Lately a lot of people have asked me the question, "Is it ok for me to run barefoot". This is a subject that can be debated by runners, researchers, and doctors like myself for days.
As we know people have been running for thousands of years prior to the creation of the modern athletic shoe. But as we know, just because something was done years ago, that doesn't mean it is better for you and that we can't improve our way of life.
In general the very complicated subject of "Barefoot Running" can be broken down into a few important points:

1) Force = Mass x Acceleration (Newton's Second Law)
This translates into the more you weight and the faster you run the more force is placed through your feet.

2) Forces which do not act uniformly on all parts (your feet) of a body will also cause mechanical stresses, a technical term for influences which cause deformation(damage) of matter (your feet).
This means that force created by your body while running is not spread out evenly throughout your body. It is unequally placed on certain parts of your lower extremity (feet), and this will cause damage of your feet as time goes on.

As humans run we usually contact the ground (strike the ground) in two common places, the rearfoot (heel) and the forefoot (ball of the foot). These two areas of the feet absorb force very differently as you are running. Most people who run long distances have heel strike involved in their gait(running pattern), while people who sprint do not have heel strike, they hit the ground with their forefoot(ball of their foot).
As stated early heel impact is very different form impact on the ball of your foot. Heel Impact leads to a rapid, high impact force about 1.5 to as much as 3 times your body weight (depending on your speed) This is equivalent to someone hitting you on the heel with a hammer using 1.5 to as much as 3 times your body weight. These impacts add up, since you strike the ground almost 1000 times per mile! Many running shoes make heel strikes comfortable and decrease the change of foot injuries because they slow the rate of loading considerably, reduce the force by about 10% and spread this force out over a greater area of the foot.
Barefoot runners that prefer "going shoeless", have to become accustom to striking the ground with the "ball" of there foot, not their heel, because force through their heel repeatedly will become very painful. Although you can train your body to run and contact the ground with mostly your forefoot "ball of your foot", the force of your body weight has to go somewhere and eventually you increase your chance of stress related changes to your feet, by not spreading out the forces evenly. If you have been a heel striker, it takes some time and work to train your body to forefoot or midmost strike, especially because you need stronger feet and calf muscles. Runners may be at greater risk of developing Achilles tendonitis when they switch from heel striking to forefoot striking, along with other conditions such as "Stress Fractures".
Another important point to bring up is that "Barefoot Running" does not protect your feet from the environment around you. Thick-soled shoes are much more forgiving when running over glass, sharp objects, and bacteria on the surfaces we run on. In conclusion, I recommend to run in proper athletic shoes, but with that said we live in a country where you can run with or without shoes, and if you happen to choose to run without shoes, rest assure that I will be here to help you if those foot or ankle problems eventually due "catch up with you".

Dr. Dominick Sansone - Foot and Ankle Specialist/ Surgeon

If you have any questions email me at dr.dsansone@gmail.com