Vibram Five Fingers

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What's the best footwear to run in? Danny Rose investigates whether less is far more.
Whilst there is small doubt about the well being benefits of running, the question of what we need to wear on our feet is much less clear-cut.

On the internet running forums are abuzz with the concern of going "barefoot" or as close as achievable, while sports firms have responded with new lines of shoes stripped of the features they've spruiked for years.

(Nike's "Free" range of shoes, for instance, promises a "more barefoot-like fit").

A brand new type of minimalist running shoe - barely much more than padded gloves for the feet - known as the Vibram Five Fingers has lately been noticed on those grinding out laps on the nation's jogging tracks.

The changes have been sparked by growing concern that the generous cushioning offered by modern running shoes may well encourage a style of running that isn't biomechanically natural, and could result in injuries.

Dr Craig Richards says humans throughout the ages ran mostly on the ball or mid-soles of their feet, and it was the invention of modern sport shoes that first allowed runners to hit the ground heel-first.

"You take shoes off folks and they begin landing on the outside of their forefoot - virtually no one lands on their heel when they are running unless they have got a cushioned shoe," says Richards, a senior lecturer at the University of Newcastle's School of Medicine and Public Wellness.

"There in no way has been any basis, theoretical or otherwise, to recommend that suddenly we need to all start off running on our heels."

Richards presented his concerns in a paper published within the British Journal of Sports Medicine last year.

But he's fast to add that it is no slam dunk for the "barefoot community" - there is certainly an equal lack of research to support the use of minimalist shoes.

Instead, Richards says all shoe options need to be noticed as "experimental".

"In terms of the average recreational runner ... most would have no thought, I think, that what they're running in is experimental," he says.

"It may possibly have been in use for 30 years, and cost a whole lot of funds but it is just as experimental as the Vibram Five Fingers that someone might run past and ask 'What the hell are those?"'

Richards, who admits he runs in a minimalist shoe, says the debate is no longer confined to the ################ fringes of the running community.

There's a "strong trend of small organizations bringing out minimalist-style running shoes"; meanwhile "more and additional persons are taking up barefoot or minimalist-style running".

"But there is certainly no clear evidence of the want for that," he says.

"And we're at risk of swinging from one untested paradigm to a second untested paradigm."

But Richards' paper hasn't gone down nicely with podiatrists.

Australasian Podiatry Council president and Sydney-based podiatrist Brenden Brown says there is lots of anecdotal evidence supporting the use of unique varieties of conventional running shoes.

For example, shoes with extra support are identified to benefit those with pronating feet, or help stop shin splints.

"Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater ... if we can see anecdotally that this works then there is no need to have to in truth prove it," Brown says.

He also says many runners run "heel to toe" without having injury cheap fivefingers, and a lot far more investigation is needed just before podiatrists could be recommending a shift away from conventional running shoes.

"We do not have a position on barefoot versus conventional running shoes ... you could say the jury is out,"he says. "I'm not prepared to say that barefoot running is bad but we don't want men and women throwing out their runners just yet."

Both are agreed on one thing. A decision to switch to a minimalist shoe shouldn't be taken lightly and any change will need to be introduced slowly to stay clear of placing extra demands on weaker muscles in the feet and legs and potentially leading to injury. FiveFingers NZ runs "natural running" workshops to help runners make the transition.

Richards also says the debate shouldn't discourage individuals from improving their overall health and fitness having a common run. "Absolutely, running is a great physical exercise cheap fivefingers," he says. "It's larger than any of the team sports, it can be affordable, straightforward, and time efficient since you may do it as soon as you step out of your front door."
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