Barefoot in the Park

I stopped at a local park for lunch the other day.  It was a nice, sunny day out so I thought I'd go for a walk.  I decided to walk barefoot on the grass to give my feet a "workout" so to speak.

Definitely I think shoes "dumb down" your feet.  Walking (or running) barefoot helps maintain the musculature of the foot.  It's not a big leap to think that many foot injuries/problems are the result of wearing shoes over a lifetime.  It would be the equivalent of a person wearing boxing gloves on their hands every day, and then expecting their bare hands to be perfectly functional and healthy.