Do Vibram Five Fingers Work for Running?

Do Vibram Five Fingers Work for Running?

Do Vibram Five Fingers work for running in terms of injury prevention? What’s so scientifically interesting is that knee and back protection from impact in running comes from not with increased underfoot cushioning as increased underfoot cushioning is linked to greater downward and push forces, but with ditching your heel strike and adopting a forefoot strike landing pattern. To be sure you’re not landing heel-first during running, it really helps to feel the ground more fully! Feeling the ground more fully with your feet, like in the Vibram Five Fingers, gives you an excellent start at correcting your heel strike to a forefoot strike when you run. This matters because a well-known advantage of forefoot running is less impact forces and loading on the knees and lower back. Essentially, the sole thinness of most Vibram barefoot running shoes provides rich sensory input at the feet which magnifies your perceptual awareness of your foot strike position, posture and intensity.This is one reliable method in how your forefoot strike can be made more effective and safe, helping you run more injury-free. Read more here about the important role Vibram shoes play in preventing running-related knee and back injuries.


Bretta Riches

"I believe the forefoot strike is the engine of endurance running..."

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.
Bretta Riches