Switching to barefoot doesn't injure you, it exposes you

Do you remember the chewing gum stuck under the school desk?

It was rare to find a clean desk.
And the worst part wasn’t touching it.
It was knowing it would stay there forever. Hard as a rock.

Well, in the barefoot footwear world, something very similar happens.

There’s an idea that has stuck like that chewing gum:

“Barefoot footwear causes injuries”.

And of course, when something is repeated often enough, even if it’s a poorly told half-truth, it ends up sounding like a full truth.

But the reality is that even for people who get injured when switching to barefoot footwear, the change is beneficial.

A lot.

Let me explain.

Barefoot entered many lives as a running shoe.
And that’s where the mess began.

People who had spent 10, 15 or 20 years running with:
cushioning,
drop,
structures that did the work for the foot…

Suddenly put on something that:
didn’t correct,
didn’t protect,
didn’t interfere.

And they tried to carry on the same:
same speed,
same distance,
same intensity.

The result?

It didn’t go well.

I always explain it with the same example.

The first day you step into a gym, you don’t load 100 kilos onto a squat.
If you do, you’re not brave.
You’re a candidate for injury.

The exact same thing happened with feet.

At best: brutal soreness in the soleus and calves.
At worst: stress fractures or Achilles tendinitis.

It happened to my friend Rafi.
And he didn’t blame the shoes.

He knew he’d gone faster than his body could handle.

Back then we used to repeat one phrase:
Too much, too fast.
Too much. Too fast.

Rafi recovered.
And he kept using barefoot footwear.

But this time, giving it time.

Because the body isn’t fragile.
But it does need adaptation.

And here comes the part almost nobody talks about.

Why, even if you get injured, is the change still positive?

Because for the first time, you’re not wearing something that goes against your anatomy.

You’re wearing something that lets your feet work.
That wakes up your muscles.

That strengthens your bones.
That gives your body back functions you had forgotten.

With cushioning, you can hide problems for years.
With barefoot footwear, you can’t.

It shows you reality.
And that, even if it stings, is worth gold.

Because you’ve discovered footwear that lets you move better, run better, jump better…

That’s why even a bad initial experience adds up.

Because you come out with a stronger, more aware body.

And if you want to start running properly, here’s my recommendation.

These shoes have everything people talk about — and will keep talking about — when it comes to barefoot footwear, but with enough sole to protect you while you adapt.

10 mm thickness and removable insole.

So you don’t have to start quite so close to the ground.

Feeling everything, yes, but protected. A solid starting point.

• For her

• For him

Start.

Listen.

And let your feet do again what they always knew how to do.

Efectiviwonder

Health starts in your feet.

Antonio Caballo.