Melbourne: Running barefoot is far better than running with heavy sports shoes. Heavy sports or running shoes make the foot more prone to injury says study. The research was conducted by US sports medicine expert.

A detailed research was conducted by Irene Davis from Harvard University. He studied two conditions of running, barefoot running and minimal wear running. Minimal foot running uses a thin layer of rubber glove for the foot. These shoes make the runner comfortable and give him natural movement apart from these comforts, it also assist the sole from minimizing dangers like temperature, stones and hard surface. Cushioned running shoes support runners to land strongly on the heel at the end of each step.

Davis an expert in US sport said that “When you land on your heel you end up with a very quick rise to peak in the force that your body experiences. That completely goes away when you run barefoot because you land on the ball of your foot.” The theory was practically tested on Kenyan runners.

These runners had never worn shoes but the mechanics were same, the runners naturally run on the same principle. They land with general forefoot strike pattern and don’t land on heels.

As you remove the shoes the tendons and related muscles of the foot, calf thigh and ankle start doing their specific job. Here some professional runner may complain about the pain while running bare foot, this is because of two reasons. First they fail to use the muscles that absorb shock and sometimes they try extra in the initial stages.

The cushioning and motion controlling shoes have made our foot more prone to pain and ache. It has stopped the functionality of the feet and related muscles. Running barefoot can help flat footed people to reinforce and lift the arches.

The study was revealed at 2011 Australasian Podiatry meeting in Melbourne.