Being barefoot causes a rapid uptick in underfoot nerve activity that’s continuous, meaning the foot’s nerves are constantly firing and also repeatedly talking to other nerves in the ankle-joint, knee-joint, hip-joint, spinal cord and the brain! What good does this do? You get a better integration of sensory information flowing through the body, especially the brain, which has more influence on continually improving reflexive, postural and muscular control as well as your sense of joint velocity and position, all of which go into forming the mechanical components for low impact movements which can help you move better with more stable footsteps AND gives your legs the ability to cope with higher miles. This is how increased barefoot activity can not only weaponize your feet with improved functional strength, but can rapidly advance improvements in mobility health. Read more here about the numerous ways being barefoot automatically strengthens your feet in ways that traditional running shoes could never do.
Bretta Riches
BSc Neurobiology; MSc Biomechanics candidate, ultra minimalist runner & founder of RunForefoot. I was a heel striker, always injured. I was inspired by the great Tirunesh Dibaba to try forefoot running. Now, I'm injury free. This is why I launched Run Forefoot, to advocate the health & performance benefits of forefoot running and to raise awareness on the dangers of heel striking, because the world needs to know.
Latest posts by Bretta Riches (see all)
- Does Foot Strike Really Matter in Running? YES! - 17/04/2024
- Heel Lifts Increase Injury in Runners - 16/04/2024
- Are Minimalist Shoes Good for Seniors? YES! - 14/04/2024