfoot strike. This argument for reducing pain in running then began to be extrapolated to walking, as if they were the same thing. 

What Does the Research Say?

What research exist is conflicting. The research on barefoot running must also be distinguished from the research on barefoot walking. Although proponents of barefoot running often assume the logic for barefoot running applies equally to barefoot walking, the mechanics are very different between walking and running, and you cannot make assumptions about waking based on an analysis of running. 

Some of the research on barefoot walking shows that people walk with a decreased stride length when walking barefoot than they do when walking in shoes. They also walk with a more rapid cycle rate when barefoot. In other words, people take more steps and more rapid steps to travel the same distance when barefoot than in shoes. There are no studies that show people walking barefoot have less pain than people who walk in shoes. 

Running Mechanics vs. Walking Mechanics

Running involves propelling the body off the ground, so at some point both feet are off the ground at the same time. Because both feet are off the ground at the same time, it is possible to bring the swing leg down in various positions. The swing leg can be brought down in front of the center of gravity. In this case, the foot will first contact on the heel. The swing leg can be brought down directly under the center of gravity. In this case, the foot will contact directly on the midfoot. The swing leg can also be brought down just behind the center of gravity. In this case, the forefoot will be the first part of the foot to contact the ground. All of these various foot placements can be done while maintaining completely vertical posture and alignment of the spine and pelvis. A key difference between running and walking is that all of these various foot placements can be done while propelling the body significantly forward while both feet are off the ground. This allows for efficient movement with either of the three variations of foot placement. 

In walking, only one foot can be off the ground at the same time. It is not possible to propel the body forward and land with the swing leg under the center of mass without leaning forward. Many people who advocate barefoot walking, and midfoot strike walking, describe landing with the weight under the center of gravity. If you think about it, this is not possible unless you are marching in place. Obviously that would not be an efficient means of traveling. Therefore, the same logic used to advocate landing on the midfoot in running cannot be used to advocate for midfoot landing with walking. 

Why Do People Get Pain with Walking

The majority of people can live a long life without developing significant problems with foot pain or back pain. This is true in the modern age where people have always worn shoes and live on average into their eighties, with many people living much longer without problems. This would seem to indicate that it is not the shoes that are the cause of the problem. There is something else going on. I believe that the development of pain is often a result of incorrect walking technique that is unrelated to wearing shoes. Where barefoot advocates may have a point is that incorrect walking technique may be recognized sooner without shoes because the abnormal impact would be felt very quickly. The cushioned shoes can disguise the abnormal walking technique until it is an ingrained habit. Then it becomes hard to recognize and correct. 

Many people land incorrectly on the heel. They pitch forward at the waist, landing forcefully at the end of each step. Many people push off forcefully when walking, also contributing to a hard impact on the heel. This results in damage and ultimately to pain. Picture a high school student walking briskly with a heavy backpack on while pitched over at the waist. They land heavily on the heel with each step. The habit persists even when the backpack is no longer in use. This sort of heel impact would result in a very rapid onset of pain if the student was walking barefoot. This would lead to an almost immediate correction of the problem. In shoes, the mistake can be ignored almost indefinitely. When pain finally becomes an issue, perhaps years later, it is hard to determine the cause. As my patients often say, "I haven't been doing anything different, so I don't understand why my feet started hurting." What they don't recognize is that the pain is a result of longstanding abnormal stresses on the feet and other joints. 

The challenge with advocating barefoot walking for people who are already suffering from pain is that they, in many cases, already have a chronic defect in the way they walk. Removing the shoes will not train them to walk correctly, rather it will simply increase the stress on the foot. This could be problematic and make the problem worse.

People with foot pain are often landing incorrectly, leading to collapse of the arches. This can lead to problems like plantar fasciitis as well as other painful conditions. I generally recommend people with this type of problem wear supportive shoes and an arch support. This serves as a temporary crutch to keep the feet better aligned. At the same time, I try to work with correcting their walking technique. This correction may or may not ever happen. Most people are fixed in their habits and may not take the time to relearn lifelong habits. 

Proper Walking Technique

Whether walking with shoes or without shoes, correct walking technique is the same. It is common to elongate the movement in shoes but without changing the nature of the technique. The attached videos will describe the proper walking technique that will allow for minimal impact forces in or out of shoes. If you follow these movement principles, you should find walking fluid and comfortable, and with minimal impact. If you already have pain with walking, then it will take practice to correct your walking technique. This can be done in or out of shoes.