Scottsdale doctor warns of five-finger shoe health risks

SCOTTSDALE, AZ - You may have seen them or maybe you own a pair. They're five-finger shoes, sometimes called "foot gloves", and they're touted as the closest thing to barefoot running.

The shoes have minimal padding on the bottom. According to Ron French, a manager at Runner's Den in Phoenix, there are about two to three millimeters on the bottom of a Vibram Fivefinger shoe, one of the store's most popular brands.

Manufacturers say minimalist shoes help strengthen feet and leg muscles and help with balance.

French says he started to wear five-finger shoes for that reason. He had a history of knee and hip injuries and hoped the shoes would strengthen his muscles but it didn't work for him.

"I found that if I wear them on occasion I'm good but if I wear them too regularly they cause a nagging problem," French said.

French said he started to feel pain along his lower leg and since then, wears the shoes much less.

Dr. Bruce Werber, a podiatrist in Scottsdale, tried a pair for himself. He said the shoe is not for him and believes certain people are more at risk of injury.

Since last year, Dr. Werber has treated two people for stress fractures caused by using barefoot-type shoes. 

He says people with high arches may want to consider shoes that have more support.

"There's no ability for a high arch foot to dissipate the shock of landing," he said.

Werber also said people who are overweight are at risk.

"Basically, three times your body weight is hitting the floor every time you take a step. When you increase speed, you increase velocity and force that's going through your foot," he explained.

Werber says people with bunions, hammer toes, prior hip and joint injuries may want to avoid this type of shoe.

Dr. Saniel Schulman, with the Phoenix Institute of Footcare Physicians, said he doesn't recommend this type of shoe for his patients.

"The jury's out," he said. "There is a benefit-risk ratio to anything. Everybody is an individual case."

Schulman hasn't treated anyone for injury related to five finger shoes but said people with diabetes, neuropathy, and poor circulation are at greater risk of injury.

There is mixed opinion among runners on whether five-finger shoes help or hurt the body. One Runner's Den customer told ABC15 she wears her shoes hiking and running almost every day and has seen improvement.

"Building the muscles up (and) causing a lot of correct alignment," she said.

Barefoot running is a relatively new trend. French says he tells his customers the shoes can both help and hurt and says they need to be broken in.

"I did it too aggressively. I didn't practice what we preach here at the store," he said.

Dr. Werber says people who choose to exercise with barefoot type shoes should do it gradually, listen to their body, and avoid areas where there could be sharp objects or debris on the floor.