It’s really wild to me that at 49 years old, I’m re-learning how to walk and loving it. The most important thing for me about this barefoot journey is that there were so many unexpected bonuses. Firstly, I don’t need shoes or slippers to work in the kitchen. Secondly, I don’t feel like my lower back is taking a hit with every step. Thirdly, walking in the grass is pleasurable. Lastly, the skin on my feet is healthy again.
In 2022 I started working with a friend—technically working for another chiropractor named Chris Grundmann. Chris is well versed in foot health and after treating each other for years, he could see that a lot of my issues stemmed from my feet. He decided that he was going to buy me a pair of shoes. Not just any old shoes, but barefoot shoes, specifically, Vibram Furoshikis.
I’m not exactly sure if Chris knew exactly how this would play out. He did however know that I would NEVER ever in my life have elected to go barefoot on my own.
Up until that point in my life, I had always had shoes on. If I was cooking in the kitchen, or walking in the yard, no matter what it was, I never felt comfortable being barefoot. Probably the biggest reason that walking barefoot was so uncomfortable was that I was a hard heel striker. It was hard for me to find shoes that were comfortable because I was oblivious to my aggressive heel striking. I never thought that the way that I walked was the reason why certain shoes made my back feel uncomfortable and simply assumed that my body was ‘sensitive’ and needed to be accommodated.
At that moment in time, I think that Chris understood how much going barefoot would help a lot of my issues. But he never directly addressed the topic with me. So when I say that Chris knew me, he might have known that buying me these shoes was enough to get me to wear them every day we worked together which was 2 to 3 days a week.
This started to change the way my feet behaved. About nine months into my ‘volun-told’ barefoot journey, I noticed that the days that I wore my conventional athletic shoes were now uncomfortable. Not painful, but I felt unstable and uneven. My brain had quickly acclimated to the sensory input by being more in touch with the ground. When that feedback was interrupted by that shock absorbing sole, I had trouble finding my equilibrium. So, I started wearing the barefoot shoes every day.
Patients and friends often notice these unusual shoes and I’m always really clear with people when they ask me how I like them. I really like what barefoot shoes have done for me, but it is a journey. I don’t want to give anybody the idea that this is a change anyone needs to make immediately.
What would I do differently if I could start this journey again?
If I didn’t need my own guilt to force my hand… foot, I guess, I would start with shoes with the widest toe box but still with some arch support and a more minimal base. Then I’d work my way into shoes that have very little sole for that barefoot feel. I firmly believe that our shoes should accommodate our feet, not the other way around.
One of my favorite resources is Sue Muschett at Synergy Chiropractic. Sue is a member of The Foot Collective which is a group of Physical Therapists out of Australia, who are proponents for being barefoot and the process of rewilding your toes.
*My friend Chris has since left Austin and is now back in his native North Carolina. His practice was G2 Chiropractic in Kyle, Texas.