Are Barefoot Shoes Good for You?

Less shoe. More you.

For decades, it was commonly believed that adding more cushioning and rigid “motion control technology” to shoes made them safer, healthier and kept foot pain at bay. In recent years, however, many doctors have spoken up to disagree with this view. New studies continually emerge that suggest less cushioning and more flexibility in shoes may not only be healthier, but may also relieve foot pain and treat or even cure foot ailments that were previously thought to require orthotics or surgery (scroll down for a list of these studies).

The idea is simple: shoes that force your feet into tight spaces and fixed positions can cause pain and gradually deform the shape of your feet and toes. Adding a plush pad of orthotic cushioning under your feet may feel great at first, but it may also prevent you from using and exercising all of your foot muscles as nature intended. Over time, this may cause those muscles to weaken and possibly atrophy. The result? More foot pain, which is often treated with thicker orthotics, which leads to more pain, which leads to thicker orthotics, and so on and so on.

It’s time to stop the cycle! Countless Softstar customers have experienced the benefits of barefoot shoes. They've told us they were able to throw away their orthotics completely and walk pain free after carefully transitioning.

We believe that going barefoot is often the best path to strong and healthy feet. Unfortunately, we live in a world where shoes are usually required, and that’s where Softstar comes in. Our barefoot shoes are designed to mimic barefoot movement as closely as possible while keeping your feet protected from the elements. Unlike conventional footwear, which often uses thick and rigid designs that force your foot into the shape of a shoe, all of Softstar's minimalist shoes are designed to be thin and flexible with leather that stretches naturally. The more you wear our minimalist footwear, the more it takes the shape of your feet.

By allowing feet to move freely we believe we allow them to develop and strengthen naturally. And since your feet are the foundation of your whole body, healthy feet are the first steps to an active and healthy lifestyle... strong from the ground up!

If you're still wondering "are barefoot shoes good for you?" then check out the articles and studies below, or read the customer reviews and testimonials throughout our website—they speak for themselves!

A word of caution: if you are new to barefoot shoes then we strongly recommend a slow and careful transition from your old shoes. Since barefoot shoes activate muscles, tendons and ligaments that may have grown weak after years of wearing conventional shoes, it is often necessary to build up foot strength gradually to prevent injury. For more info, read our tips for a safe transition:

Features and Benefits of Barefoot Shoes

All Softstar shoes are designed with the following features. Expand these topics for more information:

Zero Heel-to-Toe Drop

minimal-shoes-heel-to-toe-drop

Heel-to-Toe drop is the difference between the thickness of a shoe’s sole at the heel and the thickness at the toe. Most modern shoes add thick cushioning under the heels of shoes, which encourages people to strike the ground with their heels first when running. This creates a harsher, more jarring impact than striking midfoot or forefoot first—the way people run when barefoot.

Note: it is normal to walk in minimal shoes differently than the way you run. See this blog post for more details.

Sources:
• Running in Highly Cushioned Shoes Increases Leg Stiffness and Amplifies Impact Loading, by Juha-Pekka Kulmala, et al
• Biomechanical Differences Between Different Foot Strikes, by Dr. Daniel Lieberman, et al
• Footwear: The Primary Cause of Foot Disorders, by Dr. William A. Rossi
• Heel Elevation, by Dr. Ray McClanahan, D.P.M.

No Arch Support

minimal-shoes-arch-support

"Don't I need support for my weak arches?" We hear this a lot, but many of our new customers learn quickly that their arch supports may actually be weakening the arches in their feet. As any engineer will tell you, arches become stronger when weight comes down on them from above, but lose their structural integrity when pushed up from below. This is why many podiatrists now believe arch supports act as crutches that cause arches to weaken and flatten over time. On the other hand, a gradual and careful transition to shoes without arch supports may result in strong, well-rounded arches (as shown in the study below).

Sources:
• Two-Year Long Case Study Demonstrates an Increase in Arch Height From Running in Minimalist Shoes, by Dr. Nick Camitelli
• The Effect of Minimal Shoes on Arch Structure and Intrinsic Foot Muscle Strength, by Elizabeth E. Miller, et al
• Arch Support, by Dr. Ray McClanahan, D.P.M.

Wide Toe Box

minimal-shoes-wide-toe-box

The toe box is the space in the front of a shoe that surrounds the toes. Many conventional shoes have tapered/pointy toe boxes because they make feet look smaller and more fashionable. If the toe box constricts the foot and does not allow toes to splay as they would when barefoot, then the shoe may be inhibiting natural movement. The shape of your feet can actually become deformed over many years of tapered toe boxes, which may lead to problems like bunions, neuromas and hammertoes. All Softstar shoes feature wide toe boxes of varying sizes, and our Primal shoes have been declared as having the widest toe box in the shoe industry!

Sources:
• Tapering Toeboxes, by Dr. Ray McClanahan, D.P.M.
• Fashion and Foot Deformation, by Dr. William A. Rossi
• Fancy Shoes and Painful Feet: Hallux valgus and fracture risk in medieval Cambridge, England, by Jenna M.Dittmar, et al

Thin and Flexible Soles (No Toe Spring)

no-toe-spring-arch-support

Shoes that are curved up at the front and force toes to stay in an upward position (a feature called a toe spring) may deform the shape of the foot's metatarsal arch, weaken foot muscles and lead to foot disorders such as plantar fasciitis, neuromas or hammertoes. A shoe that allows natural movement will have a shape that allows toes to lie flat while standing and flex up and down freely during activity to follow the natural shape of your foot as it moves. Soles that are thin and flexible also allow more groundfeel. Your feet relay information to your brain about what they sense when you walk and run, and your body reacts accordingly.

Sources:
• Effect of the upward curvature of toe springs on walking biomechanics in humans, by Freddy Sichting, et al
• Toe Spring, by Dr. Ray McClanahan, D.P.M.
• Trail Walking, by Glann Ingram, Jr., ND and Dr. Ray McClanahan, D.P.M

Lightweight

minimal-shoes-lightweight

This one is a no-brainer. Heavier shoes not only require more energy to move, but may also slow down your response time. Thinner, lighter shoes allow walkers and runners to respond quicker to changing ground surfaces. Most Softstar shoes consist of little more than thin pieces of leather stitched to a flexible sole and are usually much lighter than other shoes on the market.

Sources:
• The Effect of Shoe Weight on Sprint Performance: A Biomechanical Perspective, by Maurice Mohr, et al
• Trail Walking, by Glann Ingram, Jr., ND and Dr. Ray McClanahan, D.P.M

Treating Foot Problems Naturally

a foot massaging against a spiky ball

Just a reminder: we're shoemakers, not doctors, and we cannot prescribe medical advice. We do, however, have access to many articles on foot health written by doctors who believe it is best to treat foot problems by restoring natural function with barefoot shoes, rather than resorting to orthotics or surgery. We have posted many of these articles on our blog and are happy to share the most popular posts below, though any treatment plan you undertake is done at your own risk and we make no promises about results.

One of our favorite tools for treating foot pain naturally is Correct Toes. Invented by podiatrist Dr. Ray McClanahan DPM, these simple silicon toe spacers have proven to be effective in helping many people treat foot problems such as bunions, plantar fasciitis, hammertoes, neuromas, capsulitis, knee pain and more. We are proud to sell their toe spacers on our website, as they are mentioned often in the articles below.

Not finding the information you need? The Correct Toes website has a comprehensive directory of foot ailments with suggestions for natural, non-invasive treatment:


Need a Professional Opinion?

Of course, we always recommend seeking the opinion of a trained medical professional. Unfortunately, it may be difficult to find a doctor in your area who supports the idea of treating foot pain by restoring natural foot function, instead of simply prescribing orthotics or surgery. If you have trouble finding a pro-barefoot doctor in your town then you may benefit from a remote online consultation with Dr. Ray McClanahan's clinic in Portland, Oregon. Schedule an appointment with Northwest Foot & Ankle.

Sources

sources-minimalist-shoe-benefits

We are always on the lookout for articles and studies on the benefits of minimalist shoes. You can find a collection of informative articles provided on Correct Toes' website discussing the following topics:

  • Fashion and Foot Deformation, by Dr. William A. Rossi
  • Footwear: The Primary Cause of Foot Disorders, by Dr. William A. Rossi
  • Toe Spring, by Dr. Ray McClanahan, D.P.M.
  • Heel Elevation, by Dr. Ray McClanahan, D.P.M.
  • Arch Support, by Dr. Ray McClanahan, D.P.M.
  • Tapering Toeboxes, by Dr. Ray McClanahan, D.P.M.
  • Think About Your Knees, by Dr. William E. Garret, MD
  • Athletic Footwear: Unsafe Due to Perceptual Illusion, by Steven Robbins and Gerard J. Gouw
  • Paleopathological Study of Hallux Valgus, by S.A. Mays
  • Hallux Valgus in a historical French Population, by Bertrand Mafart
  • Running-Related Injury Prevention Through Barefoot Adaptations, by Steven Robbins and Adel M. Hanna
  • The Influence of Footwear on the Prevalence of Flat Foot, by V. Sachithanandam and Benjamin Joseph
  • Hazard of Deceptive Advertising of Athletic Footwear, by Steven Robbins and Edward Waked
  • Is Your Prescription fo Distance Running Shoes Evidence Based? by Dr. Craig Richards, et al
  • Trail Walking, by Glann Ingram, Jr., ND and Dr. Ray McClanahan, D.P.M
  • Foot Strengthening, by Dr. Ray McClanahan, D.P.M.
  • Walkers Bare All, by Dr. Ray McClanahan, D.P.M.
  • Running Injuries Between Shod and Barefoot Runners, by Dr. Irene S. Davis and Dr. Allison R. Altman

Here is a list of additional resources we found insightful:

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