The benefits of barefoot walking

The human foot was designed for walking barefoot. The basic design that was born out of a series of evolutions from the ape-foot is an architectural and biomechanical marvel of science. The human foot has remained anatomically, architecturally, and biomechanically modern for a long time and certainly since much, much, before footwear was invented.

Several studies have pointed out the benefits that can accrue from walking barefoot. While it may not be practical or practicable to walk around barefoot all the time particularly with the state of our roads, (in India) there is definitely scope to include bare foot walking into our daily lifestyle.

A study that compared morphological and functional effects of habitual foot wear amongst three groups of individuals is revealing. Group-1 consisted of a population of habitually barefoot Indians (n = 70), Group-2 consisted of habitually shod Indians (n = 137) and a Western population (n = 48). An important note here is that even habitually shod Indians also wore shoes less often and used shoes that were less constrictive compared to their Western counterparts.

Barefoot walkers had wider feet and more equally distributed peak pressures, i.e. the entire load carrying surface of the feet was contributing more uniformly (towards bearing the load) than in habitually shod subjects, in whom regions of very high or very low peak pressures were more apparent. Additionally, western subjects differed strongly from both Indian populations (and most from barefoot Indians), by having relatively short and, especially, slender feet, with more focal and higher peak pressures at the heel, metatarsals (bones of the foot) and hallux (the big toe) [D'Ao K, et al. Footwear Science. 2009;1(2):81-94]

Another study that evaluated the effects of modern shoes on gait and lower extremity joint loads in osteoarthritis (OA) showed that shoes detrimentally increased the load on the lower extremity joints. Results showed that barefoot walking reduced the peak load on the joints and knees by almost 12%. The study goes on to say that since excess loading in OA is associated with increase in pain and worsening of the disease, modern shoes may actually worsen the problem in patients with osteoarthritis.  [Shakoor N, Block JA. Arthritis and Rheumatism. 2006;54(9):2923-2927.]

There is a message here for Indians, traditionally barefoot walkers at home who are increasingly using “chappals” and flip-flops at home - could this perhaps be the reason for the increasing incidence of knee replacement surgeries and complaints of pain in the lower extremities, particularly ankles and knees? While it is true (as stated at the beginning of this post) that it may not be possible to walk around barefoot all the time, it is certainly possible to at least incorporate small changes including:

1. Walking barefoot inside your homes
2. Removing your shoes if you know you are going to be sitting at a desk for a long time - using a slip-on as opposed to one with laces may make it easier for you to slip in and out of your shoes.
3. Choosing shoes that are functional and those that are not constrictive, particularly around the large toe and the heel.
4. Using slippers (when you go out socially or whenever possible) that are more open, less constrictive and allow your feet to breathe
5. Carrying a functional slipper/chappal/footwear with you while going to work - you could wear it while traveling to and from work.