For many years, in pre-ancient time, humans walked barefooted. We evolved to feel the ground under our feet, and to develop thickened skin, known as calluses, that protected us from heat, cold and abrasion. Now, many of us walk on cushioned soles that take the place of calluses. Shoes have become a staple, yet some parties are still quite fond of not utilising them. Those cushioned shoes might also be changing the way we walk.

Calluses do something that our footwear can’t; they protect our feet, while allowing us to feel the ground. Though calluses are an adaptation to protect the feet, many people have replaced them with shoes. The tougher the skin on the bottom of our feet, the less sensitivity we might have when our feet touch the ground.

Some people have walked away from cushioned shoes. The barefoot running trend, popularised over the past ten years, looks for healthy running inspiration in the way unshod feet strike the ground. The movement has had mixed results, however, when it comes to preventing injury. Professional and hobbyist race car drivers, look for thin-soled shoes as well, not to feel the ground, but to feel the pedals and vibrations from their vehicles.

This observation is not one of criticism of shoes or wearing shoes. After all, shoes serve a practical function and protect our feet from modern obstacles like asphalt or broken glass. Additionally, they help to insulate from  parasites, rainy/ flood waters, and not to mention their benefits to fashion. But concurrently, there are the fallouts in terms of  how they affect the way we walk.

The Findings

Calluses – Thicker calluses develop on people who usually walk barefoot, and these are more protective than the thinner skin of shoe wearers. As calluses grow thicker, persons don’t lose sensitivity to touch on the soles of their feet. It means they could feel whether the ground was slippery or rough, uneven or smooth; sensations that are lost when we replace calluses with shoes.

Shoes – They are worn to protect the feet from temperature, parasites or abrasion. Some persons go barefoot, by choice, or economic necessity. That retention of sensitivity can be explained with simple physics. A callus is essentially a stiff layer of skin, so pressure is transmitted through it without being dampened. Researchers think that the preservation of touch, explains why people with and without thick calluses walk with a similar gait when barefoot.

Effect on Gait – People with both callused and un-callused feet experience changes in their gait, while wearing cushioned shoes, altering the forces transmitted into their bones and joints. With shoes, persons experience less of an initial jolt, but more force in the long run, which our bodies didn’t evolve to handle. However, it’s more comfortable to walk on a hard surface, in a cushioned shoe. It hasn’t been determined though whether a change in gait could cause long term damage to a person’s body.

No One Said Stop Wearing Shoes

Osteoarthritis is on the rise;  and research suggests that while obesity has been blamed for the increase in joint inflammation, it may not be the sole cause. Shoes could be a part of the story. Flat-footedness, plantar fasciitis and back pain could all implicate modern shoes too.

This makes sense, since in the human foot there are multiple muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments and nerves;  a really complex system. So our feet must be more important than we’ve given them credit for. But it doesn’t mean everyone should stop wearing shoes. When barefoot running became popular, people jumped two feet in, no pun intended, and then they got injured. Being barefoot is not a panacea for everything. Shoes have their place with the protection provided against infections and abrasions, while cushioning foot bones that are unused to the stress of sustained barefoot walking and running.

It should be noted too, that thin-soled shoes like sandals or moccasins, are less than ideal for athletes, the average person, people with nerve damage, and aging persons, who could use a boost to their balance. When you wear shoes, you’re less careful and you land more heavily. If shoes were really absorbing all of that impact, we should be happy to jump on our heads with shoes on our heads… but we’re not!

                             Your feet mirror your general health . . . cherish them!