Transitioning to barefoot shoes is incredible for your feet and one of the best things that you can do right away on your journey to healthy and pain free feet. But sometimes, simply switching to barefoot shoes just isn’t enough!
Why is that? Well, most of us have feet that are downright deconditioned after years or decades of wearing shoes that are narrow, elevated, and stiff. The human body is incredible and will adapt to the environment that it is placed in, restrictive shoes included. So, our feet, legs, hips, and pelvis have all adapted to an altered state of being. They have learned the most efficient patterns for surviving in this environment. And for a lot of us, it will take some time to train them back into their natural state.
If you find yourself still struggling with foot, knee, hip, or lower back pain after transitioning to barefoot shoes, you are not alone. Most bodies will require a little TLC to get back on track! This can include joint mobilization (think big toe joint, ankles, and hips) as well as strengthening (think the small intrinsic muscles on the bottom of the feet that don’t have to do any work in traditional shoes). Having foot pain in barefoot shoes is common but does not mean that you aren’t on the right track!
If you have foot pain after transitioning to barefoot shoes, here are a few things to start working on.
- Start by increasing your intrinsic muscle strength. The intrinsic muscles are the small muscles that exist only inside the feet that provide stability and support as we walk. You can target these muscles by walking barefoot on textured surfaces, releasing your foot with a firm ball, and doing exercises such as short foot.
- Take stock of your joint mobility. Does your big toe bend and extend as much as it should? Does your ankle have enough dorsiflexion for efficient walking? And can your hips access enough range of motion to control your feet properly?
- Give your toes some love. Our toes are more important that most of us realize! Start with wearing toe spacers, daily toe yoga, and manual toe releases to get back your natural toe splay.
- Finally, integrate all of this into your walking cycle! The more efficient our gait pattern, the better our bodies will feel and function.
If you’re wearing barefoot shoes and still having foot pain, now is the time to dig a little deeper into your foot function so that you can quickly transform your feet from weak and dysfunctional to strong, healthy, and pain free!
Get in the driver’s seat and fix your foot pain!
If you are ready to dive deeper into the amazingly rewarding world of foot function, now is a great time to join the Transform Your Feet Membership– a monthly membership where you will receive weekly lessons in all areas of foot function, mobility, alignment, gait mechanics, footwear and more! Video lessons will teach you the exact techniques you need to completely transform your feet while creating a stable base to support your body for life.