Podiatrist · Specialist in Biomechanics · Founder of VOLKAN
"The question is not whether a thin sole causes plantar fasciitis. The real question is whether a foot that has not worked for years is ready to go back to doing so overnight."
There is a phrase I hear frequently in consultation.
—"I would like to try barefoot… but I've been told it can cause plantar fasciitis."
It is a completely understandable fear.
If you search for information on Internet, you will find opinions for all tastes.
Some claim that minimalist footwear strengthens the foot.
Others assert that it is the source of many plantar fasciitis cases.
As a podiatrist specializing in biomechanics, I believe both statements need an important nuance.
Because neither barefoot is a miracle solution.
Nor does a thin sole cause plantar fasciitis simply by being thin.
What science says
Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain.
Although we still use that name, today we know that, in many cases, there is no inflammation as such, but rather a degenerative process of the plantar fascia caused by sustained overload.
Scientific evidence shows that its occurrence depends on multiple factors.
The amount of load that the foot bears.
The mobility of the ankle.
The strength of the intrinsic musculature.
The body mass index.
Sudden changes in physical activity.
The type of training.
And, of course, the footwear.
But the footwear, by itself, rarely explains the problem.
To date, there is no solid evidence that a thin sole causes plantar fasciitis by itself.
What we do know is that any sudden change in the loads that the tissues bear can favor the onset of discomfort.
Why do we believe that thin soles cause fasciitis?
Because many people change too quickly.
After years of using a rigid shoe, with a lot of cushioning and that limits part of the work of the foot, they start walking several kilometers daily with a minimalist shoe from day one.
The foot starts to move more.
The muscles work more.
The plantar fascia bears different loads.
And if those tissues were not prepared, discomfort appears.
It is exactly the same as what would happen if a sedentary person decided to run ten kilometers after years of not exercising.
No one would conclude that running is harmful.
We would understand that the body needed a progressive adaptation.
With barefoot it happens exactly the same.
The problem is rarely the thin sole.
The problem is usually the speed of the change.
What I see every day in consultation
As a podiatrist specializing in biomechanics, many of the people who come in concerned about the barefoot share a very similar story.
They have changed their footwear overnight.
They have greatly increased the time walking.
They have not made a progressive transition.
They show little mobility of the ankle or foot muscles that have been working well below their capacity for years.
When we analyze the case individually, we understand that the pain does not arise because barefoot is harmful.
It arises because the tissue has received more load than it could tolerate at that moment.
And that completely changes the way to approach the problem.
The idea I would like you to keep in mind
As a podiatrist specializing in biomechanics, there is something I always try to explain to my patients.
Tissues do not get injured because they work. They get injured, many times, because we ask them for more than they can handle at that moment.
That difference is fundamental.
Not only to understand plantar fasciitis.
Also to understand how the body adapts to any change.
Biomechanics is not about preventing the foot from working.
It is about helping it bear loads in a progressive and efficient way.
What you can do
If you have plantar fasciitis or heel pain, do not change your footwear abruptly without a prior assessment.
If you decide to start with barefoot, make a progressive transition and adjust the time of use to your feelings.
Work on the mobility of the ankle and the strengthening of the foot muscles. Both factors influence the load that the plantar fascia bears.
No copy someone else's transition. Each foot comes from a different situation.
If the pain persists or limits your activity, consult a podiatrist who can assess the specific cause and design a personalized treatment.
Conclusion
Thin soles do not cause plantar fasciitis.
What can cause discomfort is asking an untrained foot to do, starting tomorrow, a job for which it is not yet prepared.
As a podiatrist, I am skeptical of both those who claim that barefoot cures all fasciitis and those who assert that it always causes them.
In biomechanics, absolute answers almost never exist.
My job is not to advocate for a type of footwear.
It is to understand how each foot works and help it manage the daily loads better.
Because, many times, the problem is not in wearing less sole.
It is in forgetting that the body needs time to adapt.
And when we respect that process, we stop asking ourselves which shoe is the best and start to ask ourselves a much more useful question: