The foot is the most complex mechanical structure our body has. It constantly shifts between being a mobile adapter to a stiff lever with each step we take. It is capable of absorbing shock, and then recycling that shock into elastic energy. The basic components of the foot are laid out here.
Walking barefoot after years of being shod can be a challenging process. Muscles and joints need to restrengthen and realign, and it doesn't just happen overnight. Here is how we recommend to begin and continue the process so that transitioning is as smooth and comfortable as possible.
Shoes as they are made in the market today are essentially casts. They limit range of motion in various ways while locking our foot into a compromised position. Here are some of the main issues that shoes present to our feet:
Dates and locations of our workshops are coming soon!
bones:Mikael Häggström, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
foot:Public Domain
feet:Public Domain
calcaneus:BodyParts3D is made by DBCLS., CC BY-SA 2.1 JP <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons
locomotion:Eadweard Muybridge, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
talus:BodyParts3D is made by DBCLS., CC BY-SA 2.1 JP <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons
tibia:Anatomography, CC BY-SA 2.1 JP <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons
tarsal:BodyParts3D is made by DBCLS., CC BY-SA 2.1 JP <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons
metatarsals:BodyParts3D is made by DBCLS., CC BY-SA 2.1 JP <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons
navicular:BodyParts3D is made by DBCLS., CC BY-SA 2.1 JP <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons
keystone:Public Domain
tarsals:BodyParts3D is made by DBCLS., CC BY-SA 2.1 JP <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons
joints:Laboratoires Servier, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
joint:Laboratoires Servier, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
pronation:InjuryMap, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
muscles:Laboratoires Servier, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
extrinsic:OpenStax, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
ankle:OpenStax College, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
intrinsic:OpenStax, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
muscle:Laboratoires Servier, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
ligaments:Laboratoires Servier, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
soft tissues:Cancer Research UK, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
ligament:Laboratoires Servier, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
medial arch:DataBase Center for Life Science (DBCLS), CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
lateral arch:derivative work: Taenzerin (talk)Gray355.png: Arcadian, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
transverse arch:BodyParts3D is made by DBCLS., CC BY-SA 2.1 JP <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en, via Wikimedia Commons
hallux:Personalo at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
hallux valgus:Jmarchn from Hellerhoff work, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
overpronation:InjuryMap, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
bunions:Angela Simon, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
biomechanical:Brina Schenk with Douglas College, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
nerves:OpenStax, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
mechanoreceptors:Neuromechanics, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
proprioception:Onearmer, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
mid-line of the body:Edoarado, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
plantarflexion:Connexions, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
dorsiflexion:Connexions, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
contraction:Mikhail Volinkin1, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
everts:Connexions, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
dorsiflexes:Connexions, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
internally rotates:Tonye Ogele CNX, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons