Grounding (or earthing)—essentially, the practice of making physical contact with the Earth’s surface, also known as walking barefoot—has been a thing among true wellness heads for a minute now. Self-proclaimed “human biologist” and The Ultimate Human podcast host Gary Brecka is into it. So is Deepak Chopra. And, yes, Arch Manning.
This guy walked barefoot all over London. Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila famously won the 1960 Olympic marathon in Rome shoeless. But what about you—should the average person be going barefoot anywhere other than the beach (if even there)? There are legitimate benefits of barefoot walking. But let us turn to the podiatrists for more on that.
5 Benefits of walking barefoot
As Ilya Makarovskiy, DPM, a podiatrist with Northwell Health, points out, enjoying a barefoot stroll is reason enough to do it. “A lot of people like to walk around barefoot because they like how it feels. I do it as well,” he says. If your feet have been stuck in uncomfortable shoes all day, it’s relaxing to sink your feet into the ground and feel the grass between your toes (or even just the carpet in your living room).
As to the science-backed benefits of walking barefoot, there are several—though Dr. Makarovskiy says not to expect any life-changing benefits from it. These are small ways that walking barefoot can support your health.
1. Walking barefoot enhances proprioception
The primary benefit of walking barefoot is that it strengthens the body’s ability to sense its position and movement, which is known as proprioception, explains Suzanne C. Fuchs, DPM, a concierge podiatric foot and ankle surgeon at LuxePodiatry. “Barefoot walking increases sensory feedback from the feet, which can enhance awareness of foot position and movement,” she says.
Says Dr. Makarovskiy: “You have nerve endings in your feet. When you’re making contact with the ground, it fires information back to the brain through the nervous system.” This, both doctors say, helps with balance and coordination; it’s easier to stay balanced when you have a heightened knowledge of your position and movement. Scientific research backs this up, showing that just three minutes of barefoot walking can help with posture and stability.
2. It can strengthen your feet
As long as you don’t have any current orthopedic concerns, barefoot walking can strengthen your feet, says foot and ankle surgeon Bruce Pinker, DPM. Dr. Fuchs explains that walking barefoot engages the foot muscles more than walking in shoes. And when you strengthen your feet muscles through barefoot walking, they say, it can improve gait, or your walking ability.
There are a lot of scientific studies showing that walking barefoot helps improve gait because it activates the foot and ankle more than when you’re wearing shoes. What does improved gait mean exactly? More stability and stronger strides. “Going barefoot promotes a more natural gait, potentially leading to a more efficient walking pattern that may reduce the risk of injury,” Dr. Fuchs says. If you’re in good health, you likely don’t need to improve your gait, but it’s a meaningful benefit for those with a neurological condition (like Parkinson’s), who have experienced a stroke, or who have had a knee or joint replacement.
3. Walking barefoot improves range of motion
For people whose feet feel stiff—whether from wearing uncomfortable shoes or dealing with arthritis—walking around barefoot could help improve their range of motion. “Walking without shoes allows for greater mobility of the foot and ankle. This can lead to improved flexibility in the joints, particularly in the toes and arches. The absence of restrictive footwear can encourage the foot to move through its full range of motion, which is important for overall foot health,” Dr. Fuchs says.
