BAREFOOT RUNNING Back to NATURE
Barefoot running is meant to be the natural way, so could it keep our bodies in better alignment and thereby prevent injury? Or does it create a whole other set of issues? Kath Hudson reports
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he jury is out on barefoot running. Those who have converted report a feeling of freedom, euphoria and
improved performance. But while barefoot running has its supporters, there are many others who take issue with it. Meanwhile lots of experts are sitting on the fence, mainly because there isn’t enough data available at the moment to form a definitive view. Although some people actually run
barefoot, most barefoot runners use minimal shoes, which are fl at and provide only a small amount of cushioning and protection. Barefoot currently only accounts for a reported 10–15 per cent of the running shoe market, but it’s getting trendy.
Avoiding injury Advocates say that barefoot running encourages the correct technique in
runners, minimising actions such as heel striking, which causes a shock to run up through the body and which can lead to injury. When running barefoot, people shorten their stride length and avoid hitting the ground with the heel first, as it hurts. However, many trainers are built up around the heel, which can exacerbate the heel strike action. “An estimated 79 per cent of people
give up running because of an injury, which is due to 75 per cent of shod runners heel striking,” says Lee Saxby of barefoot running specialist VIVOBAREFOOT. “Heel striking generates a signifi cant shockwave up through the body via the skeletal system and will eventually lead to injury. Barefoot running is more focused on the technique than the equipment.” Physiotherapist and running technique
coach Louise Nicholettos agrees: “For regular runners, getting an injury at
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some point is inevitable. Lots of people become interested in barefoot running because they have running injuries.” So does this mean that switching to
barefoot running will reduce the number of injuries? Barefoot running coach Rollo Mahon, from the Barefoot Performance Academy, believes so. He has managed to avoid knee surgery by realigning himself using barefoot running. “The knowledge of barefoot has given me the tools to prevent and deal with injury,” he says. “I used to chase injuries around the body – I’d have an injury somewhere, fi x it, but then the problem would move somewhere else – but by understanding the biomechanics of barefoot running, I can avoid them. I teach people to run more effi ciently.” He continues: “The blueprint of our
architectural design is barefoot. The further we get away from that, the more likelihood there is of injury. If we
July 2013 © Cybertrek 2013
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