Barefoot = Foot probs later in life?

I was talking to my dad and he said that a huge problem in florida (he used to live there) is that people walk barefoot so much that it flattens the arch of their foot and causes extreme pain later on in life.

Is this true? Anyway to prevent it? I always thought that people have been doing it thousands of years it can't be THAT bad but I'm asking your opinions

Peace and Love

 

I have extremely flat feet by nature. I haven't had any problems yet. My grandmother is 70 years old and has very flat feet also...she has back problems, but I don't know if it stems from having flat feet or not.

 

I'm not a medical doctor, but I have studied my fair share of anatomy, and I don't think there's any direct corrolation between acquiring flat feet and going barefoot. An adult's flat feet are usually linked to being overweight and/or leading a sedentary lifestyle, both of which contribute to a lengthening of the achilles tendon and that is what causes the arch to clooapse.

Going barefoot in fact strengthens one's arches and all of the muscles in the foot, which would seem to help hold off the onset of flat feet.

But regardless of flat feet, artritic pain can happen to all of us as we get older, regardless of activity level or lifestyle.

 

what Matt said about strengthing the arches. when you wear shoes, the shoe does all the work the foot should be doing.

I've been going barefoot all my life (turn 50 in feb) and I have a higher than average arch. My feet are healthy and I have no back problems.

 

I will have to echo what txbarefooter said. I've been going barefoot all my life - am older than txbarefooter - and my arches are extremely high. They are so high that my barefoot footprint shows almost nothing between the ball my foot and my heel. Some people just naturally have lower arches. But going barefoot only strengthens arches, as well as all the other parts of the foot.

I am continually amazed at some people who claim that going barefoot somehow does harm to the feet, whether short-term or over years. That just doesn't make any sense at all. Feet were never meant to be closed up and "protected" in some artificial environment. If people were meant to have something like shoes "protecting" their feet from the surfaces they walk on, they would have been born with hooves - which are about the closest thing in nature to shoes that I can think of.

 

It's just the opposite. Use your feet and they grow strong. The rikshaw pullers in India used to walk & run barefoot on pavement all day long and they had very little foot problems, no fallen arches, no flat feet.

I guess there may be two problems causing this misconception: one is the increasing number of obese people. I'm not talking about those who aren't the ideal figure to model or who are a bit chubby, but truly obese people possibly could use a bit of extra support. Many of them have knee problems & other problems of legs & back too!

Second, tourists may have foot problems if they're used to wearing shoes with arch support all year round and they go to Florida and suddenly take their shoes off or wear flipflops. Their feet are used to the support, they'd need to take it slow if they were to lose that support but instead they discard it all of a sudden, and often tourists do a lot more walking than they do at home, too! I can see how they would complain of foot pain and might blame it on the bare feet or the flipflops. If you were to use a wrist or knee brace all year long, your muscles and joints would weaken & rely on the support so that if you suddenly took it off you could easily strain yourself too.

 

And I will echo what several of you said, and in particular bfrank---I also am one of the older ones, with extremely high arches, making my foot print in shallow sand (or snow) only show the front and heel---nothing in between. I've always been told this is a good thing. I cannot get any doctor to agree that my insistence in barefooting is good, though. I have put on weight as I've grown older (54 now) but I'm not obese and I still have the chances to get it off!

Only time I even imagine I agree with the need for support, (and I may be wrong!) is on my long hikes, with any sort of load on the back, and the miles of rough trail---the very best hiking sandals might be nice to put on, take off, etc, as needed. Right now I use the Chaco hiking sandal with the high arches. That is, when, only when, on a very long hike as described. Frankly, however, even at 54 I still look for the day when I don't even need that! If we take care of ourselves, and we're all living longer, then that means there's still a lot of time left to improve and get even better with bf health lifestyle.

I'm looking into MBT sandals (Masai Barefoot Technology) as a possible next amazing hiking sandal for "those times." But make no mistake, I feel strongly that bare is best, and the exercise we get from being that way is best.

 

I must agree with the above as well. It's the old "use it or lose it". The more you barefoot the better it feels and the better it feels the more you barefoot.
CoolSp: I am curious what you feel is a "very long" hike and what do you find to be a "heavy load". I'm sure your response will be different than many. I've found I gain strength and muscularity with longish stenuous hikes. You can really feel the muscles working the way they are intended. Will the use of sandals let you go farther and stay out longer for a more enjoyable time?
I hope you all will chime in on this as this is one place I can depend on for honest answers on barefooting fitness. Thanks Archie

 

I was wondering about that as well. There's just no way I could ever imagine feet needing "support." Now that's not to say that if we are not used to something unusually strenuous, such as a long hike or a long hike carrying a heavy load, that our feet won't get tired. Getting tired is natural. Pushing the body, including the feet, beyond what we are conditioned for, and beyond the point our bodies are telling us to stop and rest for a while, is just foolish, imo. Could we bind up the tired, aching body part in some artificial support and continue beyond what should be normal human endurance? Sure. We could also drug ourselves up with steroids and other artificial strength enhancers that would allow us to go beyond our natural ability as well. That's not something I would ever do.

Going barefoot is normal and natural and requires no "support" - ever.

 

Alright thanks for all the great and informative replies guys good to know I can keep barefooting and have no worries!

Peace & Love

 

ive always had pretty big feet for a girl, but they always had nice arches in them. after barefooting for a long time the arches are almost now non-existant. i dont think its neceserally a health problem, more like an adaptation

 

Reply mostly to Rugged Soles and bfrank.

I think what I mean by "those times" when I might need some protection, is when I seriously return to backpacking, which I used to do when I was younger, and which I now want to resume, now with my18 yr old son, who will be experiencing this for the first time. Larger loads of from 30 to 50 pounds, I'm guessing, depending on how light we can go, several miles a day, up and down, even in the White Mountains of NH. On long trails, esp near or above timberline, these loads might be punishing on soles that are not used to it (yet) Also, my favorite time for this is fall or spring, when it's not terribly warm in these parts, but we'll see. I've spoken of how much I bf in snow, but miles from safe quarters might be a stretch. If a safe haven is far away, at least I can carry some "safety" in my pack. And I'm trying like bloody hell not to return to conventional hiking boots. It appears that hiking sandals have started to replace boots, at least in the warm months. A step in the right direction.

Locally, day hikes in Acadia National Park over these small mountains with lighter loads should be easy, and sometimes are. But there are longish intervals of sharp broken rock to deal with. People where I work are in awe of my ability to walk over driveways and lanes of terrible sharp gravel, and I do it with ease. But several miles of similar stuff on a hike? Not sure. It still takes building up for it. Luckily, much of our hiking trails are large rocks, pine needles, puddles, bare granite, and even moss, (need I say more--) but the broken rock stretches are a pain. Still. Even now.

I think I take long hikes and their potential dangers the way I take our extreme cold. With both, I can't allow myself to get caught out too far from help, without me being able to help myself back. I've never had any problem on hikes, not even backpacking, but I have had close calls with extreme cold, even with the safety of the heated truck plainly visible a few hundred yards off.

EDIT: Without wanting to make this much longer than it already is---I've read back over your posts and my reply, and I'll try to summarize. Agreed, no support needed ever, at least for those of us who have been at this for awhile. I'm certainly way past it. So any donning of hiking sandals or other footwear for me is strictly for 1) Colder temps than most folks here would ever bf in, (I push the limits) and 2) Very measured protection from pain from sharp objects over longish stretches with a load.

Further clarifications available if wanted, but this is probably enough for now

 

Good answer and clarification. And I don't disagree with that at all. In fact, on long hikes where the terrain is unknown in advance, I have taken along emergency flip-flops. And especially in areas where there is the potential of extreme heat. One can start out in the morning on a trail here in southern California in the summer, and by 1 or 2 o'clock the ground could be so hot you will literally blister your feet - and very few areas around here have much in the way of trees for shade. This is basically a desert when you get away from the urban artificial water sources. I was caught once a couple of miles from my truck when the ground became unbearable to walk on. I literally had to start running from one tiny shady area to another and then stand there on the edges or heels of my feet long enough to cool them off so I could run another few feet. Luckily I made it without any permanent damage, but my feet were really sore for several days after that from the burns. A pair of flip-flops would have been welcome on that day.

But I don't think of footwear like that as something needed for "support." When someone says feet need "support," they usually mean footwear that binds up the full foot, and sometimes the ankle as well, and "supporting" all the muscles and tendons as well as the skin covering the whole foot. That's what so-called hiking boots usually do.

I think of the emergency flip-flops that I sometimes carry as more of a temporary sole protection - as needed, when needed - in case of unexpected unbearable heated surfaces or some other unforeseen condition that could actually do physical damage to your feet where you might be caught out somewhere in the wilderness far away from any help.

 

I did not wear shoes for 3 years.. NOT once... Not even in NYC in the winter or BAJA CA in the summer...

My body, especially my back, never felt better. There are many new studies coming out today that say SHOES are BAD for core strength and over all foot health. Shoes weaken the muscles in the feet.

NIKE has even begun to do research on the subject.

Some of the fastest long distance runners in the world have run barefoot including 2 OLYMPIANS.

iloveyou

Now when I occasionaly wear shoes, it is fun.. it feels like armor..

LOL

 

It sounds like we're doing much the same thing, except I deal with the extreme opposite of your heat. Even with climate change, we still have some serious cold at some point in the winter. Flops extend the season for me, putting a pad of insulation between my sole and cold or frozen ground--- but comes a point they're not enough. That point hasn't come for a long time! This year, in Maine, I honestly haven't had shoes on since March 12, and today we end the warmest November ever. If I make it to December 12, that's 9 months in Maine with my feet totally bare, or mostly bare. Climate change or not, that's amazing to me. Back when winters were rough, I was proud to call it 6 or 7 months.

Now, the hiking. Yes, flops are the answer for those difficult stretches on day hikes here in Acadia. But I've known my feet to slip out of them, hence my thought on using Chacos or trying the Barefoot Technology sandals for backpacking. EVEN THOUGH hiking sandals offer the unneeded support. I'm still working on this. I can't afford accidents far from home. But, I'm building strength, and losing weight when I can hike or bike at all.

 

9 months BF in Maine is Amazing ! Every year I try and extend my season too. As for Hiking, being prepared in the event of an accident is a very good idea. On any extended outings, I'll bring a roll of hockey tape and some neosporin as well. Better to have it and never use it than be caught without. My feelings are that building strength will always be in our own best interest. The conditions in Acadia sound excelent.
I've never had to deal with excessive heat like BAJA.
The responses here have been most informative. thanks to all

 

If we return to normal winters again, it will go back to being closer to half and half for the year, and even that's pretty good for a climate like this. The recent period has been very strangely mild. I'm getting mileage out of it anyway.

Yes, this has been a good and informative thread

 

I have huge flat feet (Florida native and was barefoot all my childhood, or in flip flops). As has been most of my family... no problems with our feet though I am only 26

 

i am 45 and i have been running around barefoot since childhood. i find that your feet are stronger by going barefoot and not trapping them in shoes. i have no medical evidence, just my personal experience.

 

I just don't see how anyone could logically think otherwise. I agree with you. Of course going barefoot makes feet stronger.

Why would our feet have been designed as they are if they were not meant to be used in their natural state and last a lifetime? Just think about it. Would there even be a reason for podiatrists to exist if no one wore shoes? There are very few, if any, foot problems that are treated by these types of medical specialists that are not caused by wearing shoes. So, except for an occasional broken toe or some accident to the foot, if people didn't wear shoes, their feet would be healthy and strong all their lives and there would never be a need for doctors who specialize in feet. Are there doctors who specialize in hands? Well, actually yes, but they are generally orthopedic surgeons who just limit their practice to that one part of the body – such as treating broken fingers, sprains, arthritis, and things of that nature. Anyone ever develop "athlete’s hand," or bunions on the thumb, or "hammerfinger," or corns on the knuckles – or hand odor? People would have those maladies if they abused their hands like they abuse their feet by keeping them closed up in tight fitting binders for hours on end.

Societies that are traditionally barefoot simply do not have foot problems as a rule.