Our feet are incredible in so many ways. One of the biggies is that during the gait cycle each foot is a rigid lever and then a malleable support. They vacillate between the two functions within seconds, over and over, every step we take. As we push the toe off the ground the gorgeous spiral of the foot locks the bones into place, allowing us to put tons of force through the leg and propel us through space. After heel strike, the bones unwind and conform to whatever surface we are walking over.
But, what surfaces are we walking over in today’s urban environments? Flat ones. Thats what kind. The road is flat and the floor of your house is flat and most trails are flat. So even if we have removed our feet from the foot coffins (ahem, I mean traditional shoes) our foot is still constantly interacting with flat surfaces.
Think about the environments in which our beautiful feet evolved. As our ancestors became bipedal they were walking across the Savannah, over pebbles and rocks and nary a flat surface in sight. Every time the foot hit the ground, each of the 33 joints in each foot were aligned slightly differently to accommodate varying terrain. This allowed more proprioceptors to be fired, more nutrients to flow to the joint and increased blood flow. The foot was made to move in all the planes. These days, we limit foot movement first through shoes and then with the actual ground we walk on.
As I have transitioned to barefoot shoes I’ve found so much pleasure in hiking on uneven ground. Its like giving myself a foot massage every time I take a walk. I seek out rocks to step on and my feet love it. It's a virtuous cycle. My feet have become more flexible, thus able to walk on more varied terrain. The varied terrain feels great and I seek it out. It in turn moves my joints, and creates more flexibility and strength. Hooray!
Give it a shot! Start slow. Foot rolling first. Then smush a hard ball with your feet. Then, with thick socks, walk on smooth rocks for a little bit. Keep working up and soon your walks with be your very own foot masseuse, available wherever there is a rocky trail.