Pros and Cons Barefoot Walking

Pros and Cons of Walking Barefoot on your arch or Plantarfascia muscle

Walking barefoot has been a practice for centuries and has been shown to have many benefits. Walking barefoot helps to strengthen the muscles in your feet and ankles, improve balance and posture, and increase flexibility. Additionally, walking barefoot can help to improve circulation and reduce stress levels.

However, there are also some risks associated with walking barefoot. Without the support of shoes, the bones and muscles in your feet are more susceptible to injury. Additionally, walking barefoot can increase your risk of developing calluses, bunions, and ingrown toenails. If you choose to walk barefoot, be sure to do so on soft surfaces such as grass or sand to minimize the risk of injury.

Here are a few advantages and disadvantages of walking barefoot.

Pros:
1. Strengthens the foot muscles.
2. Aligns posture naturally.
3. Helps balance in natural strength.

Cons:
1. Barefoot walking often does not align equally depending on whether one leg is longer than another. Injury can affect one side of the body, and muscle tightness or weakness can cause unequal walk or gait.

2. Barefoot walking can cause pain due to lack of shock absorption.

3. Barefoot walking can make you vulnerable to skin openings that cause infection.

4. Barefoot walking can cause other muscles to compensate for issues it causes in the arch without any degree of control. Control can be achieved if you are already using proper shoes, insoles or orthotics, because such items can be tweaked slightly to reduce pain and realign the foot muscles.
If you have plantar fasciitis, walking barefoot can actually make your condition worse. That’s because when you walk barefoot, you’re not giving your plantar fascia any support, which can cause the tissue to stretch and tear.
To help strengthen your plantar fascia muscle, wear Archmaker at night to help build muscle memory and stretch your foot. Doing this nightly for 4 hours a day for 4 weeks can help build the muscle in your foot so that you can feel the earth beneath your feet pain free!