# @nickpappasmd on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DdMOFAApy69
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/70313285-nickpappasmd-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/9cacb522a0.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-09-12T14:40:58.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Nick Pappas, MD (@nickpappasmd) — https://gondola.cc/nickpappasmd

## Caption

📩 Comment NEWSLETTER and I’ll send you a link to my FREE weekly health newsletter!

👣 As an orthopedic surgeon, the topic of barefoot running occasionally comes up in my office.  Patients will sometimes ask if they should be doing it 🏃‍♂️

There are some potential benefits. Running barefoot may strengthen the small muscles in your feet, improve balance, and encourage a more natural running pattern. ✅

🚨 But does it decrease injury risk?

📚 Well, in the study “Prospective Comparison of Running Injuries Between Shod and Barefoot Runners” (PMID: 26130697), researchers found that injury rates were actually similar between runners who ran barefoot and those who wore traditional running shoes.

⚠️ That said, how you transition matters. Going too fast can increase your risk of stress fractures, Achilles tendinitis, or plantar fasciitis.

🩺 And barefoot running is definitely not for everyone. If you have diabetes, neuropathy, or poor sensation in your feet, you may not feel cuts or injuries that can become serious.

🌱 If you’re going to try it, start slowly and stick to safe surfaces like grass.

👟 Sometimes less shoe is better. Sometimes a good pair of running shoes is exactly what your body needs.

Have you ever tried barefoot running?  Let me know in the comments.

#barefootrunning #runningtips #foothealth #orthopedicsurgery

## Stats

- **Views:** 27,166
- **Likes:** 388
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- **Comments:** 30

## Tags

foothealth, orthopedicsurgery, runningtips, barefootrunning

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