Contrary to popular belief, more cushioning, especially under the heel, in a running shoe was alarmingly found to increase joint loading on the hips, knees and ankles to the degree of enabling arthritic conditions to potentially develop as compared to runners who run barefoot or in barefoot-type footwear.
Heel strike running produces an impact variable, known as an impulse wave, that is primarily responsible for long bone injuries, such as a femur fracture, as compared with forefoot running, which was found to sufficiently counter this damaging impact.
In running, changing your foot strike pattern from a heel strike to a forefoot strike landing does not increase the risk of an Achilles injury. Even better, forefoot running enables the Achilles tendon to function more optimally as an energy-saving spring whereas heel strike running may actually be an impediment to the economic elastic properties of the tendon.
The safest, most efficient way to run uphill is to land with a forefoot strike because it was found to do a better job at improving the position of both initial foot strike position and your upper body posture in ways that greatly reduces the opposing forces linked to most common running-related injuries as compared with heel striking.
The only disadvantage of barefoot running is blistering which is attributed to doing too much barefoot running too soon. The best approach to barefoot running is an incremental one, starting off by running barefoot for 1 minute then walking barefoot, and repeating this interval according to your tolerance level. If you do get a blister, the next best alternative to barefoot running is minimalist footwear, which does an equally excellent job at helping you move away from heel strike running, and instead, helps you easily adopt a forefoot strike tied to less over-striding, better upper body posture, higher cadence and less ground-contact time.
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