Comments on: The Vibram Fivefingers Shoe

By: JakeP

JakeP — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:15:04 +0000

I am not much of a runner, but I LOVE my vibrams. I think your toes are there for a reason, and if they didn’t have any purpose for tacticle feedback, grip, balance, etc. then humans probably wouldn’t have them (as they run a risk / cost of breaking, stubbing, straining, etc). Vibrams may look a little funky and grab some attention, but I think they do a better job as shoes IMO … and make you more aware of your feet and what you are walking on. It is actually kind of fun to ‘feel’ the different textures / surfaces you walk on … and hiking doubles as a foot massage PS: You’d probably only wear awkwardly large, padded, function-limiting mittens in environments like the extreme cold. Why should one’s shoes be any different?

By: Jacques

Jacques — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 06:20:21 +0000

I am looking to buying some Vibram KSO trek shoes near to Los angeles, preferably to the south. Can anyone tell me where I can try some on. I am only in the USA for 2 days. My trek size 44 unlike the others seems just slightly big, but I am concerned that 43 will be too smal so would like to try on. thanks for the advice. I am staying at Palos verde about 20 miles south of Los Angeles Airport. thanks Jacques

By: Jessica

Jessica — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:01:26 +0000

I was wondering if anyone could give me some guidance. I am 31 yrs old, and have not ran in 2 years, due to having 3 knee surgeries on the same knee. 2 of the surguries have been in the past 3 years. I am very interested in the Vibram Fivefingers. I was thinking that since I'm pretty much a newbie to running due to my absence, that I should just start out in these. I'm in the military, and will be deploying in Feb. 2011. (I hope these meet army standards) I am about 25lbs overweight. Would the Vibram Fivefingers be a good choice for a overweight newbie to start training in? Thanks, for any help you can give me!!!

By the way the knee surgeries I've had are: The first one was a Meniscus and ACL. The 2nd was a Mediscus and the 3rd was Meniscus and MCL.

By: matt

matt — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 18:17:22 +0000

I got a pair of KSO's a few weeks ago and they were u=just a hair small, so I sent them back for the next size. My first run in them was 4 miles, and by half way through I was feeling it in the calves. By the end, and for 2 days after the run I was very sore in the achilles tendons and calf muscles. I figured this partly due to my heel now being on the ground instead of on top of 3/4- inch of padding- thereby stretching the calf- and the forced running style of landing more mid-foot and taking up the shock with the calves. A week later I ran six, and was only moderately sore, and a few days after that ran 4 again and was fine- except for some blistering- I think Once I sweat I'm more prone to getting blisters. My right foot was okay- but my left instep got a blister from the seam like Barbara complained of- It is either fit (by left foot is slightly larger) or there's something asymmetric about my running. Either way- a band-aid should do the trick!

By: Esther

Esther — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:37:15 +0000

Hi, I just a pair of KSO. Love it BUT I had blisters at all the wrong places after the run. The blisters appeared at the side of both my toes and near my arches. It seems like the piece of material holding up the strap is cutting into my feet. Is this common or is my shoe defective? Anyone encountered this and have a remedy?

By: Kara

Kara — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:09:20 +0000

Barbara...not sure if you've already bought the shoes for your husband, but if you haven't yet, my husband was plagued by knee issues for a long time. He was a delivery truck driver for several years plus lost a lot of weight by running. Between running heel to toe and jumping up and down from the truck, his knees used to hurt a lot. A couple years ago, we got the Nike Free shoes (5.0) and began running more on the balls of our feet. Even though at the time the Nike's were still supporting our feet more than we realized, he noticed a big difference in knee pain. Basically, there was none. And when he worked on the truck he didn't come home with knee issues either.

Now we both run in the Vibrams (or barefoot as much as possible), and I've not seen him take any pain meds for the knee or complain about it at all. It's like the knee pain never existed, and it was just poor running style to begin with.

Your husband must understand though, that the Vibrams are not meant for heel to toe running. It essentially is impossible because it hurts (it's supposed to, our bodies were meant to absorb running impact through forefoot striking and not heel striking, but 'normal' running shoes try and absorb the impact for you).

I've been running in the Vibrams for about two months and though I never had running pain before, I can attest that I am able to maintain a faster pace for longer by running more efficiently. Running is now fun instead of so much work. Essentially I look forward to it instead of having to push myself to go only two miles.

By: jeeftor

jeeftor — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 19:50:45 +0000

They aren't supposed to give you "support" rather they force your leg to build up the natural muscles you evolved with to support itself. This is why you start slow.

The issue with heavy support shoes is they make your muscles weak because the shoe does all the supporting not the foot. I.e. work slowly into the shoes and you should be fine.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:35:21 +0000

I would like to buy the Vibram Sprints for my husband who loves running but now has knee problems. A lot of the comments I've read, from people on other websites, indicated that they are great for running UNLESS you have knee problems. In that case, they reasonsed, the Vibrams would not give the runner enough support. Do you think the Vibrams could be harmful to a runner with knee pain? Thanks!

By: Deanna Sweeney

Deanna Sweeney — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:01:09 +0000

I have been suffering with shin splints for about 4 months to the point where I could not walk. Nothing seems to work, I have tried every kind of sneaker, doctor gave me orthodics which I dont think work either. I have been forced to not run due to the shin splints for about 3 wks and they are still very painful.. And I do not have stress fracture either. Do these shoes work for shin splints?

By: jason heathrow

jason heathrow — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:21:35 +0000

Great information, I’m glad to see that the ksO’s work well on rough terrain as that is the reason why I decided to purchase one. The only question is, has anybody tried the nike frees and compared them when it comes to outdoor activities? I feel it could protect you a bit more. I found this review randomly about how the 2 compare. http://barefootrunningshoes.org/2009/10/08/nike-free-versus-vibram-five-fingers-10-points/