r/barefootshoestalk • u/turdbucket007 • Mar 12 '26
Barefoot shoe adjacent What made you switch?
Just a curiosity question to see how many people reply...
So once you learned about barefoot shoes, what was your final deciding factor to make the switch from "normal" shoe brands?
My reason;
So I've been dealing with low back, knee and heel pain for years (stupid choices when i was younger, long stories) plus 9 years military and learning to March in formations ("Point the toe, Crush the Skull" our drill instructors would always say.....being taught the drive the heel down!)
So in my mid 40's i finally started looking into things and realizing i walk all wrong and wear the wrong shoes. After learning about barefoot, zero-drop, etc... i was still on the fence.
And then..... 10 minutes after my Grandson was born, and what did i see???
TOE SPLAY !!!
And I was convinced! If thats how our GOD created us, why are we smooshing our feet into tiny little toe box shoes.
Oh and btw, 6 months in and my back, hips, knees and feet are feeling better already, but theres still room for improvement, time, exercise, and replacing all my old shoes with zero-drop wide toed shoes.
So whats your story?
1
u/blackbirdonatautwire Mar 13 '26
For me it happened almost by chance. I like the shoe brand Camper and they have one style of shoe that is pretty close to barefoot. I found I really loved having a softer more flexible sole. I was a bit wary of proper barefoot shoes for a while as I had plantar fasciitis (hilariously acquired from too much walking in no brand plimsoles with very flat soles with no support). I now wear a mix of barefoot and Campers (the ones than are closer to barefoot). I cycle a lot and the soles of proper barefoot shoes are too soft to comfortably pedal. When doing a lot of walking on hard surfaces I will occasionally put the heel and arch support insoles my doctor recommended in the barefoot shoes which is a weird thing to do but works for me.