Footwear and plantar Fasciitis is a daily conversation for me at the Clinic in Stratford Upon Avon.
I have tested different shoes with patients and had inconsistent results until now! Early research indications are showing that using barefoot shoes is having a positive impact, but they take some getting used to.
I like when working with people to limit the variables so we can change things and manage the impact and progress. I usually want people the wear one lot of footwear, preferably a new pair so we are starting at zero. This means all of the standing and walking changes are not impacted on. This is not always the case as people have to wear different footwear for different circumstances.
When in the house or garden I ask patients to walk around in bare feet as the best reference for progress. Also your feet should work better with no support, I also want people to practice standing walking and movement changes where possible in bare feet.
I have explained the negatives of footwear like flip flops and the impact they have on walking particularly. I appreciate they work well in a beach environment where they were designed to be used, but only for short journeys. If you are on a sandy beach its criminal if you are not in bare feet, my rant in the video.
I have had an increasing amount of conversations on barefeet footwear as people have listened to previous explanations on what footwear to wear in different situations. The reasons why running trainers offer comfort and relief with altering the pressure on foot but altering your walking movement, more detail in the video.
With this in mind I have reviewed some different barefeet shoes and I am using Bareway which are available HERE.
They promote the 90 degree bend in ankle and have limited support so your foot has to build up and use its own complex support system of muscles. I have been recommending to patients that they use the shoes when practicing movement changes and to wear for short distances gradually increasing as the foot heals.
I will be trialling these over the coming months myself and with a number of patients and will update with progress.
