So how did early man run? If he was barefoot we have a fairly good idea. But studying the fossil record can only take evolutionary scientists and paleontologists so far. That’s where Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble can be of some assistance here. We asked the “Gait Guys,” Dr. Ivo Waerlop and Dr. Shawn Allen, who have an informative and lively take on the interrelated topics of movement, human biomechanics, and gait, to spend some time in Bedrock where going barefoot is as natural as having a pet dinosaur. In his review of Barney’s gait in the first video clip, Dr. Waerlop, who has an established chiropractic, neurology and sports medicine-based practice in Dillon, Colorado, observed the following: “Not the best barefoot technique we have witnessed. Though Barney has a some forward lean, he still heel strikes with an extended knee in front of his body (ouch!) and has little to no ankle rocker with premature heel rise. This results in a ‘bouncing’ gait with most likely sore calves! I hope Betty was a massage therapist.
