File this under “Things Most Of Us Already Believe and Know”, but a recent study found that runners wearing FiveFingers were more aware of the conditions under their feet than runners wearing traditional thick cushioned running shoes. Gasp!  The specific conclusion from the study abstract is:

The data support the assumption that with Fivefingers is more likely to get a more correct estimation of the surface slope while standing and running compared to using a standard cushioned running shoe. The finding that the cushioned shoes significantly impair foot position awareness compared to less structured shoes is consistent with the results of some previous studies on healthy and unhealthy subjects.

This is great news, although not all that surprising. Its another strong piece of evidence for us to add to our coffers supporting the fact that the less ‘shoe’ you wear, the better.  It seems so obvious that the closer you are to barefoot, the more your feet and body understand what is under it.

As research on barefoot and minimalist shoes is sparse (although extremely promising), its always nice to see a new scientific study supporting what our bodies are already telling us.  So take that, podiatrists.

We’ve requested the full text of the study to better understand the methodology and findings.