PODIATRIST STATES THAT MINIMALISTS SHOES CAN CAUSE MAJOR PROBLEMS
posted: May 07, 2014.
There's a growing concern about minimalist footwear. Runners like the shoes because they say it gives them that natural feel, as if they are running in their bare feet. But podiatrist Dr. Alap Shaw of Foot & Ankle of West Georgia says they should be worn only by the well-trained athlete. Those who wear them as simply the latest fad, are finding themselves with injuries.
Shaw says the shoes, with no cushion for the feet, increase the flexibility in the foot more than a regular shoe, and for the untrained athlete, that can spell problems "that causes all types of stresses in the middle of the foot, in the rear foot, in the front of the foot, and the biggest things we do see from this because of lack of support are stress fractures, plantar fasciitis, or heel pain, neuromas."