Some new barefoot runners or even new minimalist runners complain of plantar fascia pain.
The plantar fascia is a flat band of ligament connecting the heel bone to the toes, and
it helps support the arch of the foot and it can also be a strong source of elastic
strain energy during running, which can be a positive for improving energy efficiency
in your stride.
One prominent reason plantar fascia pain may occur when you first begin barefoot running
is when you run barefoot, you land with a forefoot strike, not a heel strike.
The plantar fascia undergoes different loading geometry in a forefoot strike vs a heel strike
landing.
In a forefoot strike landing during running, especially when barefoot, because there’s
obviously more room for the midfoot and forefoot to expand and extend, the plantar fascia lengthens
more, and the functional relevance of the plantar fascia lengthening at touchdown in
a forefoot strike landing when running is to transfer elastic energy between certain
areas of the foot to allow better spring during the propulsion phase of running.
A potential advantage of having more spring-enabled feet during running is it may reduce muscle
costs because the muscles may need to perform less mechanical work and expend less metabolic
energy to thrust the body forward.
So evidently, in a forefoot strike landing when running, especially when barefoot, the
plantar fascia plays a more active role in managing elastic energy as compared with running
in conventional running shoes which tend to be very narrow and very inflexible, causing
engaging plantar fascia activity to be overly restricted, and the more a tendon or a muscle
is offline from engagement, has proved to be difficult in keeping the tendon or muscle
strong and healthy which may easily keep injuries going.
One of the first publicated data indicating that the plantar fascia may be more functionally
effective in helping increase elastic power in the feet in barefoot running vs shod running
came from a 2016 study in the journal, PLOS One, which is linked down below the video
in the description box, discovered that in barefoot running, the plantar fascia played
a big role in a key energy transfer mechanism that occured between energy absorbing and
energy producing structures in the feet.
The researchers found that during the stance phase of barefoot running, the energy absorbed
by the metatarsophalangeal joint (or the MTP-joint, which can absorb around 11% of the total mechanical
energy of the lower leg during running) was transferred by the plantar fascia between
the MTP-joint and the recoiling medial longitudinal arch which in turn aided in positive power
generation.
With that done --so, the energy transfer mechanism involving the plantar fascia during stance
in barefoot running-- the researchers explained that the plantar fascia may provide additional
energy to the MTP-joint and the medial longitudinal arch to aid in forward propulsion with greater
efficiency and reduced muscle power to thrust the body forward.
In contrast, the researchers discovered that this specific involvement of the plantar fascia
in providing additional energy to the MTP-joint and the medial longitudinal arch was not observed
during running in arch-supportive running shoes.
This is because the plantar fascia, along with the arch, had limited range of engagement,
and therefore a loss of function, if you will, because these components of the feet were
not being used the way they should whereby overtime in this condition, these structures
may also become structurally and functionally impaired, because of their ongoing under-use
which can directly compromise the way the feet contribute, not only elastic strain energy
which is a component of good running economy, but may also compromise balance stability
and the kinetic chain up the leg.
How so?
A weak arch and a weak plantar fascia may cause the foot to shift into extreme overstraining
positions during the touchdown and stance phases of running, and in this condition,
could alter joint mechanics of the ankle, knee and hip in ways that may lead to injury
whereas a functionally strong arch and plantar fascia actually has been shown to naturally
place tighter controls on abnormal foot movements and postures, and injury prevention outcomes
always tend to improve when you have stronger footstep stability during running.
But, the Nike Vaporfly lovers could argue: “who cares about the springs in the feet,
like the arch and the plantar fascia, when I can just run in a shoe that does all the
spring-work?
The problem with that line of thinking, which is counterintuitive, regarding runners who
love wearing these kinds of shoes, is really where adding barefoot running to your training
has never mattered more because you still need to have strong feet, in general, for
obvious reasons; strong feet is better than weak feet; If you plan on running in these
types of shoes, you better have unshakable balance stability and of course functionally
strong feet because functionally strong feet certainly makes it easier to adapt to new
levels of training, partly because stronger feet is what’s required to sustain studier
footstep stability and a more optimally aligned kinetic chain; So getting back to why your
plantar fascia may be sore when you first start running barefoot or even in barefoot-like
running shoes is the pain is most likely adaptive pain and is temporary until the plantar fascia
adapts to its new normal, which it will; the plantar fascia is actively adapting to having
an advanced ability to store and contribute more elastic strain energy and serves as another
source of elastic power, something that it’s less likely do to fully in conventional running
shoes.
In that regard, I posted links to videos showing really helpful barefoot plantar fascia strengthening
exercises to help get your plantar fascia strength more fast-evolving so that you;re
off to a smoother start when you first start running barefoot.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this video, if you did, feel free to hit the like button as well
as the subscribe button if you haven’t already where you will stay more on informed on how
barefoot running can fine tune you running mechanics as well as more informed on the
hot-button debate: heel strike running vs forefoot strike running.
Thank you so much for listening and watching.
Have fun out there on the roads and trail.
Bye for now.