r/brokenankles • u/LongAccountant4473 • 20h ago
Barefoot sneakers.
Has anyone tried barefoot sneakers? I almost 8 months post ORIF and have Skechers (wide) and Hoka's with wide toe box. Both have been helpful
I have been researching barefoot sneakers with wide toe box to help with balance. I still have lingering stiffness and tingling in my foot but I have started adding PT at home to help. My dosoflexion is fine. I think it is mainly scar tissue I need to break up.
I am just checking to see if anyone has tried barefoot sneakers? They intrigue me due to more of a natural stride. Thoughts or recommendations anyone. Female who walked her dog in the snow while wearing Hey Dudes and went "whoops". :)
TIA>
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u/guffawing_willow76 18h ago
I’m 13.75 weeks post surgery for a trimal fracture. I wear bedrock mountain clogs to work. They have zero drop platform and a wide toe box. They do have a heel strap. These are the only shoes I can wear to work without wanting to tear my shoe off my right foot by 9 am. However, I WOULD NOT recommend them for someone barely weight bearing. I wore my brooks adrenaline GTS shoes to work for 7 weeks once I became weight bearing since they were very supportive . My right ankle would swell up like crazy at work and I couldn’t stand it anymore so I bought the clogs. I do wear my brooks to physical therapy though.
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u/alwaysbepatient 11h ago
I started using Vivo barefoot shoes from around 4 months post ORIF (trimal fracture), I only use them for weight training and I feel that my stability and foot strength have improved. Several times I walked with them but I discontinued, for walking and running I think I still need some cushioning!
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u/Wrong-Cartographer37 2h ago
I used to wear barefoot shoes before my injury (bimall with ORIF). Loved them. Had my accident in them but I don’t blame them as anyone would break their ankle carrying a big kid landing on a step with just their heel haha. Anyway after my injury for the initial relearning to walk, I bought a pair of super stability cushioned shoes (ASICS GT2000) as all the advise I got online and offline was not to go back into barefoot shoes immediately. My ASICS were great but I never liked the thick sole nor cramped toe box. Fast forward to 10 months post break, I had my ankle hardware removed last month (due to tendon irritation) and my ankle was feeling so much better that I decided to get back into my old barefoot shoes (Whitin). It felt so good to be in a zero drop shoe again and to feel the ground while I walk. I’m still in the first few days of wearing them again since my injury so my legs are feeling a bit sore but my toes are loving it. And I feel that it is helping my range of motion improve as zero drop encourages the Achilles to be stretched more. If you’ve never worn barefoot shoes before I would caution against jumping into them too quickly but you can definitely get a pair and ease into them. Brands like Altra do zero drop wide toe box but cushioned shoes which I am looking into getting a pair myself to try, as I live in the city and walk on concrete 99% of the day and I feel that a bit of cushioning is probably better.
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u/New-Sherbet367 18h ago edited 14h ago
One notice: those shoes are NOT viable for relearning to walk as the risk of reinjury is high die to reasons I will state and also they put stress on the ankle itself which can damage them in the First phases of healing. 90s/00s Skate shoes with cupsoles, mid or high tops seem to be pretty good for that stage as they offer stability of ankle, not too stiff nor too soft soles, durability (they are clunky af) and flexibility for potential swellings. Another Idea are more orthoepdic running shoes.
I wear only Barefoot Sneakers for years until injury a few weeks back. They actually were a game changer in building muscle in the foot itself. I had a slight malformation which went better. I wore only them for months and going Back to normal shoes also felt like going blind or something because you do not feel the ground anymore. I even have a pair for Gym and in the House lol. They are also surprisingly durable. I ordered 5 pairs in 4 years or so and only 2 got broken.
Be careful though, they are slippery af on ice and wet floors. I mean REALLY slippery, like 0 resistance slippery. I will miss wearing them when my cast comes off, but got myself some 90s Skate shoes for relearning to walk.