A recent article on the Charger football team indicated that a good number of the players have come down with foot problems. These are not minor problems but many that require surgery followed by long periods of rehabilitation. No one seems to know for sure what is causing these foot problems but a likely source is thought to be the new shoes that the team wears.
I can definitely agree with this assessment. Many studies have shown that shoes can cause a wide range of foot ailments. The reason for this is that by wearing shoes most people develop very weak foot arches and tend to rely on arch supports or other types of insoles that appear to be more comfortable. If the lighter playing shoes that they now wear do not have the support that they are accustomed to, the foot will be more prone to injury.
By wearing shoes with arch supports the muscles that hold the normal arch of the foot become weakened. When you then wear shoes without the support and perform vigorous activities, injuries are a natural outcome.
When you go barefoot or wear shoes that allow the foot to function normally the foot muscles get stronger.i.e., a shoe in which the arch of the foot can compress and then return to its initial dome shape. In this situation, the muscles of the foot and especially the foot arch, become stronger and can then withstand the forces involved in running, cutting, etc. But when the muscles are not sufficiently strong, injury is most often the result.
In working with many football players and especially runners, I have found that wearing the Barefoot Science insoles has not only corrected many foot problems, but has prevented further injury. Even more importantly, the insoles have allowed many athletes to perform in their sport even more effectively. There are several reasons for this.
When you wear the insole the resilient pad found directly under the arch of the insole, which then fits under the arch of the foot, it provides resistance in the compression action. As a result, not only does it allow the foot to function normally, but it also strengthens the foot arch muscles at the same time. You can wear the insoles in your regular walking shoes or in your sports playing shoes and you can wear them all the time.
Because the resilient pads that go under the arch of the insoles can be replaced with greater resiliency ones in a progressive matter, you can get substantial strengthening of the muscles. In addition you can do strength exercises to strengthen the foot muscles.
For more information on the Barefoot Science foot strengthening system, see Explosive Running. An entire chapter is devoted to barefoot running, exercises for the foot and use of the Barefoot Science insoles. A more detailed explanation of the insoles is also available on the website.