Vibram Five Fingers Review

Vibram Five Fingers look weird.  There’s really no way around it.  they don’t look like regular shoes.  They don’t fit like regular shoes.  And they certainly don’t fit like regular shoes.  But, before you cast your vote on these things, let us tell you why they really rock for your feet.

When you run with regular running shoes, there is a thick padding in the sole of the shoe.  This thick padding is very reassuring and feels great.  But, it actually can cause all kinds of ankle issues and knee pain.  Why?  Well, it teaches you to run and walk incorrectly.  The soft padding lets you use your heel to strike the ground first.  And the thick padding softens the blow.  But, that heel strike is tough on the knees, because the impact goes straight up the kinetic chain.

Try this… go barefoot and try and walk or run with the same heel strike you would use with a soft padded running shoe.  You won’t be able to do it for long, because it will really hurt.  Well, anything you can’t do naturally is not a good thing.  And this is what the modern running shoe masks.  Plus, all that thick padding puts your foot at an elevated position which really increases the risk of turning or spraining an ankle, especially if you’re on any kind of uneven ground.

Wearing the Vibram’s is like running barefoot, but with a very protective guard under your feet.  The best way to describe them is like a glove for your feet.  You will quickly see that you start running more on the ball of your foot, which is much more natural and healthy for your body.  And they will really help strengthen your ankles, because the stabilizers in your ankles will be much more challenged than when they were in those overly protective modern shoes.

So, even though they look a little funny, you will be very glad when you use them.  One quick note, in the beginning, they are tough to get on, because the toes each have a small separator in the shoe.  And since we are all used to regular shoes, our toes have actually gotten used to squishing together.  When you have to actually separate them to put on the Vibram’s, it takes a little getting used to, but soon enough they will feel very natural.  If you want to learn more about Vibram’s, please click here.