Walking around barefoot might be one of the great sensory joys of life, particularly in childhood. What could feel better than running on a grassy lawn or sandy beach, footloose and fancy-free, as they say?
However starting at a young age, most of us avoid walking around barefoot for obvious reasons—you could step on piece of glass, develop an infection, or injure your feet. But, with the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of people are working or going to school at home. That means the daily look probably consists of sweatpants, no shoes, and being barefoot or wearing slippers for most, if not, the entire day.
But, it’s safe to walk or exercise in your own home without socks or shoes on, right? Yes and no—it depends on a variety of factors. Whether or not walking barefoot is bad for your feet depends on where you are walking, whether you’re exercising at the time, and your own personal health conditions and foot anatomy.
Here are the risks and benefits of going barefoot, whether you’re inside your home, outside your home, or at a beach, pool, or gym.
Should you exercise in bare feet?
Do you remember the barefoot running craze? “The premise behind it was that in running with minimalist shoes, one was returning to a more ‘natural gait pattern,’ that would, in theory, lead to a reduction in running-related injuries,” explains Andy Brief, MD, board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Ridgewood Orthopedic Group in Ridgewood, New Jersey. But that didn’t turn out to be the case. In fact, runners and practitioners found that barefoot running could sometimes generate foot injuries like stress fractures, plantar fascia injuries, tendonitis, and more, says Dr. Brief.
“In a typical running stride, the point of contact with the ground is situated more towards the heel,” he says. “When running barefoot, the point of contact shifts more towards the mid-foot and forefoot,” which could result in foot issues. Many runners abandoned the practise.
The current research suggests there is not enough evidence that it has benefits over other types of running. For example, a 2016 review published in Revista Española de Podología, looked at various studies on barefoot running and found that it did not provide greater benefits over running with sneakers or minimalist footwear (shoes that have minimal midsole to mimic running barefoot). The researchers also found no notable differences in injury rates when looking at studies that compared running barefoot with sneakers or minimalist footwear.That said, there are other types of exercise besides running where it makes sense to skip the footwear (or at least it’s an option, if you are in good health). Yoga, Pilates, barre, and Tai chi, for example, are all types of exercise that you may be able to do in bare feet.
Walking barefoot inside your home
As people’s living rooms and bedrooms are quickly doubling as office spaces, the favourable no-footwear option has also become the norm. But similar to barefoot running, walking around in bare feet may or may not be harmful, depending on your circumstances.
You can open up the possibility of a cut or injury if you drop something on your foot, stub your toes, or step on a foreign object. (Or a slip and fall, if you are just wearing socks.) This is especially true if you’re leaving your apartment or house in your bare feet to go to your mailbox or take out the trash.