Rigid foot and knee pain

[Mikael]

hey,

I wore 4 mm Huaraches for 3 days. Just through all daily life, no drastic physical activity. I ran 1/2 a mile each day. on the second day I began to experience soreness in both knees. All around the knee cap. I have never experienced this when I wore shoes, or even when I had put a little cushioning insert in my huaraches. I am wearing shoes again to ease the soreness I have a Very rigid foot with high arches. Can you tell me if this will be a chronic problem or something I will adjust to? I guess there is only one way to find out

 

[Dr. Andrew Klein]

Hi Mikael and welcome!A

Hi Mikael and welcome!

A couple of questions for you. I think some more information might get you better answers.

It sounds like you are brand new to barefoot/minimalist shoes. How long have you been transitioning and have you been doing any strengthening beforehand? If you are brand new, .5 mile everyday for three days could certainly be too much too soon.

Question #2; What was the insert you stuck under your foot, and where did you place it?

Question #3; Were you wearing orthotics in your shoes before making the switch?

One piece of advice you can use right away is to go slow when making the transition. I only ran every-other day when I was first starting, and if I had pain I didn't run until the pain was pretty well gone. Try icing your knees for a few days too, 20 minutes 2-3 times per day.