Barefoot is best

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The Pretoria News is reporting:
Naked foot is the 'shoe' that fits best, study finds

Full story

 

Shod versus unshod: The emergence of forefoot pathology in modern humans?
B. Zipfel, and L.R. Bergera
The Foot
Volume 17, Issue 4, December 2007, Pages 205-213

 

The article partially quoted in the first message goes on to say:

What am I missing? How can that be concluded from a study that looked at

 

DaVinci et al

I would share your skepticism at this particular extrapolation from an otherwise excellent paper. To the best of my knowledge shoes have a linage which dates to about 10k years ago. Some finds claim to pre date this so it is possible shoes were around longer. However the footwear if it did exist would be primitive foot/sole covers and have no resemblance to a stout modern shoe. Most authorities agree footwear in prehistory was worn for (ceremonial) decoration by the few rather than as functional clothing for all especially children and this is something implicit witin the author's suggestion. Under these circumstances it is unlikely shoes are involved at all. I might suggest a more plausible explanation may relate to the changing climate and type of terrain our early ancestors had to traverse.


Hey, what do I know
toeslayer

 

What is not mentioned, and I rearley here anyone address this point, is that modern shoes act more like a splint than the primitive shoes mentioned. I doubt that the promitive shoes produces intrinsic foot muscle atrophy that the splint-like modern shoes are prone to do. This destroys the synergy of muscle, capsule, ligament, and extransic muscular control, resulting in plastic deformation of the other overloaded structures. I have a rehab protocol that has NEVR failed: get the cheapest, mosy flexible, unsuportive shoe you can buy, and walk on uneven surfaces in the woods. Three weeks of this invariably results in noticable atrophy of intrinsics. While I'm sure, I'll get argument out of this, please give me a reasonable retional.

Kevin Miller

 

:empathy:

Re: Barefoot is best. From my research into interventions for HAV I agree that this may be true of some tribal populations compared with modern (high-heeled) footwear and concrete terrain. However from a recent study of falls in the elderly population (e.g. Menz, Lord, Sherrinton et al) findings show that walking barefoot significantly increases the risk of falls and associated mobidity and mortality. Therefore arguably, barefoot is NOT best for this section of the population mostly due to potural instability.

Any comments?

Freddy

 

Aren't Aussies the only white race to go barefoot regularly? Where did I read that? Here?
I also read a paper in the journal of gerentoloy?? that people in places where there are uneven streets, ie cobblestones enjoy better all around health, and use more calories just to walk. I know the old ladies in Portugal are much skinnier and healther than their UK and Aussie counterparts. Portugal is mostly cobbled. I lose weight whenever I go there and eat more, ditto Italy. Is it the uneven surface rather than the bare feet? Italian women walk on cobbles in the highest heels. I was at Mipel/Micam this year and some buyers spent 8 hours on hard flat floors in 5in/12cm heels!!! I really think I will pursue this as an interest when I start Pod at Newcastle next year. Please gimme a place in Melbourne!

 

Our feet were simply not designed to ambulate or stand on hard and flat surfaces for most of the time (a set of rollers work much better for this).

In the human foot we have a great mechanism for fast/slow ambulation and standing on a variety of different surfaces. Of course it's also adaptable for different loads, and will work equally well for small and large subjects.

Carole - good luck for Melbourne!

 

Lord yes to you all. I am a researcher and have to go back into embryology to explain some of the neuromechanics that you NEVER see posted here. In the process, I often run intovery interesting articles from anthropologists studying our move to upright gait. I won't bore you with details, but this is the place to look for ansers concerning barefoot gait. I can't let this one slide, however....in parts of Africa, where there are no shoes, tribal men are known to run 50 miles carrying up to 50lbs of weight, never stop, and don't get injured. Not even FHL.