KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 — For some 40,000 years now, humans have been wearing sandals and shoes to pamper and protect their supple feet.
And, walking barefoot outdoors was frowned upon up until this year, when celebrities like Chris Hemsworth, Jacob Elordi and Mike Sabath strolled on the streets without shoes.
Citing the trend, American online magazine The Cut even labelled 2023 as the “barefoot-boy summer” year.
Some studies have linked barefoot walking, also known as “grounding”, to various health benefits including better sleep, stress reduction and improved body balance, among others.
However, health experts say these reports are not convincing enough for us to ditch the shoes just yet.
No conclusive evidence on benefits
Prince Court Medical Centre consultant orthopaedic surgeon in foot and ankle Dr Rukmanikanthan Shanmugam said there is no concrete scientific data to back claims that barefoot walking is better than shod walking.
“Although some studies suggest that walking barefoot causes less impact to the hip and knees, they were conducted on patients who already have knee problems.
“Some studies also found that your walking pattern changes when you walk in shoes and when you go barefoot.
“Therefore, it is hard to conclude whether the benefits are due to the shift in walking pattern or because you don’t wear shoes,” he said.
However, Dr Rukmanikanthan noted that people take shorter strides when walking barefoot which indirectly reduces the load on the hip and knees.
“You tend to take bigger and faster strides when walking in shoes, which puts more stress on the leg joints,” he said.
Meanwhile, Footdoctor Podiatry Clinic chief podiatrist and founder Dr Lim Yuanshuang said the benefits of walking barefoot is relative rather than absolute.
“Bad shoes like flip-flops force your feet to exert more pressure than needed to hold the slippers together while walking.
“Similarly, walking on high heels makes you use your forefoot more and places less stress on the heel.
“This can cause excessive tightening of the calf muscles and eventually weaken the feet.
“So, going barefoot is better than using bad shoes but wearing good shoes is still the ideal choice,” she said.
Risky trend for diabetics
Besides causing cuts and worm infestations, Dr Rukmanikanthan said walking barefoot on hard surfaces like tar roads and cemented surfaces can produce jarring movements and increase heel loading.
This, he said, can lead to pain, deformities and callosities on the feet.
He also strongly discouraged diabetic patients to try this trend, citing cases of diabetic patients who sustain injuries on their feet while walking barefoot in their lawns.
Likewise, Dr Lim said continuous barefoot walking could lead to thick callus formation under the feet, which can develop into corns and foot ulcers in diabetic patients.
“During my training in Australia, where people often walk barefoot outdoors, I have encountered diabetic patients with beer caps stuck under their feet!
“In fact, I also advise patients with severe fat atrophy (thinning of fat layer under the feet) to even wear footwear indoors,” she said.
Asked on the best footwear to use, Dr Rukmanikanthan advised people to choose anything comfortable that covers up to the ankle with good padding to cushion the feet.
“Just don’t let vanity get in the way when buying footwear. Compromising your foot health for fashion is just not worth it,” he said.
