My Journey To Barefoot Shoes
My thoughts on minimalist footwear for both adults AND children is something I get questions about daily - and now that I’m about a year into my own personal journey with transitioning to barefoot/minimalist shoes, I figured it’s a great time to share!
In this blog, I’m going to take you through my personal journey (the WHY behind transitioning to them & HOW I did it safely*), as well as hopefully give you some clarity on our feet as a whole, what minimalist footwear even is, and the benefits of it. For reference, I will be using ‘minimalist’ and ‘barefoot footwear’ interchangeably below!
For a list of my favorite barefoot brands & accessories check out my barefoot shoe guide for kids and adults here.
Let’s dig in, shall we!
Why I started my journey back to barefoot & minimalist footwear
The truth is, as a traditionally trained physical therapist, ‘barefoot movement’ is NOT something we learned much about, at least not when I graduated. In fact, it was actually quite the opposite, with a focus more on things like arch support, orthotics, cushioning, etc.
But…the more and more I analyzed human movement, the more patients I saw with foot dysfunction at the root of their pain & function loss, and the more children I saw with very…NOT foot shaped feet…the more I started to question everything I thought I knew about foot wear, foot shape, and the potential benefits of the barefoot movement.
So, here is MY journey getting back to barefoot slowly & safely - key word being *safely* because it IS and SHOULD BE a process!
To back WAY up…I have been just about 6 foot tall since middle school, which resulted in scoliosis, a leg length discrepancy, and some other mostly orthopedic in nature ‘issues’, but all of it never really impacted my FUNCTION. I was an athlete, I’ve pretty much always done some form of exercise, and I rarely had full on PAIN…until my last labor and delivery.
After my third pregnancy (in 6 years) and a failed epidural resulting in immense back pain, what had always been non-problematic orthopedic ‘issues’ became things that were REALLY impacting my function. I was doing all the things I thought would/should help. Exercises to re-strengthen my core, stretching & mobility to improve range of motion, etc. - but still, as I was returning to pre-pregnancy levels of activity, I just could not kick the back pain I was having from the failed epidural.
So…I started to dig. I started to consider that maybe my entire FOUNDATION was a bit off. That maybe it was more than just my scoliosis, or the failed epidural, or the leg length discrepancy. I started to consider that maybe I needed to start from the bottom up…so I dug into the research. I forced myself to question everything I thought I knew about shoes, foot support, arches, strengthening & more…and even though it was/is a bit uncomfortable to challenge what you’ve thought you’ve known, my mind was blown with what I was finding out AND when I realized that as I was implementing those changes and focusing on my foot foundation FIRST, I was actually seeing improvements in my pain and strength for the first time.
And that was all the motivation I needed to keep learning and pushing the bounds of what I thought I knew.
The human foot - the foundation of our bodies & our ability to move upright against gravity
The foot and ankle are incredibly complex, and incredibly fascinating. The two bones that make up our lower leg connect with a bone called the talus, which creates our ankle joint. Then the foot has a total of THIRTY THREE more joints, 26 bones, and over one hundred muscles, tendons & ligaments that have to work together in incredibly complex ways to allow us to bear weight through our legs and ultimately move in an upright position. Incredible right?!
What’s even more incredible is how the foot develops from infancy to adulthood!
Did you know at birth, the bones of the feet are actually cartilaginous in nature, NOT actual bones yet?! It’s true! As children develop, strengthen, and move through their milestones that involve bearing weight through the legs, they slowly ossify into bone.
And the reason infant feet are so adorable & squishy?? Fat pads! Infants & children have fat pads present on their feet, with one specifically on the inner arch that often gives the appearance of the foot being flat until the arch develops fully, around 8 years of age. You read that right - it takes nearly a decade for the foot to full develop, making those years INCREDIBLY crucial for laying a solid, pain free foundation for the rest of their lives.
This incredibly crucial period of foot development is one of the biggest things that drove me to dive more into the research on the benefits of barefoot & minimalist shoes, especially as compared to the way I had been taught to look at feet from a milestone acquisition standpoint. Because for many years (and even more so since the uptick in social media usage for educational purposes), I’ve seen more & more pathologizing things that often are actually just normal variations in humans.
When it comes to feet, I see this phenomenon happening with ‘flat feet’. And with the common approach to treating ‘flat feet’ being things like rigid orthotics, shoe inserts, and footwear with arch support, AND rarely an ‘exit plan’ for strengthening & mobility to transition OUT of those more supportive treatments, I started to really question if we were going about this all wrong, especially for our children during such an important period of foot development.
And to be clear, I am NOT implying that those things are NEVER appropriate treatments, especially if foot & ankle alignment seems to be impacting milestone acquisition and contributing to delays.
But what I am saying is I think it’s time to focus on addressing the ROOT in healthcare, rather than the SYMPTOMS. Because what I see currently is orthotics being prescribed to ‘fix’ the foot alignment and then…..that’s just it. I often see orthotics being used as band aids to improve the alignment (which if appropriately used does often improve milestone acquisition!) - but without identifying and addressing the ROOT CAUSE of that alignment, we’re leaving a crucial part out of the equation.
Because the truth is - can orthotics improve alignment and function? Absolutely!
BUT in my opinion, the GOAL should be to get out of them, especially for kiddos who again, have so much potential so see huge changes in strength, mobility and function with an intentional plan to reduce or completely eliminate the orthotic and get their foot functioning optimally as quickly as possible so they have a solid foundation for life.
Photo by Sole Freedom
Minimalist (aka barefoot) Footwear Defined
There are typically 4 characteristics of shoes considered which impact human movement; the toe-box, the sole & flexibility, the ankle, and the heel.
MINIMALIST SHOES TYPICALLY HAVE:
A wide, ‘foot shaped’ toe box that allows the toes to move naturally and adapt to surfaces and varying terrains
A flexible, thin sole that allows the foot to feel, modify & adapt when upright, walking & running.
An ankle that provides movement AND support while upright and keeps the foot firmly planted in the shoe to avoid having to grip your toes or activate your lower leg muscles to keep your foot from slipping around inside of it. (This also relates to appropriate fit!)
A heel that is neutral, often referred to as ‘zero drop’, which allows all of the joints within the ankle and foot to reach their full range of motion during the gait cycle. This also includes the front of the shoe resting on the ground (not sloping upwards when on a flat surface). To better explain this - when a shoe has a heel, it is immediately putting the ankle into a more pointed position (called plantar flexion), which not only limits the range of motion in the opposite direction (dorsiflexion), which is an extremely important part of the walking cycle, but also places atypical forces on the front of the foot, which is not designed to sustain those loads. As the front of the foot is loaded with more forces, it also increases the amount of work the muscles on the front of our thighs have to do, which in turn reduces the amount of work our butt and back thigh muscles have to do. This in turn causes the pelvis to be more tipped into an anterior position, which creates strain on the low back by increasing the lumbar lordosis and in turn, shutting off the core muscles.
Talk about a chain reaction, ya know? 😩
Why Minimalist shoes? What are the benefits?
When it comes to the benefits of minimalist shoes, there are SO many! Things like improved posture, improved stability & balance, stronger muscles, improved range of motion, and improved proprioception and body awareness. All of which contribute to reduced stress on our joints, muscles, and supporting structures within the musculoskeletal system!
Research has also shown that more barefoot time & use of minimalist footwear can reduce hip, knee AND back pain, reduce loss of function due to poor range of motion or strength, and even improve conditions like bunions and plantar fasciitis!
Overall, when we allow our feet to move more freely & ultimately move the way they were designed to, they are healthier and stronger, providing a solid foundation for the rest of the body to work from.
Now, you might be wondering….are minimalist shoes for everyone?
In my honest opinion, while I truly believe most people would benefit from more minimalist shoes, there is never absolutes when it comes to humans.
To transition safely to minimalist shoes, you absolutely must go slowly & consider YOUR anatomy, your body, any orthopedic or medical conditions you have, etc. when determining whether they’re right for you. However, general tips & considerations on transitioning, including how I did it, are below.
How to transition to minimalist shoes *safely*
The 3 big things to work on to safely transition to minimalist shoes are:
Improving strength in the foot & ankle muscles
Improving mobility & range of motion in the foot & ankle
Improving posture & balance
And MOST importantly…remembering to go slowly! It takes time to transition to minimalist shoes safely - you are truly changing your entire body starting from the ground up and laying a new foundation for the rest of your life - that is an incredible journey that again, can and SHOULD take time!
For my own journey to minimalist shoes, I’ll just quickly go over the main daily routines I implemented & some of my favorite resources for exercises & mobility.
First, I got ‘transitional’ shoes. I personally LOVE Altra because they check off all the minimalist shoe boxes, BUT have more cushioning than a true minimalist shoe, which lets your foot move naturally while helping reduce the amount of forces and load on the muscles and joints you are working hard to strengthen and improve range within.
Then, I bought a few products from Naboso, including:
Splay - toe spacers that help to restore range of motion in the feet, improve alignment of the feet, and help foot recovery.
Foot recovery Socks - which have a neuro-stimulating texture that enhances circulation, stimulates nerves, and aids in releasing/massaging the muscles and fascia of the foot.
Neuro ball - a massaging & sensory stimulating tool to release & reset muscles, activate nerve endings within the feet, and overall improve recovery as you focus on strength and mobility.
Then, every single day, I perform a strengthening & mobility routine that consists of using the products above, as well as strengthening exercises for the areas I need to focus on.
There are TONS of helpful resources for exercises all over the internet, but here are some Instagram accounts I found helpful while developing a routine that worked for me:
All in all, I think the minimalist shoe ‘trend’ is here to stay (yay!), and I hope this information helps you start to determine if it may be right for you & your loved ones!
Looking to buy some barefoot shoes for your family?
For a list of my favorite barefoot brands & accessories check out my barefoot shoe guide for kids and adults here.
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