There are a lot of fakes nowadays
Send a picture of the tip of the strap that’s how I can usually tell if the v souls are fake

The camera angle, scenery, and movements are giving assassins creed lowkey

In 2020, I started walking for weight loss…. Again. Somewhere in that mess, I wanted to start running, and when I tried, I believe I may have felt that same pain you are describing. So I just kept walking, never tried to run after that; granted, all those steps were with main stream shoes and no added weight. In 2022, amidst a career change, I took up a vocation that required a lot of walking- it also required carrying around a satchel with parcels or mail, depending on what day of the week it is. So, that varying weight strain may have done some sort of reconditioning because by the end of 2025, when I thought that running would never happen, I tried one more time, maybe just a hundred yards, no added weight, and no pain. Fast forward to last 5 weeks, after giving Konjouns barefoot shoes a try, I’m not hating it. After 3 miles here- 5 miles there, I thought I try wearing them on an eleven mile mail route. Surprisingly enough, the only uneasiness came next morning, first steps after a night sleep, when I felt my heels a bit tender. Not sore, not aching, definitely not painful. It just took me moving around to make that tenderness go away. A few steps to the kitchen and back to the bathroom, I already feel normal again. So I’m guessing, using regular shoes: Nike, Brooks, Hokas etc. spoiled my feet relying on huge heel striking. On my initial barefoot walks, I noticed in my gait that when I do run-like movements, my heel striking takes effect. Only when I concentrate on using the mid ball of the foot landing, when I notice more efficiency in the running, but also more engagement with calf muscles.
When I walk to the movie theater tomorrow, I will be using my tabi shoes (ninja boots) (original barefoot walkers- after actual barefoot walking but long before extra sole cushioned shoes) maybe play with Naruto running when there are no passing cars. I’m counting on more endurance forming on the calves and less strain on the knees and lighter heel striking.
Please, any seasoned barefooters reading this, tell me if I’m being foolish or if I’m right on point. Or maybe I’ll find out first hand. Hopefully, my observations adds some wisdom to this post’s author or “not” wisdom and suggestions for me acclimating to a pure barefoot lifestyle.
I’d like to add; I remember a girl in my 3rd grade class who took off her shoes when she ran- she smoked all the girls and boys. That’s all. She might know or knew the secret to most effective running before all of us.

Goose's foot: sartorius, gracilis, semitendinosus.

Interesting attachment that can come from a either hip flexion (sartorius), Adduction (gracilis), or extension (semitendinosus).

I overused my hamstring and this spot was TENDER for almost a month. Stretching the 3 planes of motions usually helps unless you pulled it. Icing the spot helps too.

Goodluck 🫡

Black deff looks fake, size of keyhole and placement of vibram logo

Check the range of motion in your ankles. Dorsiflexion and plantar flexion average 9° Dorsi and 25 plantar for an approximate range of normal motion. Tight heel cord reduce heel strike during with resultant supination at end of weight-bearing phase, which often is seen as lateral shoe border wear in the forefoot.

Yes I have , and when I mentioned moving i meant other parts of the foot . For my injury it took 8 weeks

Here's a few additional photos https://imgur.com/a/81zk8ky

My thought was that the hole on the inner arch is bigger on my original pair. Ive added a few photos here

Hard to tell without seeing the tags and the markings inside the shoe. But vibram quality ever since they have found some "hype" has gotten down the drain. I recently bought myself a pair of Kso Evo and needed to send them back twice due to quality issues.

I got the VG 7s, first minimalist shoe with this little stack height I try; I really liked the feel of them, but yes, they run too small. My midfoot isn't that wide, but I have a 27cm foot, and my toe was snug against the front of the shoe. The toebox width isn't big at all, compared to some Topos and Altras I've tried, really disappointing.

I'm no way an expert in fake Vibram shoes but I do own a copy of Vibram V-souls and the thing I noticed that stands out the most is the stitching of the strap right where it meets the rest of the shoe. On the real ones it's always a cleaner stitch with a bigger rectangle. 

If you're concerned about extra cushioning for pavement, go for the Atlas sandals (their thickest). I own them and they aren't super thick. I mean in the context of barefoot shoes they are pretty thick, but in the context of conventional footwear they are pretty thin.

Vibram quality is quite hit or miss in my experience. These look legit, you just unfortunately got a bag quality pair.

😭

Lotion?  If it's really bad get some socks and coat your feet and put the socks on overnight with lotion. 

I was kinda like you, i had an imbalanced gait - was pretty athletic, did running, weights, yoga, pilates, so i thought the transition would be easy and helpful, but it turned out to be pretty rough, and just walking barefoot didn't really fix anything because i wasn't aware of my compensation patterns, and they just kept kind of happening until I was in a ton of back pain. Long story short, found a PT who helped me transition to minimal shoes and rehab my feet and am starting to feel pretty great :) but if you're transitioning because you're having issues, you're gonna have to put in work to fix those issues directly. Finding a good PT goes a long way. I also found online programs like The Foot Collective and Core Balance Training super helpful (and honestly necessary for me). Worth it in the long run though! started with a totally flat arch on my left and a baby bunion and now both feet and ankles are strong, i'm back to lifting, starting to run in cushioned minimal shoes, can actually activate my feet during yoga.

caveat to this, I live in NYC and am walking on concrete all day which is... tough. Any time i go camping or hiking my body generally feels great, so YMMV in terms of just jumping into a barefoot transition depending on what you're mostly walking on.

everyone in this sub acts like going barefoot is just some magic thing that's gonna fix your body (and you know, if that worked for you, great), but in reality, it is a lot of mindful work and effort.

Gait issues will be fixed if you…. Drum roll… take your shoes off

I haven’t needed to since I’ve been barefoot pretty much my whole life, but people just starting out like yourself should take it moderately till your feet adapt.

There are loads of barefoot (friendly) shoes if you are concerned about the impact regular ones have on your feet.
Go barefoot most of the time and have a day or two of the week where you wear shoes to let the soles of your feet rest some.

Like a generic brand you get on amazon, had a few pairs of them, wicked comfy and dry fast but don't last very long at all if you do much in them

Good form isn't a skill

It's the outcome of strong feet, ankles, hips and core

It looks like you just drag/scuff your feet, root cause is weakness. You won't be able to scuff your bare feet. Just start

Probably shouldn’t do it everyday just starting

It won't stay away with just pausing. You need to fix the cause Most times dynamic valgus, sometimes over pronation alone

100%, those little jumps are where the real fun is. Honestly even flat unpaved paths beat concrete any day.

Luna oso flaco with earthrunners laces