Running Barefoot Is Especially Dangerous, Even For Experienced Athletes: Here's Why

New findings presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons show that it's extremely important to never run barefoot. Even for older, more experienced athletes who may feel like they can take to the field without the guidance of athletic wear, this is estremely dangerous, according to recent findings. 

"Previous studies have demonstrated that an adolescent runner's foot strike is heavily influenced by their running shoe," lead study author orthopedic surgeon Dr. Scott Mullen, MD, said in a news release. "Young runners quickly adapt to a forefoot strike pattern when running barefoot, whereas a heel strike is normally associated with wearing large-heeled training shoes."

For the study, researchers had 26 runners, all 30 or older, with at least 10 years of running experience, run in a traditional running shoe, and then again, barefoot while being recorded via a motion-capture system.

Findings revealed that when running barefoot, participants significantly dropped the amount they ran in heel strike at all running speeds. Yet study data similarly showed that 40 percent of the men and 20 percent of the women maintained consistent strike patterns across all speed with and without shoes.

"Our study indicates that older runners (age 30 and older) are not able to adapt as quickly to running barefoot," concluded Mullen. "The inability to adapt the foot strike to the change in shoe type may put these runners at increased risk of injury. Older runners should be cautious when transitioning to a more minimalist type of shoe."