Barefoot running and footwear in running is a hot topic there are countless opinions out there on what the best is for you and for your athletic performance. However if we look biomechanically at the foot and how things are actually absorbed you start to get a better understanding of what happens in the foot. Injury to the metatarsals are extremely common in barefoot running as the below explains how, there are pros and cons to both however you could put a point forward for a slow change over if you wanted to change to barefoot to prevent injury. Below are the key mechanical points to think of before selecting footwear.