Would you wear barefoot shoes for plantar fasciitis?

Health & Diet Health & Diet: Chat / Discussions
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Years ago, I had plantar fasciitis, a painful condition that generally causes pain in the heel.

I tried all kinds of shoes, inserts, exercises, icing techniques. One thing I bought was Vibram shoes (five finger shoes) that looked like this.

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They’re a pain to put on, didn’t help much and look pretty weird. I still have them though.

Now there are more companies that sell barefoot shoes without the webbed look. They look more like regular shoes but the toe box looks big. (Ignore the red color and awful socks)

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The video that made me think of this.

Would you wear barefoot shoes?

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Not the toe ones, I think my toes are too bobbly for those, but the others, definitely

I’ve had plantar and it’s so painful and miserable you’d try anything

I had my walking analysed and I had a slight overpronation, turning my foot inwards

So more supportive shoes, an insert, losing a bit of weight and ice packs worked for me

I’m not sure those shoes look particularly supportive, but worth a try

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Sorry to hear about your plantar. It’s miserable, as you say.

I’ve done all the things you’ve done. There’s a whole group of people who say that the insert and supportive shoe people have it exactly backwards. They say that the key is to not have any support. In fact, they say the support is what caused the problem. They say that humans are meant to walk barefoot, and it’s the shoe manufacturers who have caused the feet problems.

My plantar slowly got better. Not sure why. But going shoe to shoe had me wondering if the barefoot people didn’t have the right idea.

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I suppose it depends what causes it, it’s not the same for everybody

Being overweight can be a big factor and our feet weren’t designed for repetitive pounding on hard surfaces carrying huge weight so I can understand support and cushioning might help with that

And correcting my over pronation seemed to work for me, going barefoot wouldn’t do that?

But I do think walking barefoot is good for your feet and soul/sole! :rofl:

So if I still had it, I’d try them, but may be using more support and inserts for exercise and long walks

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No I do a lot of dog walking over rough ground and shingle ,small pebbles would pop up and hurt the soles of my feet.
Probably be ok on grass.
I’m happy wearing sketchers.

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Skechers are the best thing ever! :+1::grinning:

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The jury is still out about sketchers. I resisted the urge to buy a pair of their running shoes yesterday, and instead, came away with a couple of pair of New Balance that seem a helluva lot more supportive and substantial to walk in, and still be able to get on my toes for a jog occasionally.
I do have a pair of sketchers deck shoes that are extremely comfortable, and I wear nothing else for general day to day activities like shopping or sight seeing etc…But for serious walking or jogging they seem to be too light and flimsy, and I have my doubts about how long that super cushioning would actually last. After all, the test of a good running/walking shoe is the durability of its shock absorbing qualities. In my experience, many a good shoe still looks good and serviceable when in actual fact, the cushioning has failed and can lead to many injuries, including Plantar…

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There’s no doubt that Skechers aren’t very durable and they don’t wear particularly well, I wouldn’t wear them for serious walking

But when they’re at their new springy best, they are the most comfortable, lush things on earth, you just don’t want to put anything else on your feet :rofl:

I have many pairs, including a couple of indoor pairs instead of slippers! I look out for online bargains and just accept that they don’t last that long

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