Walking in Minimalist Shoes Is Effective for Strengthening Foot Muscles

Walking in Minimalist Shoes Is Effective for Strengthening Foot Muscles.Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 104–113, 2019.Introduction: Weakness of foot muscles may contribute to a variety of loading-related injuries. Supportive footwear may contribute to intrinsic foot muscle weakness by reducing the muscles_role in locomotion (e.g., absorbing forces and controlling motion).

Increased stimulus to the foot muscles can be provided through a variety of mechanisms, including minimalist footwear and directed exercise.Purpose: To determine the effect of walking in minimalist footwear or performing foot strengthening exercises on foot muscle size and strength. 

Methods: Fifty-seven runners were randomly assigned to one of three groups—minimalist shoe walking (MSW), foot strengthening (FS) exercise, or control (C). All groups maintained their prestudy running mileage throughout the study. The MSW group walked in provided footwear, increasing weekly the number of steps per day taken in the shoes. read more...