Wall Street Journal: Is Barefoot Better?


There are sophisticated sensors in the bottom of the feet called proprioceptors.... They provide feedback from the terrain under the foot. More feedback and the system becomes more efficient and healthier.

Dear Tara,

Really enjoyed your article, "Is Barefoot Better?" I read all your columns. 

There is a simple answer on why barefooted running is growing. There are sophisticated sensors in the bottom of the feet called proprioceptors. They detect pressure, stretch and movement. They provide feedback from the terrain under the foot. More feedback and the system becomes more efficient and healthier. (Have you ever noticed how many people who are unhealthy also have locomotion problems?)

In reality the foot is real a sensory organ that has been muted by shoes and flat surfaces. According to archaeologists  shoes have been worn for about 40,000 years. That means we as a species have had a sensory blind fold for thousands of years.  

As far as injury my wife and I love to go walking on the beach, a rocky beach for vacation. I think of it as Disneyland for the feet. 

Yes, you do occasionally get injuries but they seem to be less and less as you progress. Why? Because feet get smarter when they lose that "cradle board" called the shoe. 

All the best,
Kevin Kunz

Reflexology: Health at Your Fingertips
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Posted: Tue - June 6, 2006 at 07:43 AM        

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