Unevenness between feet?

[CharlesWPB]

Basically when I run barefoot, my right foot feels just nice (don't know how else to describe it, feels comfortable and nice),
But my left foot feels very stiff and..well...IDK...wrong? It get sore afterwards while my right foot feels fine.
Also, my left calve is MUCH less flexible than my right, idk if this is related, or even maybe the cause of my problems?
This is basically no information I know, but I really don't know much else about the situation.
Anyways, any ideas?

 

[Sid]

I started out with unevenness as well, a few years ago. My legs were okay, but I could tell that the arches, bones, and muscles were different on each foot. The left and right felt different no matter what changes I tried to make. The landing was different, even the sounds of my feet hitting the road were different. With a lot of time and patience, my feet have adapted slowly, and they're fairly even now. That's part of the reason why started this thread.

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

What leg is your most dominant? For example, which foot would you kick a ball with, do a layup playing basketball, or the first leg you will use to climb stairs, maybe that foot is the one that feels comfortable? Just a shot in the dark on this one.

Once the shoes come off we are really exposed on how much footwear enables the full potential of the feet and calves. I don't think it's a big deal, I would just start doing exercises barefoot, like working out barefoot, doing eccentric single calf raises, maybe get a wobble board, jump robe barefoot. It just could be a compensating issues which can be corrected.

 

[migangelo]

i've been running over two years with the same thing. massuere told me my left psoas is shorter and stronger than the right. it causes all kinds of trigger points and pf down my left leg. no fun. i spend a lot of time working them out. doesn't stop me from running but i will stop if i can't work out a TP.

 

[jldeleon]

Unless you are ambidexterous (sp?) then you will have right or left side dominance, depending on which hand you use the most. It affects the entire side of your body, not just your feet. I'd look around for some books on how to balance one-sided dominance. I just told a friend recently, who does archery, to make sure he is switches sides. I leap over stuff when I run, leading with my left foot, just as much as my right, on purpose, etc.

 

[scedastic]

It gets better. I still notice a difference, but it's not nearly like it was. Shoes have been allowing my right foot to work so much harder than my left. Without shoes, it was easy to tell, and quite disturbing how imbalanced things were. I consciously tried to balance out as well, and much of the strength training and exercises i do with the idea that i need to balance out both sides.
Until you start monitoring yourself, it's easy to not notice the imbalances, especially in foot/leg strength. Bare foot is a good way to start noticing.
Side benefit: I swear I'm less clumsy than I used to be.

 

[BFwillie_g]

Also, my left calve is MUCH less flexible than my right, idk if this is related, or even maybe the cause of my problems?

it's all connected but the "cause" of these kinds of "imbalances" is usually found further up the chain, ie in the hips. Could even be coming from your arm carriage (which could in fact be influenced by your jaw muscles, which might indicate the classic "M-I-L" syndrome ) which causes your torso to swing more to one side, which reverberates through the pelvis, down to the knees, ankles ... etc.

Just saying, the root cause can be a slippery thing to grasp. But work on getting those calves loosened up - rolling is still my go-to for that.

 

[scedastic]

One suggestion: when doing exercises (weights, flexibility, whatever), work on doing them on one foot for as long as you can hold it, then alternating feet for the next set. The idea I have is that when on both feet, my dominant side subtly takes more weight and does more work.
When I first started doing this, it was so clear which foot/leg/side was stronger. Gradually, though, your non-dominant leg gets a chance to catch up.
Also, what BF Gentile said about balance/wobble boards, also stability balls, and eventually strength training with wobble boards. Concentrate on posture and proper upper body form while learning to balance.
Great for the core, but also hard enough to do at first that you have to have both sides of the body balanced to not fall off.

 

[NickW]

Side benefit: I swear I'm less clumsy than I used to be.

I don't just swear I am less clumsy, I AM less clumsy. Like my family has even noticed and made comments...

 

[barefootbill]

I think unevenness between the feet is pretty common. When I was making the transition to barefoot my right foot was golden and my left foot was not. I had a recurring problem with blistering on my left foot only. As I started delving into what was going on I discovered I was kind of twisting my foot and pushing off with it. Once I learned to place/lift that foot my blisters disappeared, never to return. I am right handed, so whether that has anything to do with it I don't know. Just an observation.
I have been running barefoot for 3.5 years now and have noticed that my gait has evened out during this time. I am 57 so was in shoes for a long time before transitioning. I guess my best advice is to listen to the ques your body gives you, and go slowly. The good thing about being barefoot is that your body will never lie to you.