Vibram Five Fingers the next big thing or the next big injury?

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past couple of years you have probably heard of Vibram Five Fingers shoes.  These shoes are very minimalistic in nature and create a barefoot like experience for your feet.  The human foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles, and tons of sensory receptors also called proprioceptors.  Like the rest of the body,these muscles, joints, tendons and receptors need to be stimulated and exercised on a regular basis.  The Vibram Five Fingers were designed to do exactly that.  The provide protection for your feet but still allow the feet to function as if you were walking around barefoot. 

The problem with tradional sneakers and shoes is that they put your feet into a more rigid protective form.  Overtime this creates weaker muscles in your feet and legs leaving them more prone to injury.  As the biomechanical stresses on your feet increase it then can create problems along the rest of your kinetic chain up your body.  For example, if you overpronate or have flat feet from collapsed arches this puts additional stress on your knees, then your hips and eventually your spine.  Now what causes overpronation or flat feet, well usually the muscles and tendons in your feet become weak eventually causing your feet to loose their natural arch support.  When the tissue stretches and you lose your arches in your feet this is called plastic deformation.  Think of plastic deformation in terms of silly putty.  Once you stretch the silly putty it does not return to its original form.  The same concept occurs in your feet, once the muscles and tendons become weak your natural arches collapse.  So what can you do to prevent this process from occuring in your feet?  Wear Vibram Five Fingers or walk barefoot.  Now personally I would rather have some protection on my feet from rocks, concrete and glass so the Vibram Five Fingers make complete sense.  Your feet still get the exercise and training they need but without the risk of injury. 

Now the problem with the Vibram Five Fingers is that most people have been wearing rigid, protective shoes for the past 20-30 years. Their muscles, tendons, and ligaments have adapted to this support. Certain muscles has tighten up to compensate while other muscles have weakened.  As your introduce your feet to the Vibram’s you need to let this process occur slowly over time.  As you feet become stronger you can wear them for longer and longer periods of time eventually working up to wearing them for daily activities such as walking, running and lifting.  Once your feet adapt and become stronger you should be able to wear them for most if not all activities.  But just like anything, these changes need to occur slowly over time to avoid injury. 

I have the seen use of Vibram Five Fingers grow in popularity at my chiropractic office in Springfield, VA.  More and more people are utilizing these shoes for training and everyday activities.  I have also seen an increase in the number of injuries caused by the Vibram Five Fingers because patients think that they can put them on and go for their normal 5 mile run.  If you fall into this category you need to give my office a call at (703) 912-7822  to address the injury.  If you are new to the Vibram Five Fingers, let your feet and body adjust to them slowly to prevent injuries. 

Do you currently wear Vibram Five Fingers? If so leave a comment below and tell me about your experience with them.