Foot pain associated with Barefoot Running

We get a lot of question relating to Barefoot running and foot pain.  Ania Nowicki was the last to ask; she experiences foot pain after 2 years of running barefoot.  Her story was she had decided to challenge her self with a half marathon and a full marathon now that she was a confident barefoot runner.  It was after the half marathon she experienced acute pain in her feet.  

This is our response.

It is only poor running technique that produces injuries, not the type of shoe or even barefoot. However it must be understood that the modern shock absorbing motion controlled shoes and seated posture are the biggest causes to how we lose good running technique.

Running technique takes considerable strength, what I call ultimate strength because to be able to action good running form it takes complete relaxation.  Something that wont happen if you are not ultimately strong.  It also takes a life long practice to maintain it.

If we have lost form by long periods of not running, change in body posture and general lack of fitness then we have to make sure we coach it properly back into our system again.

85% of runners get injured yearly because they don’t coach good form back into themselves.  Getting back into running takes a series of timely leaps in protocols, adaptation and development of skill.

Sadly it is not as simple as just going running.  This can also be said about going minimalistic or barefoot running to. ‘Barefoot’ is not the magic pill that cures your running form.

It involves getting back into primal movements, reconfiguring our true centre of balance, re-tapping into our elastic energy and becoming aware of our spatial awareness (like how our centre of mass travels through space and our polarities that keep it balanced).

Foot pain that is associated with running or movement is more than likely the experience of too much force through the foot.  This is called an over active foot strike and excessive push off.  This will explain why it gets worse when you push your self out of your comfort zone either in speed or distance.

Over pronation problems will be experienced as a rule of thumb further up the chain in the calf as it tries to over compensate.

Simply put; if your biomechanics are not functioning properly it will lead to excessive force that produces an over load in isolated dominant muscular firing patterns that compensate for a faulty functioning kinetic chain. 

It is only through coaching and specific Running strength training will you be able to change it.

So injury can be averted if a running strength program is adopted.  Drills that you should be practicing and adopting before even thinking of running are jumping with a skipping rope and running on the spot. 

At the BFPA Running Technique workshop we first get you to understand the biomechanics by videoing you, then we apply a Rehabilitation session to free your body, especially your foot, of any blockages and show you how to perfect the Barefoot Deep Squat.

This teaches you where your true centre of balance is whilst moving through your full range of motion.

Once that is programmed in then we start to show you the art of running.

Here are some of the sequencing we use in our program to give you an idea to the depth we go to get you running properly again:-

Big toe mobs

Ankle mobilisation (mobs), hip mobs, thoracic mobs

Ankle strength - Calf raise rebounds

Hip strength - Box drill multi planar lunge sequence

Thoracic - Table top

Big bang exercises

Frontal plane walk

Vertical walk

Barefoot deep squat

Running Skill

Posture, Rhythm, Relaxation drills


Running Specific Strength training
Plyometric box drills
Hamstring velocity drills
Jumping drills

For further information on when we run our Running Technique 1 day workshops, get in touch with rollo@corenergy.co.uk

Marathon des Sables

Antoine

Marathon des Sables Athlete 2012

Antoine had an initial 20 min assessment discussing his running form and mild injuries mid February 2012, 2 months before the MDS was to kick off.

It was obvious that we couldn’t totally transform his running to a fore foot strike for such a big event in such a short time.  However by making him a more efficient runner we knew this would save him energy and reduce the risk of injury.

Antoine had two 1hr 30min sessions with periodised homework that he stuck to.  We reduced his millage and concentrated on strength and technique training.

It all comes down to strength of body and strength of mind in any event you put yourself into.  Only quality training will allow you this belief.  Running yourself into the ground doing millage training with bad form is a recipe for disaster.

Antoine, congratulations! We look forward to your return and to take you further in the journey of running efficiency.

This is what he had to say..

Hi Rollo,

Just to let you know that I am back in London today after completing the Marathon des Sables. I ended up being 147th overall (850 competitors) which is much better than I hopped but most importantly it was an amazing personal experience.

I guess your training paid off because I didn’t suffer a lot (or probably a lot less than others!). Towards the end my Achilles tendon were getting sore, a result of the soft sand I believe. A part from that, nothing. No cramps, blisters etc

I feel like running again but it probably isn’t very wise and I should give myself some rest…

Anyway, I would like to resume changing my running style with you when my body has fully recovered.

Best,

Antoine

Why Barefoot ?

1. The foot

Your foot is a mechanical masterpiece and has evolved to be a complex three-dimensional elastic, sensory lever system to transfer vibration up through the body to allow it to move freely.

2.  Proprioception

Our subconscious movements are controlled by our proprioceptive system, which is our body’s sense of its own position, balance and movement in space.  This system uses stretch and pressure receptors situated in our muscles, joints and skin to inform our brain how we are interacting with the environment around us.  The foot has a large pool of receptors, more than any other limb. It allows our body to sense its position and orientation.  The keener that sense (feedback), the better the movement and balance.

3. Running Barefoot

At our practice, we use barefoot training as a re-setting tool.  It allows us to utilise maximum sensory feedback to reconnect the physical being to the correct function.  Barefoot running is the quickest way to reconnect the body to its true centre of balance. This transforms performance on and off the field.

4. Protection

The foot needs protection yet the thicker the protection, the less feedback you will get.  Science now suggests anything over 4mm can diminish the sensory feedback and so affects the skill of movement.

5.  Footwear

Once we have ‘reset’ your body, we advise shoes that allow an unrestricted yet protected experience. Feet were not designed like the paws of dogs or hoofs of horses and therefore we have always protected them throughout our conscious evolution. This will give you peace of mind and better performance.

The trick is to allow your foot the optimum feedback for any given terrain.

6.  The change

Changing from heel striking to a fore foot strike happens in under three minutes on hard terrain.  The harder the surface, the quicker the change. However, muscles that have not been used before with this new style, will have to go through an adaption phase. We recommend a slow build up to mileage starting only with technique running drills and lots of walking around barefoot or in minimalistic shoes.  This said, running is not just about the foot. The rest of the body must also adapt and change.

Learn more at the Barefoot Performance Academy’s Running Technique Workshops and how this change in style can transform your running.  We promise it will be an exciting journey.  For some, it will be life changing.

Four points to Running Skill

Through our experience, studies and research we know to walk well, you have to be able to run well.  To sprint well, you have to be able to run well.  To run well, you have to know how to move and jump well.

Running is the heart of a very being.  Run with little skill and you stress your system, don’t run at all and you lose some unique human qualities then run with good form and see how it transforms many parts of your life.

So what is running skill made up of : -

1. Movement Skill

It is something we instinctually learn as children and start to lose important skills the older we get if we do not keep on practicing them.  Understanding biomechanics is key to regaining our natural gift.  Biomechanics explains the force that the body experiences through gravity and ground reaction over time. It looks at optimum posture and allows you to understand how best to achieve your goals.

2. The Skill of Running

The skill of running is a belief system that your body is just an instrument to transport your weight in space.  Over millions of years, your body has evolved to be a complex three-dimensional elastic, sensory, lever system to transfer gravity and Ground Reaction Forces (GRF) into movement through space.  To maintain and improve your running, it takes constant tuning of the proprioceptive system and neural drive.

3. Proprioception and Neural Drive

Proprioception is the body’s sense of its own position, balance and movement.  Strength primarily comes from the appropriate muscles powerfully contracted by effective nervous stimulation; otherwise known as your neural drive.  Both these are the most vital systems to keep the body in balance and motion.  It is this skill that we have to keep in tune for injury-free good form running/movement and is the winning ticket to optimise performance.

4. Strength

The outcome of developing your proprioception and neuromuscular actions is strength and coordination.  From this, comes skill in movement. When you run, you are dealing with twice your own body weight.  The faster you go, the greater the force.    Newton’s second law of motion; F=ma. Learn how primal movements keep your body in check and give you a base in strength.