For thousands of years, our barefoot ancestors loped around the savannas of Africa, tracking down prey. Since then, of course, running footwear has not only appeared, but it’s turned into a multi-million dollar industry. A landmark point occurred in the ‘70s, when Oregon running coach Bill Bowerman embarked on a quest to re-vamp running shoes; he poured urethane into his wife’s waffle iron to create the first waffle-tractioned shoe sole. (He later partnered with Phil Knight to create Nike.) Since then, modern running shoes have become increasingly elaborate and cushy as designers sought to protect out feet from shock and provide some rebound energy.
The way to go?
But lately, a backlash has grown against the heavily cushioned and elaborately featured shoes that have become standard. The new thinking is that cushioned shoes, while absorbing shock and adding some spring to your step, also permit a great deal of extra movement, which can then lead to foot and joint pain. And while squishy shoes create pain-inducing joint torque, they are also blamed for encouraging heel-strike running, a high-impact technique that is reputedly responsible for an array of foot, leg, and back injuries. In countless articles and online forums, runners claim their problems with plantar fasciitis, joint pain, and back pain disappeared once they started running barefoot or in less-overbuilt shoes. Read More …
