Podiatrist · Specialist in Biomechanics · Founder of VOLKAN
"The cushioning does not make the forces disappear. It changes the conversation that the body has with them."
"I want a shoe with a lot of cushioning to protect my knees"
It's one of the phrases I hear most when someone enters a specialized store.
The logic seems impeccable.
If a soft mattress is more comfortable than the floor, a heavily cushioned shoe should better protect our joints.
It makes sense.
At least at first glance.
However, the human body rarely responds in such a simple way.
Because when we change one part of the system, the organism changes many others.
And that also happens with cushioning.
The impact does not disappear
Every time we walk or run, forces appear between our body and the floor.
It is inevitable.
Moving involves exchanging forces.
Without them, we couldn't even move forward.
Cushioning does not make those forces disappear.
What it does is modify how they are distributed in time and space.
In some cases, it reduces pressure peaks.
In others, it prolongs the time during which they act.
In others, it changes the speed at which the organism receives that information.
It does not eliminate the loads.
It transforms them.
The body always responds
Here something fascinating appears.
When the body perceives a harder ground, it usually slightly increases the flexion of some joints and adjusts muscle tension to better absorb the forces.
When it perceives a softer surface or a very cushioned shoe, it also modifies its strategy.
We do not continue moving exactly the same.
The nervous system reorganizes the way of running, walking, or landing.
That is, the body does not passively receive the cushioning.
It interacts with it.
More cushioning does not always mean less load.
This is one of the concepts that surprises the most.
If the body continuously modifies its behavior, greater cushioning does not automatically imply a lesser load for all tissues.
In some people, certain tissues may work less.
While others take on a greater part of the effort.
Everything depends on how the system reorganizes movement.
That’s why two runners using exactly the same shoe can experience completely different sensations.
Not because the shoe changes.
But because each body responds differently.
Perception also changes.
Not only do the forces change.
The information also changes.
A very cushioned sole usually makes some irregularities in the ground reach the nervous system in a less intense way.
That can be very pleasant in certain situations.
But it also modifies the amount and type of information with which the brain organizes movement.
Let’s remember something we have already learned.
The organism never responds solely to forces.
It responds to the forces it is capable of perceiving.
What does this have to do with barefoot?
A lot.
One of the differences between highly cushioned footwear and minimalist footwear is not just in the thickness of the sole.
It lies in how both modify the perception of the ground.
Highly cushioned footwear tends to prioritize protection against certain irregularities.
Minimalist footwear tends to favor a more direct perception of the environment.
Neither of the two options is universally superior.
Each one offers advantages and limitations depending on the context, the goal, and, above all, the person's ability to adapt.
The mistake arises when we think that a single solution works for everyone.
What I see every day in consultation
Some patients clearly improve when they use footwear with more cushioning.
Others evolve better when they progressively regain a greater capacity of the foot to manage loads.
And many need to combine both strategies depending on the moment.
After a injury, during a competition, on a very long workday, or in a transition process, needs change.
That’s why I never try to convince anyone to always use the same type of footwear.
I try understanding what your body needs today.
And I accept that this answer may be different in a few months.
What can you do starting today
The next time you try on new shoes, don’t just ask yourself if they are soft or comfortable.
Also observe how your movement changes.
Do you walk the same?
Do you run the same?
Do you notice that you modify your support?
Do you feel more stable or more dependent on that cushioning sensation?
The goal is not to find the maximum cushioning.
It is to discover what type of interaction allows your body to move with greater efficiency and confidence.
🔬 In a sentence
Cushioning does not eliminate forces. It modifies the way the body perceives them and decides to manage them.
The most important idea
The human body is not a passive passenger inside a shoe.
It is a living system that continuously interprets the information it receives and reorganizes its movement to adapt.
That’s why cushioning does not act in isolation.
It is part of a constant dialogue between the ground, the footwear, the nervous system, and the tissues.
Understanding that conversation is much more useful than debating whether a shoe has "more" or "less" cushioning.
Because the truly important question remains the same:
What does this body need to move better at this moment in its life?
A question to reflect on
Think about the shoes with the most cushioning you have used.
Did you feel only more comfort… or did it also change your way of walking, running, and interacting with the ground without you even realizing it?
In the next article…
If cushioning has been one of the most used concepts by the footwear industry, there is another that has generated a huge amount of confusion.
Stability.
For years we were led to believe that the more stable a shoe was, the better it would control foot movement.
But what does it really mean to be stable?
Is it something that a shoe can provide from the outside?
Or does true stability come from the body's own ability to adapt?
In the next chapter we will discover that there is a fundamental difference between being subject and being stable.
And that difference can completely change our way of understanding movement.