Is Barefoot Running Safe?
This has been a popular debate now for the past five years ever since Chris McDougall’s book Born to Run was published and the rise in popularity of minimalist running shoes. Here is a great article recently published in Journal of Sport and Health Sciences that surveyed 509 runners. The results suggest that a large percentage of this sample of runners experienced benefits or no serious harm from transitioning to barefoot or minimal shoe running.
Click here to read the article in its entirety.
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About The Author
Dr. Nick Campitelli
Dr. Campitelli is a podiatrist in Akron, OH specializing in foot and ankle surgery with an interest and enthusiasm for running as well as helping runners with injuries. For the past several years he has been treating running injuries in patients by fixing their form and transitioning them to minimalist shoes. Having treated runners with all types of injuries through conservative measures with orthotics and shoe gear changes to reconstructive foot and ankle surgery, Dr. Campitelli has brought what works best and is most current to his practice as well as the Akron and Cleveland running communities.
I’m a barefoot and minimalist runner. But I’m also an objective scientist and so must note I see a potentially serious selection bias problem with this study.
No comment, but just want to follow this subject.
I agree, massive selection bias. It’s a survey that was posted on social media which is about the worst kind of unscientific survey. I view it’s results with a grain of salt. My n of 1 suggests that a lower heel toe drop has improved my chronic plantar fasciitis and that I have had no new injuries since switching. But I run from barefoot to altra and brooks pure series to hokas. Or perhaps my plantar fasciitis is just regression to the mean. Regardless, until we have more than case studies and surveys we will not be able to answer this question.