5 years with Five Fingers and gets injured for not playing Play 5

Juan writes from the other side of the ocean.

He has been running with the Vibram Five Fingers for 5 years and has a problem.

If you don't know this shoe, it's the one that revolutionized running shoes world

And not only because of its minimalist characteristics, but also because of its aesthetics.

They were the first gloves for the toes.

And of course, as with any revolutionary, they suffered criticism from all sides and some demands.

Although in 2016 the scientific article:

'Effect of Vibram FiveFingers Minimalist Shoes on the Abductor Hallucis Muscle' concludes that the Vibram FiveFingers Bikila improves the intrinsic musculature of the foot.

Back to John, what's his problem?

He says:

I haven't run for a while. I was working out at home, but I wasn't running.

I went to Mexico City (which is at a high altitude), and I was running for 2 weeks.

From there to the beach and I said to myself:
 - At sea level I'm going to improve all my times.

And I went out running at full speed from the beginning.

A mile later, I noticed something in the calf and I had to go home limping.

He continues:

Another one of many injuries... although it's true that since I use the fivefingers they have been reduced a lot.

Before using them I even fractured both my tibias due to stress, I made insoles that didn't work, I sprained my ankle several times...

Juan has broken his cuff because of running with the Fivefingers?

It's clear that if he had been at home playing with the PlayStation 5, he wouldn't have broken it.

Would his back hurt? It might.

Would his waist be like an old hinge? Probably.

But the cuff link would be fine.

Then why did you break it?

In my opinion, his mistakes were several:

• long inactivity,
• sudden increase in the race
• and run around the beach, a surface that makes great demands on the calves.

To which Juan adds that he was dehydrated.

Now imagine it's your first day at the gym and you try to lift a 100-kilogram weight.

You can get injured, but the weight is not the culprit of the injury, neither is a shoe that does not modify the movements of your foot.

What do I like about the FiveFingers?

For me they are unique. Iconic I could say. They have marked an era
helping to understand the foot and its potential.

They also do an excellent job of separating the toes a little.

You know, from birth we wear shoes that are narrower than our feet and in the end our toes tend to come together like canned sardines.

But there is a but.

Unless you have a strong, well-developed foot, you wouldn't use the Fivefingers to run a speed series or fartlek-like change of pace.

But for walking or slow running they are ideal.

What do you notice when you wear them? Close your hand, open it and move your fingers.

Do you feel that freedom when you move them? Well, that's what you'll feel in your feet.

Freedom, but the kind you feel.

Finishing.

I like the Fivefingers and at certain times I love them.

Because it helped me to know my feet.

Because it helps me to separate my toes, especially the little one that is very close to the previous toe.

Because it allows me to move my toes as if they were my fingers.

And because the sensations it gives me have not been achieved by any shoe.

Health starts with your five toes and not with the Play 5 controller.