Barefoot shoes

(Allie) #1

I know it’s not keto, but it is health related and I know we are a health conscious bunch here… do any of you wear barefoot shoes? The science seems sound, it makes a lot of sense, and I really want to try them… but the cost is three times what i would normally spend on my regular footwear which makes me hesitant :grimacing:

(Ellie) #2

I bought a pair as have been struggling with morton’s neuroma in my right foot and I thought that the space to allow my foot to spread normally would help.
These were the brand I bought:

I found the soles very thin - I realise that is somewhat the point, but it actually aggravated my neuroma.
I have since had surgery to remove the neuroma and tried wearing them during the recovery time, thinking it would be good to have a more natural profile during that time…noooo- ouch!

They are also quite big and flappy. They are the right size for me, but the cut and feeling of them is that they are a bit clown-shoe ish.
I am 6ft tall and have UK size 10 feet so I am a bit self-conscious about my feet anyway and having flappy looking, very flat shoes didn’t help me.
They are a lot of money in my opinion, for what they are.
I guess it depends on whether you have foot problems that you think might be helped by them, but for me they didn’t help and are now gathering dust after only a few wears.

(Chris) #3

Wrap your feet in plastic shopping bags, put on some low socks, and spray 2 coats of plasti-dip on them. DIY barefoot shoes.

(Allie) #4

That’s the brand I’ve been looking at actually, and someone sent me a £25 voucher which would help a lot. I don’t have any issues with my feet at all thankfully, but have always had ankle and knee pain which is what I’d like to try and fix. Doc said it was growing pains when I was eleven but I’m 42 now and haven’t been growing for a long time :joy:

From the research I’ve done it seems to be advised to ease into them slowly rather than wear them constantly straight away. I walk a lot and worry that they’ll wear out really quick and end up costing me a fortune :confused:

(Ellie) #5

I think there is something to be said for having very low heels on shoes and therefore not shortening your calves. So I guess for ankle or muscle issues it could be beneficial.
If you have a voucher they may be worth a try, given your joint pain. They’re not pretty though and the soles are thin - they also can’t be resoled like normal shoes could be.
On the joint pain, have you tried something like pilates? I’ve had hip and back pain for years which I just put down to a consequence of being tall. I started doing a weekly pilates course and that has helped no end.

(Marta Loftfield) #6

I use them as water shoes when kayaking and fishing. They are also good for hiking on rocks as you can grip with your toes. They do (did) make ones with thicker aggressive soles. Those are the ones I have used.

(Mike W.) #7

I wear a pair of Merrell barefoot running shoes to work everyday. I install and service draft beer systems, so it’s no desk job. My feet never hurt. I’m also 6’3" 260 with TERRIBLE overpronation. I can’t say it’s improved anything or hurt anything. I just like them.

(Mike W.) #8

Also as far as cost, I buy almost all my shoes on eBay. Most of the time they’re brand new or VERY lightly used and I never spend over $100 even for something like a Vasque hiking boot. I think I got my Merrells for $50 and they still had tags.

(Vladaar Malane) #9

I use Xero shoes. Love them.

If your on concrete a lot takes awhile to get used to walking lighter without stomping when your used to thick cushions.

(Allie) #10

I do yoga regularly and have been under chiropractic care for many years, both of which benefit me greatly but the knees and ankles are still an issue and I’ve noticed when I do any single leg work my knees tend to go inwards which seems to show an instability issue.

(GINA ) #11

I don’t wear shoes labeled ‘barefoot’ (except for one pair I found on super-clearance at REI), but I wear flat unstructured shoes and go barefoot in my house as much as possible. Socks or flat leather slippers if it is cold, cheap flip flops to walk around in the yard.

There isn’t anything magical about the ‘barefoot’ shoes, the point is just NOT to support your feet to the point they don’t have to support themselves.

I think it is easier for women. All you have to do is enter ‘ballet flats’ in Amazon and come up with a ton of choices.

Try searching for ‘flat shoes, no support’ or something like that. I remember doing a search years ago and it seems like there were some choices for men.

#12

I bought xeros. I love them so much! I used to take my shoes off as soon as I walked in the door, now I notice I keep them in until bedtime.
They have some on sale right now.

(Allie) #13

Not sure ballet flats would be any good for dog walking or hiking in the woods :joy:

Yes they’re basically about protecting your feet while allowing them to keep their natural positioning and functioning.

(Ellie) #14

Mine do the same, and when I ski I A-frame with my knees.
That is partly the nature of being a woman and having hips and a lower centre of gravity to men- it produces an angle in the femur, but is also a factor of instability in the hip and ankle joints. For me it is mainly the ankle leading to over-pronation. I foam roller my calves and shins to reduce restriction there which can contribute. I went from having very poor forward movement in my ankles to being much better, and this helped the knee turning in too.
There is a check you can do which is to stand facing a wall with your big toe just touching the wall and then bend your knee forward without lifting your heel. If you can’t, or can only just, touch the wall then you have very poor dorsiflexion. If you can touch the wall easily, slide your foot back an inch or 2 until you can no longer reach the wall with your knee. If you can get your toe 3-4 inches back from the wall and still touch it with your knee then your ankle dorsiflexion is ok. If it is between these two then foam rollering may help.

(Kema V) #15

I use to be a runner. I started with regular sneakers and then made the change to Vibram five fingers. My run / foot strike felt a lot more natural.

(Edith) #16

I have been wearing Vibram Five Finger Shoes for about eight years now. I love them .:heart_eyes:
I wear them all the time for my everyday shoes as long as it’s not raining, and I wear them running.

Because they imitate being barefoot, I walk with a shorter stride that keeps by body centered over my feet. Therefore, I don’t heel strike. You may find wearing vibrams does help with your knees and ankles.

From running in the Vibrams, the arch of my foot strengthened and I now have a medium arch instead of a low to nonexistent arch. Also, my shoe size when down by 1/2 to one whole size.
Finally I used to get knee trouble from running in traditional running shoes, but I’ve had no knee trouble since I made the switch.

I’ve been wearing them so long, I don’t like wearing regular shoes any more.

(Allie) #17

This is something I’ve heard from many people :blush:

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #18

I’m interested in this too… I always prefer barefoot when I can. I used to have a pair of Mary Janes that had a super thin, flat soles and no arch support with a fabric upper. SO comfortable. And the sole lasted forever. They finally died from the uppers wearing out. I loved I could feel the ground without it hurting or being dirty.

(Colin) #19

I’ve been wearing Vivobarefoot shoes almost exclusively for about 8 years, and would never go back now. They have transformed the way I walk and just hold myself generally when standing. I feel like my spine finally has a chance to ‘sit’ in its correct position. They’re not cheap, so I tend to look out for ‘hardly worn’ ones on ebay. The sizing is consistent, so after buying the first pair new, I know what size will fit.

(Allie) #20

My chiropractor wears Vivobarefiit too and his current pair he got on sale for about £70 over two years ago. He recommends them very highly.

I think I’m going to have to try it but will keep a look out for a sale, or maybe Christmas when I get my bonus at work… :grinning: