PODIATRIST RECOMMENDS TRAINING BAREFOOT
posted: Apr. 07, 2019.
Feet have thousands of nerve endings that help you not only feel the floor but also send signals up the body to help you understand your movements better, says Emily Splichal, DPM, a podiatrist and founder of Naboso Technology, a company that makes products to promote barefoot movement. "When you stimulate the nerves of the foot, you get a better understanding of what you're standing on and how you're stepping, and it starts to shape your overall movement," says Splichal. Cushioned shoes block this floor-to-foot connection (especially those with extra support and stability like those you'd lace up for a run).
Dr. Emily Splichal |
Biomechanically, working out with your bare feet on the ground also means you can better activate through your glutes and core. "Someone working out might not feel their glutes in a squat, and that's not necessarily because of weakness, but because they haven't established their foundation," says Dr. Splichal.
Source: Mallory Creveling, Shape [4/2/19]
Courtesy of Barry Block, editor of PM News.
Brought to you by Doctor John A. Hardy, owner of Toronto's foot clinic, Academy Foot and Orthotic Clinics.