There is a big trend in the running community towards the use of less supportive
and less shock absorbing running shoes that have become known as minimalist running shoes. This trend has even been taken to the extreme with many running barefoot. There is a lot of debate around this as well as a lot of rhetoric and propaganda with a lot of extraordinary claims being made about the barefoot running. There are many who have a long history of injury from running who are now running barefoot with no problems. Similarly there are probably just as many people who have got an injury from barefoot running. Those who do run barefoot are very sensitive to criticism and are quick to attack those who may question it. They do not like their claims about the benefits being questioned.
There is no evidence that barefoot running is any better than shoe running. There is plenty of evidence that barefoot running technique is different to running in the traditional running shoes, but that is all the research has shown. Those who promote barefoot running somehow manage to interpret that research as proof that barefoot is better when that was not what the research actually showed. None of this actually means that there is anything wrong with barefoot running and there is no doubt that many runners would benefit from it or from the minimalist running shoes that are supposed to mimic the running technique of running without shoes. Running in these shoes encourages a forefoot strike, so if runners have a problem with rearfoot striking then the probably should consider making the change. However, to run on the forefoot rather than the rearfoot requires that certain muscles work harder and this can lead to any injury in those structures.
If a runner decides they would like to try this, then they need to transition very carefully and over a longer period of time. They probably should start by walking barefoot as much as possible and then next do some short barefoot drills and then later do some shorter runs in barefoot, only a few days a week and then gradually do more and more. A useful guide is to increase the amount of barefoot running by 10% per week and keep doing the rest in shoes. If the transition is not done carefully, then there is a high risk of injury. Some runners are not able to make the transition.