06/09/2012    Howard E. Friedman, DPM

Barefoot Running More Efficient (Kevin Kirby, DPM)

The literature on "barefoot running" is growing,
but to someone not following the developing
research, some of the findings could easily be
misinterpreted. I also read the article Dr.
Kirby cited and indeed the University of
Colorado researchers do conclude that light-
weight cushioned shoes have a slight advantage
over "barefoot running". However, keep in mind
that they tested truly barefoot runners who
already run with a mid-foot strike pattern
against themselves, running with the same gait
pattern in a Nike Mayfly racing flat, weighing
only 150gm/shoe.
When people speak about "barefoot running"
today, in many cases they are referring to
running in "minimalist" shoes, like the Mayfly
or the New Balance Minimus running shoes. These
shoes are dramatically lighter than traditional
running shoes (The New Balance Minimus 20 weighs
233 gm, while the traditional New Balance 810
trail runner weighs 387 gm.)

So to conclude from the cited article (Metabolic
Cost of Running Barefoot versus Shod: Is Lighter
Better, Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012 Mar 2 (Epub
ahead of Print, Franz et.al) that running
in "shoes" is more efficient than "barefoot" may
be true when comparing running truly barefooted
against running in lightweight shoes. But it is
not necessarily true when comparing running in a
traditional bulky running shoe with a built up
EVA heel AGAINST running in a minimalist
lightweight unstructured shoe with only a 4mm
drop from the heel to the toe.

Lightweight will win out in someone who has also
mastered mid-foot striking and a proper stride
length.

I have written a blog-post and review about the
New Balance Minimus shoe on my office web site
(www.suffernpodiatry.com/blog/2012/4/_Barefoot_Ru
nning ). Moreover, for the right patients, I
encourage some to reduce the weight of their
foot wear whether for running or hiking and in
some cases to begin foregoing use of their
orthotics. When practiced judiciously minimalist
shoe wear can help strengthen foot muscles and
foot health in some cases.

Howard E. Friedman, DPM, Suffern, NY,
hefriedman@earthlink.net

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