Vibram Five Fingers ShoesVibram Five Fingers running shoes are the runners long awaited dream, alleviating knee, joint, and foot problems as well as back pain. The human foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, and over a 100 muscles and tendons that have all suffered far too long in the modern shoe of man. 
What are Vibram Five Fingers shoes?These odd looking shoes look like a glove for the foot, with individual slots for each toe and a thin rubber sole for the sensation of running, walking - or whatever it is that you do - barefoot.They come in three different varieties called the KSO, the Classic, or Sprint, but the same philosophy stands behind all: It was intended by nature that we go barefoot. What inspired the creation of barefoot shoes?In the book Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, written by Christopher McDougall, the topic of footwear is explored and examined.McDougall found a group of people called the Tarahumara who live in Mexico who run miles and miles with only sandals consisting of a thin piece of rubber tied to the foot with a strap. This sandal is not meant to support the foot like our running shoes seek to do, but rather to protect the soles of the feet from damage. As it turns out, he finds this sort of barefoot running results in proper running form and that the human foot is perfectly designed for running all on its own. In the early days, humans used persistence hunting to eat where you drive an animal to exhaustion by chasing it for up to eight hours (for those who think man is not meant to run). Running in Vibram Five Fingers shoes: Preventing Injury
It's all in the Foot StrikeMost runners who wear padded traditional shoes heel strike when they run, which means the heel lands first, then the forefoot comes down. Yet, those who run barefoot or with a thin sole of protection, tend to run with a forefoot strike, where the ball of the foot lands first before the heel comes down. Why does this happen and why is it important? The cushioning in running shoes is thicker in the rear, making it easier and comfortable to heel strike, but striking the ground with the heel first produces a large force of impact that sends a shock wave through the skeletal system, while forefoot striking generates very little impact force. The stress of this impact on the body can cause many injuries all too common to runners. Prevent Supination and Pronation Supination is when the foot rolls outward to the side and during pronation the foot rolls inward. Either excessive supination or pronation can cause a number of injuries, such as flat feet, heel and arch pain, ankle sprains, shin splints, tendonitis, and knee, hip, and back pain. Run faster and longer Additionally, you use less energy when using a forefoot strike, which allows a person to run faster and longer with much greater ease and comfort. Plus it just feels better because all the sensory nerves in the feet have direct contact with the ground. When I first began using Vibram Five Fingers running shoes, I was amazed at how light and fast I felt. My old sneakers seemed to drag me down, but in these shoes I can feel the ground and my feet are full of awareness. For a runner, it is so liberating to finally experience running as it should be. Breaking into the Barefoot ExperienceIt is very important to ease into wearing Vibram Five Fingers shoes to prevent injury. Our feet are weak and underdeveloped from being bound up in shoes all their lives.Your calves will be quite sore since running from toe to heel puts the calf muscles to serious work, but the stunning new muscles you will notice makes the trade off worth it. Initially, I was not careful to break myself in and I ran my normal distance at my typical speed. Because my feet were not developed enough yet, my ankle began to hurt for some time. At first I automatically thought these shoes had been a bad idea but thankfully, I found Neil Chasan, a physical therapist who supports barefoot running, and who suggested I make a more gradual transition to running barefoot. He explained that my arch was not yet ready to support my foot. Click HERE to see his blog. Thus, I began to run only ten minutes a day in the shoes for several weeks, and then upping the time to 15 minutes for another two weeks or so, until I eventually have made it up to 45 minutes again with no problems. In fact, the hip bursitis that has bothered me for years has magically all but disappeared. In short, Vibram Five Fingers shoes in conjunction with a raw food diet creates the perfect athlete. :) Purchase your very own webbed shoes at
Vibram's website
and some everyday footwear from
Terra Plana
in their Vivo Barefoot selection (the canvas variety is my favorite).
Hip Bursitis Cures
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