Rediscovering natural foot health: a personal and professional journey into barefoot living
When I first arrived in the UK from Portugal in 2011 to begin my studies as an Osteopath at the European School of Osteopathy, I knew I was embarking on a path of healing. What I didn’t expect was how profoundly my understanding of health (especially foot health) would evolve through a simple conversation about shoes.
In those early weeks, I was navigating life as a mature student. Everything felt new and challenging. But one thing immediately caught my attention: some students walked around campus barefoot or in minimal footwear. One student in particular wore five fingers barefoot shoes (those odd-looking shoes with separate toes). I had to asked him, “Why are you wearing those?” He smiled, sat me down, and explained.
That conversation was the seed. It made sense intuitively, but it also aligned with what I was learning in lectures about biomechanics - how the body moves, rests, recovers, and finds vitality. I realized that foot health wasn’t just a niche topic; it was foundational to human movement and wellness.
Why conventional footwear fails us
The modern shoe with rigid soles, narrow toe boxes and elevated heels has become a normalized part of daily life. But from a biomechanical and osteopathic perspective, these design elements disrupt natural movement patterns. Shoes often force the foot into unnatural positions, limit sensory feedback, and restrict the natural splay of the toes. Over time, this can lead to problems ranging from bunions and plantar fasciitis to poor posture and chronic lower limb injuries.
Many people overlook how deeply connected the feet are to the rest of the body. Your gait, your spinal alignment, even your balance and proprioception: all start with the feet. When you wear shoes that don't allow your foot to move, flex, or sense the ground properly, the whole kinetic chain is compromised.
My transition to barefoot and minimal footwear
Encouraged by that initial conversation, I started going barefoot on campus and at home. When out and about, I started wearing barefoot shoes. It wasn’t an overnight change; it took months. But over time, my feet began to change. They became stronger, more mobile, more stable. I noticed I could feel the earth, sense uneven terrain, and adjust my gait quickly and intuitively.
This is something many people don’t realize, transitioning to barefoot or minimal shoes takes time. Your feet need to work again. It’s not as simple as buying a pair of barefoot shoes and running a 10K the next week. Muscles need to strengthen. Tendons and ligaments need to adapt. For most people, that adaptation period can take several months. The normal recommendation is 6 months for a simple 5km.
But the rewards are transformative.
Reclaiming the sensory intelligence of the foot
One of the most profound lessons from my own journey is the value of sensory feedback. The more minimal the shoe, the more connected you are to your environment. The thinner the sole, the faster your brain receives information from your feet. That quick feedback loop - from the joints, ligaments, and skin of the foot to your central nervous system - enables sharper, more responsive movement.
It’s not just about strength. It’s about awareness (the ability to sense the ground), to feel its texture, its slope, its temperature. That sensory information is fundamental to balance, coordination, and safety.
When you lower your foot closer to the ground, you reduce the delay in sensory input. Your reactions become faster. Your steps become more precise. You become more grounded - physically and, I believe, energetically.
Form follows function
An important principle I’ve come to live by is this: your shoes should fit your feet, not the other way around. Too often, we force our feet into shoes that compromise their natural shape. Imagine doing a handstand: you’d instinctively spread your fingers for balance and support. Why wouldn’t we allow our toes the same freedom?
A wide toe box lets your toes splay naturally, providing a broader base of support. That’s essential for balance and alignment. Narrow shoes reduce that surface area, decreasing stability and increasing risk of injury.
Minimal shoes, which provide little to no artificial support, encourage the intrinsic muscles of the feet to engage fully. The arch lifts not because of built-in orthotics, but because it must. The body adapts when given the right conditions.
Performance and protection in the real world
I’ve pushed my own limits with this philosophy. I’ve run trail ultramarathons (up to 60 kilometers, with more than 4,000 meters of elevation gain) in minimal shoes. The risk of twisting an ankle on such terrain is real. And yes, I’ve rolled an ankle many times. But I’ve never torn a ligament or suffered serious injury. I believe it’s because my feet are strong, mobile, and accustomed to adapting to the environment in real-time.
Minimal footwear or zero drop footwear doesn’t mean you sacrifice performance or protection. Quite the opposite it trains your body to perform in a more natural and efficient way. A zero drop footwear means that the difference in height between the heel and the ball of the foot of a shoe sits at the same level, just like when you're standing barefoot on the ground.
Minimal footwear or zero drop footwear encourages, a more upright posture, a natural walking or running gait, and less strain on the knees, hips, and lower back.
Can barefoot shoes fix your alignment?
The answer is: they can help, but they're not a silver bullet. A shoe with a raised heel, for example, shifts your center of gravity forward. Your body compensates - your lumbar spine might increase its curvature (lordosis), your pelvis may tilt, and other structural shifts can occur.
By contrast, a flat, zero-drop shoe restores a more neutral base. Over time, this can encourage better alignment, especially if paired with osteopathic care and awareness of postural habits.
But true alignment is complex. It can be affected by congenital issues like hip dysplasia, spinal curvature like scoliosis, leg length discrepancies, past injuries, or habitual patterns from daily life, how you sit, sleep, or carry stress. Shoes are one piece of the puzzle, not the whole picture.
A way of life
For me, minimal shoes are no longer just a preference, they’re a way of life. They represent a philosophy of reconnecting with nature, of listening to the body, and responding intuitively.
As an osteopath, I now educate my patients about foot health not just from a theoretical perspective, but from lived experience. I’ve felt the benefits firsthand. I know the patience it requires, and I know the rewards it brings.
We spend so much of our lives disconnected from the earth beneath us. Yet our feet are designed to be our interface with the world. When we allow them to do their job (when we feel, listen, and move naturally) we unlock a more vibrant, resilient, and connected version of ourselves.
By Dan Fernandes - Osteopath at Active Care Life www.activecare.life
