Foot callus thickness does not trade off protection for tactile sensitivity during walking

Patellofemoral Joint Loads during Running Immediately Changed by Shoes with Different Minimalist Indices: A Cross-sectional Study

“…The braking phase accounts for 1/4 of the entire stance phase, and this study suggests that wearing high-MI shoes is beneficial for decreasing knee load in the propulsive phase (20-100%). According to recent research supporting barefoot running, running shoes not only reduce the impact force and loading rate and filter high-frequency impact signals [22] but also provide different neural inputs to the lower limbs, resulting in different responses and changes in the lower limb strategy [23]. As shown in this study, the lower limbs actively changed the knee flexion angle and extension moment when the runner was wearing minimalist shoes during the propulsive phase.…”

From barefoot hunter gathering to shod pavement pounding. Where to from here? A narrative review

“…Recent data suggest that this reduction in sensitivity during walking contributes to an impact impulse three times greater compared with when walking barefoot or in minimalist shoes. 57 These authors suggest we are likely adapted to cope with two to three times the loading rate and a third the loading impulse, suggesting that humans in modern footwear do not experience evolutionarily normal loading from walking. During treadmill running, the proportion of RFS increases as the amount of cushioning in shoes increases.…”

“…44 45 Furthermore, the foot calluses that develop to protect the sole of the foot do so without any trade-off in tactile sensitivity. 57 The greater requirement for runners to look where they are going on such surfaces enhances the visual element of proprioceptive feedback and is usually sufficient to avoid perforation on surfaces such as playing fields which are well maintained. On surfaces regularly interrupted by sharp objects, a covering of the foot may be advised in the form of a minimalist shoe.…”

Walking on your sensitive sole

“…But wouldn't it be great if foot protection existed that could preserve our sensation (termed tactile sensitivity) of the ground beneath our feet? Holowka et al 5 report on page 261 that thick patches of foot skin, termed calluses, do just that. The authors reached this conclusion by studying callus thickness and hardness, plus foot sensitivity, in individuals in Kenya and the United States who usually either wear shoes or go barefoot ( Fig.…”

“…In this queue at a polling station, there are both barefoot and shod individuals. Holowka et al5 studied people in Kenya and the United States who either are usually barefoot or usually wear shoes. The authors investigated whether the formation of thick patches of skin called calluses, which are usually thicker and harder in people who are normally barefoot than in shod individuals, affects foot sensitivity.…”