When I first started distance running my coaches told me that I over-pronated. They said that I was prone to injury because of it. My IT band would get tight. My knees might start hurting. My arches would swell up and ache. All of that might happen because of natural dysfunctions in my running form. Apparently I wasn’t the only one prone to those injuries though. According to my coaches and pretty much every distance runner around me, those injuries were just a natural part of running and everyone had to deal with it.
So I was advised to get the best running shoes and find something “with support.” From the beginning I’ve run with motion control shoes with massive arch support, a 2 inch heel, and a pair of Super Feet insoles to “prevent over-pronation.” Then I went out and ran. And ever since I started running marathons I’ve consistently been hurt despite buying the gear that they recommended I buy.
If this sounds familiar then don’t be shocked. There’s a good chance that 90% of you reading this are in the same boat as I was.
Fortunately, one day I stumbled across some literature on barefoot running and it’s advantages. I read about how the foot is naturally designed for running without the assistance of a shoe and of the successful barefoot runners around the world both past and present who ditched shoes and were healthier runners for it. Since coming across that literature I’ve learned more about barefoot running and have decided to test out barefoot running products.
Introducing the Vibram Five Finger Barefoot Running “Shoe”
It’s thin, lightweight, offers little to no arch and heel support, and only sports a then rubber sole meant to prevent cuts and abrasion wounds and a breathable mesh top to keep out dirt and rocks. In this video I review the Vibram Five Finger running shoe and point out it’s strengths and areas of improvement. Enjoy!
But to recap the main talking points in the above video I’ve listed the strengths of the Vibram Five Fingers, and the weakness or areas of improvement that the product can make.
Strengths of the Vibram Five Finger Shoes
- Lightweight – the shoes are 5.7 ounces each so they offer little weight resistance, meaning a quicker cadence and less energy cost associated with moving a heavy shoe.
- Breathable – the mesh upper top effectively wicks away sweat keeping your feet dry and preventing blisters.
- Flexible yet sturdy sole – the rubber sole is only a few millimeters thick – making it very flexible – yet it’s incredibly strong and resistant to wear and tear.
- Inexpensive – you can buy the Vibram Five Fingers for approximately $80 and they can last you several months.
- Traction – despite not having massive grooves on the sole like most shoes the Vibrams offer an impressive amount of traction because they allow you to engage your toes as a braking mechanism. The rest of the foot is also free to move and “grip” the ground more effectively than in typical running shoes which separate the foot from the running surface by 1-2 inches of rubber.
How the Vibram Five Fingers can be Improved
- Keeping stuff out – the KSO’s (Keep Stuff Out) line is a big improvement on the original Vibram’s that did not have a mesh upper. However, Vibram might want to experiment with elongating the mesh upper so that it travels up the base of the ankle more since I found that dirt and rocks sometimes entered the shoe from the top and not through the mesh itself.
- Velcro clasp – I think a wider velcro clasp would be more comfortable and offer a tighter fit. The current clasp is only about half of an inch wide so it can be somewhat uncomfortable when clasped tightly. A thicker clasp would distribute the tightness across more of the foot, making it a bit more comfortable and also locking in a greater area of the ankle, keeping the fit nice and snug.
- Toe protection – the rubber lip at the tip of the toes is a savior when running on tough terrain. However the rubber can be aggravating to the tips of the toes, especially the pinky toes. The current cut of the rubber leads the sole to end abruptly, leaving a somewhat sharp and pointy edge. Vibram should “round off” the rubber so that it transitions more smoothly at the tips of the toes. The current cut leaves a protrusion of rubber that can sometimes rub against an adjoining toe.
Where to go for More Information on the Vibram Five Fingers
- If you want to buy the shoes then check out the official Vibram website here.
- Or if you want more information check out this blog dedicated to the Vibrams.
Have you tried running in the Vibram Five Fingers? Have you tried running completely barefoot? Share your experiences to help other runners who are considering giving barefoot running a shot.
Solid review, here is mine:
http://www.runcolo.com/Product-Reviews/Vibram-Five-Fingers.html
I do all of my running in the Classics, never had a problem or a need where I thought I would want the KSOs.
I actually haven’t tried the Classics out yet. I want to try those and the Sprints to see what the difference is. I did however do some running at Lake Tahoe and had to wade through some water. The mesh upper on the KSO’s remained moist for a long time, keeping my feet comfortable despite the heat that day. No blisters either!
Thanks for your feedback!
great review. I found that the toe was my main concern as well. the only “foot” injury I seem to get from the VFF’s, albeit mild is light blistering on the toe which goes away quite fast after the run. The nike free’s aren’t too bad either. this review talks a bit about how they compare with vibrams.
RunColo, don’t you think the kso’s fit a bit better? also during my run in them I did get a small piece of leaf and a rock in the shoes.. what time of environment do you run at? Here’s another comparison of the KSO’s and Sprints:
http://barefootrunningshoes.org/2009/10/23/vibram-five-fingers-ksos-vs-sprint/
I’d rethink these If I were you! I have run for about a year and a half now with sneakers and had no issues. I bought the Vibrams with the hope to increase my times and gain better form. Well in one month I did get faster and improved my time and pace, however I broke my foot from a stress fracture! These damned things offer no shock absorption and thus caused a stress fracture. Now I’m screwed. I can’t run for 6 to 8 weeks. I’m miserable, Thanks Vibram! Thanks for nothing but pain.
Now I’m fielding questions from every runner that I meet asking WTF was I thinking running with these. I don’t even have an answer…. friggin’ shoes.
We’ve seen many different success and failure stories with the Vibrams. It seems like most runners who get injured in them do so because they charge the barefoot approach much too quickly. You bring up a very valid concern though. In the end each running should listen to their body for advice on what to do with respect to running shoes.
[...] wear that contributes to injuries. Others contend that it isn’t the type of shoe but the simple fact that we wear shoes that injuries arise. Scaling your mileage too quickly and not allowing adequate recovery time are two other primary [...]
[...] http://www.madetorun.com Vibram FiveFinger product review [...]
hey tom, did you give your feet time to get acclimated to your new footwear? i found i used a complete different set of muscles and tendons and started out slow .5 miles at a time for a few weeks and transitioned up to 5 miles slowly. also am running on the balls of my feet instead of heel striking.
[...] 2. http://www.madetorun.com Vibram FiveFinger product review [...]
[...] sore. And then, after about 50 miles of no rest cross training I decided to run again on the five fingers and that’s when the calf screamed “HELL NO!” and sent me to my knees with [...]
Hey Andy,
Thanks for the analysis of the Vibram 5 Fingers, these are by far the coolest running shoe I have ever used. I was questionable about these shoes when I first saw them but after reading your review and watching the video, I felt safe to take the $75 investment. When I was in Zombie Runner in Palo Alto, I asked their sales folks about how many of the Vibram 5′s they sell when compared with traditional running shoes, they said 20 to 1, no I know why. These shoes have allowed me to run off the asphalt or trail in areas that I have never been before, as a result I am having more fun than ever!
Thanks!~
Tom,
Where is your stress fracture? This morning I ijured either my metatarsals or strained the tendons in that region.
I also recently broke my 4th metatarsal wearing the VFF. I have been wearing them for 6+ months, about 50 miles per week… and then the pain showed up on an everyday run. I didn’t land on it funny or anything.
I’m really torn about what to do. I’ve never enjoyed running more than in the VFF, but I think they were a major cause of my broken foot. I’ve been running 50+ miles per week for years and this is the first significant injury I’ve had.
I am responding to all of those that hurt themselves with the VFF’s. I am an avid marathon runner that recently switched to Vibrams in February. I will say that because I was so excited about these shoes, I probably started running on them too much too soon. My first two weeks I only put in 3-5 miles with each run. Granted, I did some barefooting on the beach a few weeks before.
Anyway, I continued my marathon training and didn’t have any big problems, I loved running with them. However, two weeks ago I put a stress fracture on the upper side of my foot, 2nd and 3rd metatarsal. It occurred on a regular, and almost light, run a week after I had run 20 miles. I am so confused and torn what to do/think. I loved running with my VFF’s but received advice from the doctor not to.
I agree with the whole barefoot movement, but I wonder if I am one of those “classic cases” who jumped on the bandwagon before properly researching all necessary prep work. Also, my doctor said he fears barefooting is the next gravity shoe fiasco where people will only realize their injuries after significant time and it becomes a fad. Thoughts?
My sense is that runners will get injured whether they go barefoot or with shoes. However, it’s clear to me that we were meant to run barefoot. That’s what people have been doing for thousands of years and what evolution dictated for us. Barefoot running is what we are meant for.
But we were also meant to go barefoot beginning at childhood. And from a very early age condition our feet to be strong and durable so that they could stand up to distance running on a regular basis. We were persistence hunters and that required us to cover great distances on a weekly basis.
So for modern barefoot runners I think the underlying issue will continue to be the lack of conditioning in our feet from early childhood. And I think that necessitates us slowly conditioning our feet over a long period of time. Some are able to knock out 10-20 miles barefoot after 6 months of doing it. But the likelihood may be that we need several years of running/walking barefoot before our feet get to a state where injury is likely to never occur simply due to repetitive stress.
That’s just my opinion of it. But there could be other factors at play such as switching from barefoot to shoes and back on a regular basis. Doing that may “confuse” our musculoskeletal system to a certain degree and cause weakenesses/dysfunctions from constantly changing the way our feet impact the ground.
I’ve just finished recovering from my minimalist shoe stress fracture. It happened just as I was starting to ramp up my 5k speeds and has taken a good 6 weeks to heal. I fully second all the statements above concerning quality of runs in the Fives or similar. The sudden disappearance of my chronic knee pain (since high school) is too significant to sign off on the Fives. The runner’s high comes too often these days to ever want to go back to conventional shoes.
Barefooting isn’t the cause of the problem. Over-zealousness is. I’m not concerned about this either. Critics complain about the lack of sufficient statistical data. I fail to see how a statistical sample size consisting of millions upon millions of people around the world who can’t afford shoes, is insufficient. If they were falling down left and right from painful tendon or bone injuries, they wouldn’t also be turning into the best soccer players or long distance runners on the planet! My problem was that I am a mouse-pushing office-yuppy who hit it too hard right out of the office at the end of the day.
I bought Vibram Five Fingers KSO and found that they are *not* for everyone. I have a raised joint in my big toe (missing one out of two sesmamoid joint) in my right foot. I found it hurt to walk in the Vibram Five Finger because the design seems to anticipate that joint hitting the ground normally when your foot hits the ground. I tried running in the shoes, just a short bit – and developed back strains within a day of doing so. That was about six weeks ago and I’m still working my way out of the problem. Otherwise I have acquaintances who have Vibrams and they love them. But the shoes are not necessarily for every foot.
I am a near 3 hour marathoner, so it’s not like I’m not accustomed to running. I think I’ll just stick to my regular shoes as opposed to trying to run in Vibrams.
I know I am late here.. but I too am an injured VFF runner.
I am a 4:30 marathoner. I will admit my mistakes, however. I started off running way, way too much in them. I found running in them to be like nothing else I’ve ever done. Very quick, very efficient runs that made me feel amazing. I worked up to running 30-40 miles a week in them, and then a longer run on the weekend. Decided to run a 5K on July 4th this year and ended up clocking in a 22:30… and I am typically an 8 minute mile runner at best. Later that day, top of the foot pain. MRI results showed a 2nd metatarsal stress fracture so I am completely out of the game for a little while. Sucks sucks sucks.
I know I jumped off the deep end in them, and my doc says I’m more than likely better off sticking to regular shoes. I hate to hear this… I love them so much. Not going to continue to injure myself though.
This is a perfect walking shoe for summer. It is light, has plenty of toe room and looks good.
I’m joining the ranks of those who’ve suffered a metatarsal stress fracture while wearing VFF. Went to them after long battle with plantar fasciitis, but too much too soon led me to struggle with tendon issues. After a 4-week recovery, went super-slow and was logging about 15 miles a week. Felt great. Ran a 5K race in one of my best times ever and developed top of foot pain two days later. MRI confirmed stress fracture.
Kristin, your situation sounds very similar to mine. What did you decide to do?
I’ve just completed the required six weeks of recovery and I’m anxious to get back to running. (Have a Half Iron Man in four weeks, for which I downgraded to Aquavelo because of the stress fracture, and Half Marathon in mid-October.)
I am a believer in the merits of barefoot running and the philosophy that our feet were evolved to run without shoes (though our feet have become week from years of being shod). However, the contradiction to this, that I rarely see raised is–our feet did not evolve to run on concrete and asphalt! I believe having no cushioning while running on hard surfaces is what may have led to my fracture.
So, big question is–how to proceed? Back to regular shoes? Back to VFFs? Alternate between the two? Try minimalist shoes? Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Sherri
@Sherri – speaking from personal experience as well I opted for the middle ground. I opted for the Nike 5.0′s and slowly increased my mileage in them. I ran a 50 mile ultra in April (on mountain trail including over 10k feet of total elevation change) and didn’t really have problems. Feet hurt like a #$&%$# but that’s just because it was 50 miles. I think you can find a middle ground but unfortunately the Vibrams may be too little of a shoe for most.
Thanks, Andy. Though, in reviewing some of the earlier posts, I point again to the difference between today’s running conditions and that of people thousands of years ago–of course, people have been running without shoes for thousands of years but they have been running on packed earth, grass, etc. I really don’t want to go back to regular shoes for the same reason as everyone else, but I can’t seem to wrap my mind around the idea that any amount of conditioning can properly prepare the foot for today’s typically hard running surfaces (concrete, asphalt). Can proper conditioning really overcome this?
You can always try a sandal of sorts (like a huarache). Many indigenous people in South America, Central America and Africa use them. They are minimal but provide enough support against tough terrains.
But to specifically answer your question I think that people can condition their feet for hard surfaces. But it would probably require going about barefoot for most of your day to day activities. I know a former elite college and professional runner who doesn’t allow his children to wear shoes around the house (they only wear them when they go to school). That’s the approach he is taking to getting their feet conditioned at an early age because he feels he was a much better runner when he was barefoot (or nearly shod).
Hope that helps!
Hey Andy,
I’m a serious over-pronater, weak ankles, and my posterior tibial tendon is pretty weak. I used to use jacked up Brooks stability sneaks and superfeet, but I still would get sore ankles, and my arches would cramp up pretty easily. I switched to VFF’s (first classics, then Bikilas, but i find the bikilas to run a bit large in the toe and not provide as much support around my foot, I might try the KSOs, anyways..)
I’m not a crazy marathon runner i may do 1-3 miles 4x a week. I wear my classics nearly every day (basically as long as I’m not going out to a nice dinner or wearing a nice dress) because they just feel better than flats and my arches don’t hurt
. unfortunately the past couple weeks I’ve started to get realllly sore metatarsals on my right food ( between the 3rd and 5th). I’m nervous about getting a stress fracture or injuring myself.
Do you or anyone else on here have any recs on how to correct that? Is it due to my weak ankles or am I running incorrectly? Will the VFF’s help with the weak ankles? I’m not heel striking or only running on the balls of my feet, i’m trying to do a midfoot strike.
Thanks
Yvonne
I’m in the Army and recently started running about 5 to 8 miles a day, running my 1st 2 miles as quickly as possible, then just keeping a good pace afterwards. I’ve never been a runner unless i had to run, especially long distance running. I’m curious in buying the VFF;s in hope that i can up my miles to average 7 to 10 miles a day, most likely I’m going to buy a pair to try them out. For the people that are showing up with injuries, im curious to know your Age, Weight and Height. When i read about injuries im picturing a person in my type of condition, I’m 25 years old, 5’8, 165 lbs, i run every day, aside of my normal daily normal work out routine. So im curious if maybe the weight your applying to your arch, or maybe it’s your ankles and keeping a steady pace? I’ve read almost every comment. I’ll try the VFF’s KSO out for a month or two and post an update. Thank you all for posting your experiences.
Found this site from googling Vibram and stress fracture. I’m an average runner (Pace is in the 7:30-8) range. Started running in the vibrams because I like the idea of strengthening the foot and increasing bone density. The first few weeks I started out running 2.5 Miles each time. Then I bumped it up to 5 miles the next week and fractured my 3rd metataursal. I’m really sad – loved running in them but not sure if it’s worth the rist. FWIW the fracuture occured when running on a flat concrete surface (near a University) and near the end of mile 5.
I have a pair of VFF but my only problem is when I run in them my right foot tend to cramp up what do I do?
Following up from my previous comment, and hopefully this helps all of you.
Yes, I fractured my foot.
When I recieved my Vibrams I was excited to run in them but was cautious in injuring my foot. I ran 2, 3 miles in the Vibrams once a week to start off. On wednesdays. After my 1st month, I upped my 2 mile to a pace of 6:20 a mile. I figured ok, time to run a bit more using Vibram, so I ran 2, 3 miles every 2 days. I ran 1 day, then took 2 days off.
Note:
I still ran every day in regular sneakers with the exception of the days I chose to run in my Vibrams.
After my 2nd month I kept a great pace of 6:30 a mile continuosly running in my Vibrams every other day, weekends off. One day I was feeling good, enough to decide that I should run my routine 7 mile in my Vibrams at a 9 minute pace to start warming up the distances. After my run I notice a strain on my foot, right in the center of my big toe and the 2nd toe. I ignored the fracture and figured it will heal over the weekend. I was wrong. I was limping for days and realised I wouldn’t be running for a while. It took almost a month for my foot to heal, but I’m fine now and looking forward for round 2!
I do not regret using Vibrams. I felt the my legs strengthening, and balance was getting better. Overall, I felt like a runner, and will be considering the half marathon for next year in my Vibrams.
Oh and by the way, I run with the Vibram KSO. Hopefully this information helped.
I am a Clinical Exercise Specialist and recently performed research with the barefoot running/VFF craze. Yes- the body was designed to move barefoot, travel great distances barefoot, and hunt and gather barefoot. But- the terrain in which the body was designed to travel barefoot has dramatically changed. We now run marathons on asphalt and concrete, changing the needs of type of support/shock absorbing materials underneath our feet.
The verdict is still out, but more and more research is showing higher risk levels of injury in the foot due to lack of support and shock absorbing materials supporting the foot when running in VFF/barefoot.
Just something to think about….
[...] kan jeg anbefale en ligeså god engelsk blog med en gennemgang af Vibram Five Fingers løbesko: http://www.madetorun.com/running-equipment/alternative-brands/vibram-five-fingers-product-review/ Tags:løbetræning Five [...]
[...] M (age unknown) stress fracture in VFFs while doing speed [...]
Ive had issue with 4 pairs 1 pair bikila 3 days toes unglued. 2nd pair bikila same thing sole separate right off. for my 3rd pair i exchange for kso instead no toe separation but pull tab came stitching came apart after 2h . 4th pair kso mailed to me same size but material is so tight i manege to get foot in i can only where for 5 min and my foot goes lil numb am tired dealing with the company not sure i will buy another pair seems a lot factory defects and inconsistency i am pissed off at them and i want my money back
such peace of garbage and no i am not a spammer or getting paid for this i am a pissed off consumer and will wright this where ever i can find a revue don’t buy this crap
five finger vibrams:presents enthusiasts with a range of extremely functional soles: the designs and compounds stress grip and traction, protection and comfort. With Vibram, trekking is a unique experience.
For what it’s worth here are my thoughts. I just bought a pair of Vibrams because I have heard alot of good things about them. I will trail run all summer in them starting at .5 miles and working up to 5 miles before I hit the pavement. Yes I do believe we were meant to run barefoot. But I think it will take alot of time to build the strength in your feet to handle running on harder surfaces. It doesn’t matter if your a marathoner running 50+ miles a week. When you start barefoot you are starting over! I agree with whoever posted that it will probably take years to get strong enough to avoid injuries. Almost everyone who injured themselves went out and started running 2-3 miles and were doing 5 by the next week. That doesn’t even make sense. Think about when you FIRST started running. You didn’t go out and run 3 miles this week and then jump to 5 the next. It took time for your cardio and pulmonary systems to allow you to run those distances and that gave you time to build up your foot strength. Now you don’t need to build up your cardio and I’m sure it’s hard to go out and take it easy for along time but I think that’s what you need to do with barefoot running. When you start barefoot you are starting over! I am going to take it easy and see if I can do it right. Of course if I still get injured then my next post may be very different.
I bought my VFFs about 2 months ago. I did a lot of research and heard lots of good things..so I went ahead and bought them.
I started slow running only 1 mile and moved up from there. I ran twice a week and added .5 to 1 mile each time. I loved running in them!!!
I was feeling good until I ran 6 miles last week. The right side of my right foot, along the edge began hurting immediately after the run. My girlfriend is a nurse, she was sure I fractured my foot.
I disagreed saying that pain is natural with these shoes and it’s probably just a sore muscle. Its been nearly a week and no running for me. In fact I couldn’t imagine running right now because of the pain/uncomfortableness.
I’m beginning to agree with many others on here–yes, humans were made to run barefoot (starting at birth, not 29 like me)..on grass and dirt NOT concrete sidewalks and asphalt. The body takes a lot of pounding when running, and I’m not sure these shoes provide the cushioning.
By the way I’m 29, 5’9″, and 175 pounds.
I’m relunctantly forced to take a break and I might be going to the shoe store to buy some traditional running shoes. I just don’t see any amount of conditioning will make this not happen again and again.
Any thoughts?
Thanks everyone for the great feedback and experience with the Vibram five fingers. I would agree with those that make the statement that “people were meant to run barefoot but only if they were born and raised barefoot”. Otherwise we’ve conditioned our feet to perform while walking/running inside of a shoe. That process completely alters the natural design/architecture of the foot and weakens it in a way that makes barefoot running hard to do (often causing injury).
I think that if someone has the patience and ability to retrain their feet over years then they can go back to barefoot locomotion. But that basically entails living barefoot. Unfortunately I don’t think most of our employers would allow that ;D
Nonetheless the Five Fingers are great shoes. A novel concept. I would compare what Vibram is doing to shoe industry to what Sean Parker (the founder of Napster) did to the music industry. No, everyone isn’t listening to music via Napster anymore. But it completely redefined the notion of how consumers purchase music. Now you can go to any official download site and pay per parcel to own a song. And sharing of that music happens digitally across many devices. So Napster didn’t win in the sense that all of the music we consume happens via Napster. But it “won” in that the music industry was redefined in light of it.
I see major running shoe brands (Nike, New Balance, etc) spinning out new shoe lines targeted at the minimalist running consumer. And that in itself is a victory for Vibram. No, 5 years from now we won’t all be walking around in five finger shoes. But a lot more runners will be ditching their 15 ounce brick running shoes and opting for a more “natural” minimalist shoe. Vibram is leading that charge and it’s improving the consumer experience by making us think more about the shoes we run in, our bodies as running animals, and the long term health implications for us as athletes.
I usually run (pavement) 5 miles 3 to 4 times a week in my Five Fingers.
All was perfect.
A run on the beach in Five FIngers has left me impaled. I was probably 3 miles out and the top of my foot was on fire.
I’m trying to determine if I have a stress fracture or strained metatarsals.
It really surprised me that a beach run would impale me.
Here’s my long story.
After reading Born to Run and a 9 month period of interest in 5-fingers, I finally summoned my courage and purchased a pair of Bikilas in August 2010. I had been having problems with my left knee (had been running for years in New Balance) and was training for a Sept. relay here in NH called Reach the Beach. The first time I ran in the Bikilas my knee problem vanished. I also had no calf-tightness, which I had read was an issue for people. I hadn’t read about problems with stress fractures. I loved the light-weight, and the much better sense of what your feet were touching. As I felt no problems, I quickly increase from ~ 1 mile to up to 8 or so. Then I did a barefoot run on a beach in Maine. The next day, the top of my right foot hurt and was swollen, and it hurt to walk. Fortunately, an article in our local paper featured a runner who had been wearing 5 fingers successfully for runs until a long run in NYC when she got a metatarsal stress fracture — I googled “metatarsal stress fracture” and realized this is what I had (I can’t remember now, it was 3rd or 4th). So, this self-diagnosis meant No Reach the Beach, no running for 4-5 weeks, and then gradually started up again. Ran a 4 mile T-giving race and a 5K in December, no problems. For a while I took strontium supplements, having read in an alternative health newsletter (Dr. Nan Fuch), actually here it is, “in another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, women who added strontium to their bone building program cut their risk of fracture by 49% in the first year. Plus, they increased bone density in their backs by 14.4% and in their necks by 8.3%” and she cites other studies as well. But I haven’t been taking it for a few months after I ran out of my original supply. Time to find some more.
Now, today, a new problem. Same foot (right), but it doesn’t hurt on top (either pressing on the metatarsals or metatarsal heads). If I press on the ball of my foot it hurts, in the area of the 3rd/4th metatarsal. I had only been running ~ 2 mile 2-3x/week, when weather allowed, very flat (no inclines) and then yesterday I ran a 5k race. Downhill on asphalt, then uphill on dirt. I do think I registered a weird sensation in my right foot at one point while racing, but it didn’t bother me at the time. Then went downhill skiing today. After lunch, I felt like my right foot was on fire. I thought maybe my toewarmer and caught fire (not really
, but it was a burning sensation). A few hours later the boot came off, I massaged the area. Drove home, and now it hurts just to put my foot down. Have spent the last 4 hours on the computer trying to diagnose.
I agree with many of the posters here that these 5-fingers and minimalist shoes are the way to go; I was also so relieved to have knee pain vanish. I also agree that we are NOT born to run on asphalt and concrete. In addition, I know that my feet have been weakened by using clogs (Danskos) which have been very comfortable (helped a lot with a morton’s neuroma) but footwear like that would seem to make your feet atrophy by doing all the work for you instead of having the feet do the work while strengthening all thoses muscles, tendons, bones. I found Dr. Jolie Bookspan’s blog helpful on this point (use it or lose it). But I’m not much of a barefoot person, and clogs are the easy way out as a teacher in NH, esp. in the winter months. One other thing I’ve been thinking about with the right foot problem, is that my right foot probably experiences more stress because it would experience more variation in the angle because I am usually running on the right shoulder. I know that’s not a clear explanation, but basically, the difference in elevation between where 1st and 5th metatarsal (or big toe and pinky toe side of foot) hit ground on my left foot in my bikilas is less that on my right foot. I’d love to hear anyone’s thoughts on this speculation.
Not only do the FiveFingers look good, they can also be good for your health. The stylish shoe can deliver positive health benefits by leveraging all of the body’s natural biomechanics, so you can move as nature intended. Vibram FiveFingers can help to strengthen muscles in the feet and lower legs and improve the range of motion in ankles, feet and toes. The shoe also helps to eliminate heel lift to align the spine and improve posture, stimulating neutral function which is important for balance.
I have a pair of VFF but my only problem is when I run in them my right foot tend to cramp up what do I do?
I’ve had similiar issues with the Fivefingers that others have expressed. I’m a long time runner, low weight and light on my feet. 3 to 4 weeks into gradually increasing distance in the shoes I developed a stress fracture on my right foot. Very frustrating because, as others have said, sore knees and IT Band issues had vanished wearing these shoes. Now I’m out for 6 to 8 weeks. It’s back to the traditional running shoe for me once I’m back at it. I’ll wear the VFF shoes for low impact activities.
The one time I stress fractured my foot was 25 years ago. My doctor, a runner, said “too far, too fast, too hard, new shoes” leads to injuries. I would like to try these shoes but worried at my age about getting hurt. I run 20-25 miles a week and walk another 20, part of it carrying my golf bag. Any thoughts? Anybody play golf in 5fingers?
It’s true. Humans have been running barefoot for thousands of years, but what everyone fails to mention is that humans thousands of years ago were not running on concrete. Running on concrete is hard on your body, no matter what shoes you wear. I tried running with the VFF’s on concrete when I first bought them, and I could tell right away that I would be receiving some injuries if I kept running on hard surfaces with these shoes, so I converted to trails and that’s where the difference came in. The minimal sole keeps you from spraining your ankles and the individual sockets help you to get an awesome feel of the trail. Not to mention, they make you feel ten times lighter which allows you to take hills and boulders with relative ease.
Bottom line is, the human foot was designed for running on dirt, so naturally the VFF’s are going to be a great investment for trail runners. We were never meant to run on concrete, so if you can avoid it, run on dirt and get the VFFs, but if you have no choice but to run on concrete or asphalt, get a shoe with a good sole and keep your distances to a minimum. Over time, it doesn’t matter what shoe you wear; if you’re running on concrete 50+ miles a week, your going to get injuries at some point or another. For those of you who didn’t have the common sense to realize that if you ran 50+ miles a week on concrete virtually barefoot without getting a stress fracture, maybe the problem is in your head, not in your shoe.
These comments are obviously made by a shoe company or the same person.
Everyday people do not use words like metatarsal.
Vibrams are going to make your legs hurt at first but it is the same feeling when you
started running with regular shoes. The muscles have to adapt. A shoe company is trying
to capitalize on this and steer readers away.
Slap on a pair and make your own decision. My legs are sore but my form is making up for it.
I’m an everyday person who happened to pay attention in physiology class in high school
I wouldn’t discount the comments here based on that. There has been a lot of great input and I am in no way affiliated with this shoe company. I’m just a runner who does my research.
everyday people do use words like metatarsal. metatarsal and other stress fractures have become increasingly common with the increased popularity in both minimalist shoes like vff and with flip flops. in my experience, they’re good for the calves, bad for the feet (at least on asphalt and concrete). as for your suggestion to ‘slap on a pair and make your own decision,’ the point of reading reviews is to learn from others’ experiences, good and bad, so that you do not have to blindly spend $75 on a product that may not be a good fit for you. as for shoe companies trying to steer readers, the only obvious evidence i have seen of that here has come directly from companies trying to sell vibram five fingers (see reviews from 7/25/2010, 2/28/2011, and 4/18/2011).
I broke 2nd metatarsal first time and 3rd metarsal second time while wearing VFFs. Both time I ran 15 to 18 miles. I have been running in them for 2 years. Maybe it’s my form. I love these shoes, but must find out what I am doing wrong
I’m just a keep fit type of runner, about 3- 5 slowish miles a day, some road, as much as I can on trails. I was so excited about five fingers! Since i have flat arches and normally wear a shoe that helps it, I took advice before hand. Would the five fingers eventuallu improve things footwise? The message was be cautious, and given the feet, it may not be for you…
So I went for four minutes only at the beginning of my run and ran a little slower so I could attend to the way I put my feet down – it felt great. I then finished the run in my regular shoes. Shortly after, pain up both sides of shin, very nasty to walk wit, agonizing going downstairs. Am still recovering a week later, calf and ankle pain, receding somewhat now – tried to run (ordinary shoes) today but calves stopped me half way through. Feet are fine though! I’ll visit a physio and see if I can speed recovery up. Not sure if I’ll try again (1 minunte???) – I miss my runs. Think I might be a marketing victim, and too broke to be fixed!
I started running in my vibram five finger classics in November 2011 after years of running in trainers and having so many lower back pain problems. Following a 10 mile run. my foot was so sore that I thought I had a stress fracture. Thankfully I did not and I have continued running in my Vibrams. yes, I get strange looks, especially over Christmas when I actually did run barefoot along the beach!
My last race that I ran was another 10 miles with no injuries! Now I am planning to run a marathon in vibrams, I cannot see myself running in trainers again.
However, I run in the Vibram classics. Must I change to another type of Vibrams for distances that are longer than a half marathon?