One of the most wonderful gifts you can give your child - strong, healthy feet!

Lorraine and Gary, late 1950's NZ
Barefoot until teenagers.
Note the great fashions of the day!

The most common injuries I see are of the lower legs and, more often than not, weak, deformed feet are part of the problem.  One of the things our Mother and Father gave my five siblings and me is strong, flexible feet, by having us go barefoot until our teens.  Having strong feet allows us to participate in demanding physical activity which, in the case of my sister, Lorraine, included the marathon to Olympic standard. I have passed this gift on to my four children.

My first three children, Myra, Mary-Ann and Kelvin
at an athletic meet with running legend, Rod Dixon.
Take close note of their strong, functional feet.

While weak feet can be strengthened, we really should be preventing these problems from the very beginning which means from birth.

A newborn's bones are pliable cartilage that gradually calcifies into hard bone.  They are easily deformed with even the slightest of finger pressure.  If this pressure is more or less constant, the
bones of the feet will calcify and set permanently in the deformed position.  The Japanese once considered tiny feet to be a thing of great beauty and took advantage of the early few years of a female's life to bind her feet, causing the feet to be extremely small and deformed.

Example of Japanese foot binding.
Thankfully, no longer practised.

The modern foot using modern "binding" methods
in the form of women's fashion shoes.

Genetics or environment?  Mother and son - Guess
who had the stretch and grows and tight stockings
and who had the bare feet as a baby?

The modern "Stretch and Grow" clothing, stockings and even the weight of blankets can be sufficient to deform a growing baby's feet.

I have been reminded of the importance of foot care for a baby with the birth of my first grandchild, Braxton, to my daughter, Mary-Ann.  He has unusually long toes!  I immediately wondered how long this would be the case if he continued to wear the stretch and grows he was wearing.  Not long, on close inspection.  So, with the permission of his mother, Braxton agreed to model the solution - cutting off the feet of his stretch and grow.

My daughter, Mary-Ann, with her newborn son, Braxton,
nicely kitted out in his stretch and grow.

Notice how the stretch and grow is deforming Braxton's toes.

My gosh - he has such long toes!

Free at last!  Look at how far up the leg the stretch and grow has
retracted now the feet have been cut out.

What was most apparent upon doing so was how far the altered garment rode up his legs.  It was obviously too short in the first place.  The second thing of note was how Braxton began to stretch out his feet and toes.  He obviously liked the freedom!

I used to take my children out for walks in the buggy when they were little, their little feet sometimes poking out from under their warm blankets.  Mothers would come up to us and comment how cute she was and then, inevitably, touch her toes and say to them - not me - "Oh dear, you poor wee thing, your feet are sooo cold!"  I just ignored these constant comments.

Babies are actually well adapted to survive cold and not so good at handling heat.  In fact, one of the possible causes of cot death is overheating the baby by smothering it in clothing, blankets and and over-heating the room.  Babies come with a generous layer of subcutaneous fat that is excellent insulation.  While the skin may feel quite cold, Braxton's core temperature will remain a healthy 37-38 Degrees Celsius. If you are ever unsure about this you can always take your baby's core temperature with a thermometer.

As with adults, the legs,feet, arms and hands act as the body's radiators with warm arterial blood flow to them regulated to maintain a warm core temperature.  To help baby maintain a healthy core temperature my advice is to keep his body and head well covered in cold weather while keeping the feet and hands relatively free of insulation - of course, there is a time and place for gloves and toasty booties!  Incidentally, as I am writing this it would not be more than a chilly 10 degrees in this room.  My feet are bare; but I have three layers of warm clothing on my body and a hat.  My core temperature is assured.

In normal conditions, the hands, feet and exposed
skin are several degrees cooler than the central
core.  Temperature of the extremities varies
depending on the flow of warm arterial blood
to them.  The warmer the core, the greater the
arterial flow to the extremities.

(Illustration: Hypothermia in Sport booklet.
Published by ACC 1984.
Author: Gary Moller)

As your child grows up and begins to walk and run, give them every opportunity to go barefoot.  Allow them to get mud between their toes.  Allow them to be grounded to Mother Earth!

They will thank you over and over again later in life, so go for it and cut the feet out of all of those stretch and grows!

One contented baby and one
happy mother!

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

So, now the experts tell us that going about barefoot damages your feet? (updated)

'"Thousands of Kiwi kids spend their summers without shoes, but now a podiatrist has warned they could be doing irreversible damage by going barefoot in the sun.

John Miller says running school cross-country races barefooted is particularly damaging, and can make children's feet wider."

TV3 News

Video no longer available

____________________________

Gary Moller comments:

Warning: The following images may be disturbing to some podiatrists:

Well, I have viewed some ignorant rubbish masquerading as news on tv; but this TV3 item just about takes the cake! And where is the balance in this item? Its nothing more than misinformed sensationalism.

Photo One: Gary and Lorraine Moller 1950's New Zealand. Barefoot until secondary school. Lorraine"s strong feet took her to multiple Olympic marathons various running records and world championships.

Photo 2: My niece, Tinara, winning the sprints barefoot and injury free

Photo 3: My children, Myra, Mary-Ann and Kelvin with champion runner, Rod Dixon. Barefoot, tanned and healthy!

My son, Alama, winning the sprints - barefoot and fast!










Here we are, a website just for you: Parents for Barefoot Children

Let's focus on the real causes of foot pain: obese, soft kids who are driven everywhere and not allowed outside lest they be harmed by: the sun/the pervert/the cold/the heat/the hard ground etc etc. And we can't let them get tired or hungry can we? That is child abuse.

Oh! Back to the news item: About the darling Zola Budd and the fiery Mary Decker... I have it from good sources that Decker planned to spike the barefoot Zola if she dared to take the lead. If you watch the video very carefully you will see Decker attempting to do just that a few meters earlier on. Decker succeeded on the second attempt, tripping herself and injuring Zola in the process. That was the end of Zola's running career as she was booed and jeered out of the stadium by the partisan US crowd.
___________________

Lynn Staheli, MD
Quoted in The New York Times on Aug 14, 1991

Children with the healthiest and most supple feet are those who habitually go barefoot, according to Dr. Lynn T. Staheli and a growing number of other pediatric orthopedists. His studies of developing nations show that non-shoe-wearers have better flexibility and mobility, stronger feet, fewer deformities, and less complaints than those who wear shoes regularly. He says that, when a child must wear a shoe, it should be lightweight, flexible, shaped more or less quadrangularly, and above all, should not have the arch supports and stiff sides once deemed necessary to give the foot support. Many pediatric orthopedists strongly oppose "corrective" or "orthopedic" shoes for straightening foot and leg deformities like flat feet, pigeon toes, knock-knees, or bowlegs. Dr. Staheli and others contend that there is no evidence that corrective shoes correct anything, and that most of the supposed deformities correct themselves in almost all cases.

How to start Running and Walking barefoot and stay injury-free

Photo: Yes, yes, I know it - you think I’m
crazy being barefoot in a hail storm!  

Last year, I read a book about the legendary Tarahumara Indians who run up to 30 miles a day barefoot. This book, “Born to Run” has sparked a craze for barefoot running and walking. 

Is barefoot the way to go? Should you discard your walking and running shoes in favour of minimalistic footwear such as worn by the Tarahumara Indians? While I think going barefoot as much as possible is great for foot health, I am not about to tell every body to do so. The main problem is that most people nowadays do not have feet tough enough to handle being barefoot, nor do they have the running and walking technique for safe and efficient barefooting. (Modern shoes soften the feet and encourage stomping heel-first).

Photo: Lorraine and Gary Moller circa 1958 -
Raised bare foot from birth.  

My favourite pair of shoes is Vibram Five Fingers. These minimalistic shoes are the closest to being barefoot as you can get. I wear them everywhere, including during adventure holidays and when doing light-weight hiking. These shoes are extremely light and agile and easliy carried as back-ups to heavier-duty footwear. Still, I am very careful where I run barefoot and how far I go when wearing them.

Barefoot running is not for everyone

If you weigh more than about 80Kg I suggest you think twice before taking up running for the first time or after a long break. You would be better off doing a low-impact activity such as swimming paddling,cycling or walking. The injury risk of running is inherently high and it increases as weight increases. 

Running and walking in bare foot shoes is different to running or walking in conventional shoes and you need lots of time to safely transition. The most important rule in shifting to barefoot running is to take your time, doing a little bit of barefoot running at a time while sticking mostly to barefoot walking.

Note: While I am talking about walking and running in the same breath in this article, this message of caution applies mostly to running which has a much higher risk of injury. If you stick to walking then barefoot simulation should be perfect for most - so long as you take your time getting used to it!

Just about every athlete in this photo, other than me, would win 

a national champion ship if they were competing today - 

such was the depth of talent!

Other than the odd pair of Skellerups, we all ran barefoot 

in the "Good Old Days". Sadly, feet are not quite like they 

used to be, so take care if you decide to become a barefoot runner. 

Take your time making the transition to running or walking bare foot

Most people are raised from birth wearing some kind of protective footwear. Few people walk further than what it takes to get to the car or the fridge. Further than that and it is done on a treadmill or cross-trainer. If walking the outdoors it is on a manicured trail in heavy footwear. So, feet nowadays are very different to those of our ancestors, or present day Tarahumara Indians who were raised wearing little more than a pair of beat-up jandals - if that.

Unless you are a Tarahumara then your soft feet are going to require months, if not years, to strengthen to withstand the stresses and strains of running - with, or without shoes! In my job I am kept busy with stress fractures and strained foot tendons - and these are hardened runners - not newbies!

Start Slow - Keep the Miles Low

Get about the house and environs barefoot

Begin to toughen your feet, including the soles and skin, by taking every opportunity to be bare foot. As your soles harden, walk on grass and sand until the skin feels tender. The sinews of the feet will respond by getting stronger and the soles thicker and harder. Once that is comfortable, shift to walking on hard pavement, asphalt and even gravel - bare foot of course! this process may take several weeks of daily application.

Do two minutes of barefoot running or walking at the end of each of your runs/walks

Run or walk in your trainers but carry your bare foot shoes with you, or have them waiting at the end. Swap shoes and do a few minutes warm-down in your bare foots, including stretching. As the weeks pass, very gradually increase the distance you do in your bare foots.

Run only every 2nd or 3rd day

My three older children, Myra, Mary-Ann and

Kelvin, posing with Rod Dixon after competing

in a track race - Barefoot of course! 

Whether in cushioned trainers or bare foot shoes, sensible runners always schedule every 2nd day as a relative rest. This injury-prevention rule is most important when transitioning to bare foot running - and continued once the transition is complete. If you stick to walking, you can train daily because of the lower injury risk.

Run and walk mostly off-road

The best way to avoid injury is to make 80% of all your running and walking off-road, bare foot or not. The feet are best served by favouring surfaces that require continuous adjustment of the muscles, ligaments and joints of the feet. Monotonous ambulating on hard, flat pavement is a sure guarantee for eventually suffering an over-use injury. Your feet love the constant variation that is inherent of natural terrain.

Get a massage of the calf muscles and feet once a week

Massage kept the Roman Legions on their feet when marching a thousand miles and more in full battle-kit from Rome to the outer reaches of the Roman Empire, to do battle and then return victorious. They managed this in little more than leather sandals. If massage was good enough for them then it is good enough for you.

Get a thorough massage of the legs, including the feet, once week. It is the best investment you'll ever make to ensure your running and walking remain enjoyable and injury-free.

You might find this article an interesting read: http://blog.garymoller.com/2008/03/so-now-experts-tell-us-that-going-about.html

_______________________________________

About this website

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation.  Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Jandals kicked for six by foot experts

Wearing jandals may be bad for your feet and legs according to a new study.

Researchers from Auburn University in Alabama said wearers' tendency to claw their feet to maintain grip could potentially have debilitating effects.

The researchers studied the biomechanics of the footwear and determined that wearing them long-term can result in sore feet, ankles and legs.

The study found jandal-wearers altered their gait - which could produce problems and pain from the foot up to the hips and lower back.

John Miller of New Zealand podiatry clinic Foot Mechanics told the Dominion Post he was not surprised by the findings.

"People don't associate their feet necessarily with "effects" further up the body."

Long-term wear could lead to toe deformities or clawed feet.

The American study, of 39 college-age men and women alternately wearing athletic shoes and flip-flops (jandals), showed wearers took shorter steps and their heels hit the ground with less vertical force than when the same walkers wore athletic shoes.

Source: TV3 News Website. stuff.co.nz

_____________________________

Gary Moller comments:

There is no evidence that jandals harm feet. Studies like the one quoted prove nothing - only "potential" and draw a very long bow with their conclusions. 

And then the news report quotes podiatrist, John Miller, the same expert who put his name to the press release that spawned the TV3 news item about the dangers of running about barefoot. Go here to view the item and my response. 

He might like to repeat what he is saying to the millions of people of Africa, India, Asia and the South Pacific.