'Barefoot' shoes reduce heel, increase midfoot pressure

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October 2006 Biomechanics Magazine

http://www.biomech.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=193200610

'Barefoot' shoes reduce heel, increase midfoot pressure

By: Lori Rochelle Roniger

Shoes designed to mimic the effects of walking barefoot reduce heel

pressure and may be helpful for people suffering from heel pain or

plantar fasciitis, according to a study e-published in August by

Gait & Posture.

The study's investigators compared the plantar pressure distribution

of 10 university students with no known foot pathologies while

wearing Swiss Masai's Masai Barefoot Technology shoes and the

subjects' own flat-bottomed sports shoes.

Based on observations that members of the African Masai tribe do not

wear shoes and appear not to suffer from back or joint pain, Masai

Barefoot shoes are designed to reproduce a natural uneven surface.

The unstable rounded sole is intended to distribute plantar pressure

more evenly and ease pressure at the heel.

The study's researchers found that wearing the shoes did in fact off-

load pressure from the heel, shifting it toward the middle of the

foot and the toes, compared to pressures noted when the subjects

wore their own sports shoes.

" Originally, I expected to see pressure loading patterns similar to

rocker-bottom shoes because of the curved design, and was surprised

to find that the (Masai Barefoot) shoes produced pressure

differences in the opposite way to rocker-bottom shoes, " said

, the study's primary author, who conducted the research as

part of her degree program in medicine at the University of

Edinburgh, in Scotland. " Pressure shifted towards the front of the

foot rather than the rear. "

Rocker-bottom shoes, on the other hand, which are worn by

individuals with foot problems including diabetic neuropathy, have

been found to decrease pressure under the toes and forefoot and

redistribute it to the midfoot and heel. The Edinburgh researchers

found that the forward pressure distribution of Masai Barefoot shoes

compared to regular sports shoes is closer to wearing high-heeled

shoes or being barefoot.

The Edinburgh study subjects ranged in age from 21 to 39 (mean 24).

Masai Barefoot loaned its shoes for the study and sent a

representative to properly fit them and lead participants in dynamic

stability training exercises so that they would become accustomed to

the shoes before data gathering began.

The subjects then walked on a level surface at a natural gait three

times and stood still for 30 seconds in both the Masai Barefoot

shoes and their own shoes. Plantar pressure measurements were taken

using Novel's Pedar-X system, which includes pressure sensor-

containing insoles. Acceleration and deceleration steps were not

included in the analysis. Pressure was measured at the toes,

forefoot, midfoot, and hindfoot. Measurements for the left and right

foot were averaged for each subject.

When the subjects wore Masai Barefoot shoes, peak pressure decreased

under the forefoot and midfoot while walking and decreased in the

midfoot and hindfoot while standing compared to wearing their own

sports shoes. Additionally, peak pressure increased under the toes

during both conditions. The greatest changes in peak pressure were

while standing, with a gain under the toes of 76% and a loss under

the midfoot and heels of 21% and 11%, respectively.

Mean pressure decreased in the midfoot and hindfoot during standing

and walking while wearing Masai Barefoot shoes compared to sports

shoes, while mean forefoot and toe pressure increased during

standing and toe pressure increased during walking. Mean pressure

registered a whopping gain of 83% under the toes while standing. The

largest mean pressure decreases were seen in the midfoot, with a

drop of 44% while standing and 15% while walking.

" Based solely on our research, (Masai Barefoot) shoes might be

helpful for people suffering from heel pain or plantar fasciitis but

may not be ideal for those who have forefoot pathology, such as

diabetic ulcers of the forefoot, " said.