<p>I just purchased a nearly new pair of Vibram Fivefingers Sprint shoes. I got them on eBay from a seller in California who purchased the wrong size for his wife. I made sure that i did not purchase a cheap pair of Chinese knock-offs.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure I bought the correct size. I measured according to the instructions on the Vibram site. I got a size 38. I wear a 71/2 or 8 in regular shoes. I have a high arch and short toes. My big toes are definitely the longest. When I walk around the house in the new Vibrams, it feels like the nail on my left big toe is hitting the rubber top of the shoe. Is that normal? My right big toe is at the end of the shoe, but it doesn’t feel as though the nail is hitting the rubber. None of my other 8 very short toes come anywhere near the ends of the shoes’ “toes”. I also notice that my toes are spread farther apart than when I walk barefoot. I assume this is according to design? </p>
<p>I note that the instructions that come with the shoes say to only wear them for 1 to 2 hours a day at first. Would you advise holding off on using them for treadmill walking for awhile? I’ve been battling chronic Achilles tendinitis for a couple of years and am just now trying to resume a walking routine. How long does it usually take to get used to wearing Vibrams?</p>
<p>My Classics are 39 but the ones with the closed foot (KSOs) are 38. If your nail doesn’t get sore, you should be OK. Be careful adjusting to them. It’s a big change. Have you tried something a little less extreme like Nike Free Runs? I would start with just a mile at a time on the treadmill. I think you can go ahead and try it. I wear my Vibrams to work sometimes! I get a lot of comments.</p>
<p>idad- that is what I was thinking. Their site says they help with the foot and lower leg. I always have trouble with my calf since I run up on my toes I wonder if they would help me?</p>
<p>There have been articles over the last few years in every publication there is- including WSJ, NYT, etc. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (great read- even if you aren’t a runner) blames the current injury rate on Nike, basically. All of this has led people to ditch the supportive shoes and go with minimalist shoes (as we call them) such as the Vibrams (pronounced VEEBRAM), Nike Frees and SoftStar. It has become quite an industry. I see people fiishing marathons completely barefooted or with Vibrams. I, myself, try to do a mile or two a week in Vibrams or the like and HAVE switched to less built up shoes for many of my runs. I haven’t ditched the cushioning, though. We run on hard surfaces, for the most part, and your average recreational runner carrying a few extra pounds does NOT need to go out and do 3 miles in a barefoot shoe. I actually do believe the studies that show that the “stability” shoes don’t do anything. Just buy the shoe that feels comfortable to you. I happen to need forefoot cushioning because I am a forefoot striker (which is good form actually) but I don’t need a lot of build up and posting in my shoes. I try to wear the shoes of the company that gives me free stuff (a small sponsorship) but I really like Newton shoes, which are minimalist (nothing like Vibrams) but designed for forefoot strikers and to help keep your feet under you and not lead to over-striding.
It’s all a crapshoot, basically.</p>
<p>I also have a high arch and short toes ( for the length of my arch) and have been looking at the vibrams, but I was going to go to REI and try them on- that isn’t something I would buy without knowing if I liked them-
But if I do, I will let you know how they fit. ( I don’t run, but I love going barefoot)</p>
<p>There’s growing evidence that shoes aren’t good for your body (which makes sense considering how fine-tuned our feet are). Real Sports did a segment on running shoes (McDougall was in it), showing how they force your feet and legs into unnatural positions which can put extra strain on your legs. Nike started making the Nike Free shoes because college track coaches (who were testing Nike shoes and receiving tons of free shoes) said that they were getting better results training barefoot.</p>
<p>I’ve considered getting these because I have awkwardly sized feet (length of a size 12, but width and arch-placement of a 14) and have a difficult time finding comfortable sneakers. I find barefoot walking much more comfortable. The biggest issue is that they’re only practical to wear these in the Spring and Summer.</p>
<p>I hear that running in a loin cloth and carrying a club reduces injuries, too. It’s more natural!</p>
<p>I suspect that you are going to see mucho arch problems over time with so-called barefoot running shoes. They’ve seen it in the NFL, where the trend has been towards minimalist light-weight flexible track shoes and away from heavier more supportive shoes, even for big guys. The incidence of “Lis Franc injuries” has gone through the roof. These are injuries to the tendons connecting the labyrinth of bones in the mid-foot and they are often career ending as they just never heal.</p>
<p>S is in an elite military program. He wears Vibrams for running but not exclusively. He also wears them for weight training because they are more stable than athletic shoes with built up soles, less likely to turn an ankle with the Vibrams. He used to buy new running shoes every few months but now says he has found that his old ones that are more “flattened out” from use work better for him.</p>