Staff 
January 25, 2013The traditional running shoe has been getting somewhat of a bad name in some sectors of the running community in recent years. Traditionally the purpose of a running shoe was to help performance and prevent injury. It was supposed to prevent injury by helping control motion and lessen the impact of the heel contacting the ground. The evidence is that this is not quite helping which has led to an emergence of barefoot running. While the actually number that run barefoot is small, a growing number are using the barefoot or minimalist running shoes, which are shoes that are supposed to mimic the action of running barefoot and not interfere with the natural function of the foot. While there is some debate if these shoes do actually mimic barefoot, they have grown to 8% of the running shoe market. There are plenty of claims about how many of those who run barefoot now get less injuries and there are plenty of advocates that this is the way for everyone to run. However, there are also plenty of claims that there are more injuries in those who run barefoot or in minimalist shoes. There is very little evidence to support one way of running over another, just a lot of claims and counterclaims. At the end of the day, barefoot or minimalist running will be suitable for some and not for others. It is going to be an individual choice.