Detriments of Modern Shoes

Heel Drops, Arch Supports & Toe Springs Keep Your Foot in a Cast

The increase in the heel height of a shoe relative to the ball of the foot is called a shoe drop. This raising of the heel causes a shortening of the Achilles tendon, the thickest tendon in our body. It also changes the angle of the tibia (shin bone), which causes a cascading effect to the rest of our posture. When the large joint groups upstream are stuck in poor anatomical positions, it diminishes each muscle group's ability to stabilize the joints properly and generate optimal force. An individual that is stricken by major bone deformities, compromised collagen structures or neurological disorders may not have the proper structure in place in their foot for the arch to stand alone. For individuals like this, arch support is like a wheelchair or a crutch: they cannot do without it. But for nearly all of the human race, the arch of the foot is designed to support the entire body all day long and in all conditions without any help. An individual that wears arch support unnecessarily will experience over time an even more substantial weakening of the tissues that were meant to support the arch. This is because they will not experience the proper load resistance that causes soft tissues to strengthen. Due to the relative inflexibility of most modern shoe soles, toe springs have been built into them to help rock the foot forward and mimic the push off angle of the windlass effect. But herein lies the problem: the windlass effect itself was supposed to create the stiffness in the arch in order to provide a sturdy lever to push off of. While our foot is in a modern shoe, it is actually locked halfway into the windlass effect. This means that there is an incessant increase in tension on the plantar surface of the foot, while the dorsal surface is stuck in a constantly shortened position. This can over time contribute to the onset of conditions like hammer toes, Morton's neuroma or plantar fasciitis. In footwear that has a shoe drop AND an arch support AND a toe spring, it places the plantar fascia in an overly stretched position, stealing its elasticity and increasing the possibility of overuse injuries down the road.

Heel Drop Guarantees Poor Posture

Generally, when an individual stands in shoes with a heel drop, muscle groups like the abdominals (think six pack), erector spinae muscles (lower back), quadriceps, hamstrings, calf muscles and ankle stabilizers are forced into a slightly overstretched position (passive insufficiency) or slightly overly flexed position (active insufficiency). While stuck in these shortened or elongated ranges, muscles are weaker than they are in their mid range. As an example, individuals with exaggerated lordosis (lower back curve) or kyphosis (neck curve) will experience an exasperation of these postural positions when using a shoe with heel drop. In the case of lordosis, the erector spinae muscles are stuck in a shortened position (active insufficiency) while the abdominal muscles are stuck in an elongated position (passive insufficiency). In both cases, each muscle group is not located in it's mid-range, thus losing some contractile force because they are too long or too short.

Tight Toe Boxes Cause Bunions & Mortons Neuroma

When looking at the foot of a baby or toddler, or a foot that has been unspoiled by years of common footwear use, it can be noted that the toes are the widest part of the human foot. This anatomical feature has been lost on modern footwear companies, as most people have already become accustomed to restrictive and constrictive toe boxes. It is more than likely that the vast majority of bunions and cases of hallux valgus that society experiences today come directly from the use of tight toe boxes. This is because the halux (big toe) constantly pushes down on the inner part of the joint. Combined with walking, running and jumping, this strengthens the muscles of the hallux and the tissues around it in this position while pushing the joint underneath the hallux outward like a baloon.

Thick Soles Blind Your Feet

When in direct contact with our bare feet to the ground, we receive the greatest amount of proprioceptive feedback. Most modern shoes are anywhere between 20 to 50 millimeters thick on average, ensuring a significant decrease in the foot’s proprioceptive abilities and joint position sense [6]. A justification for thick soles with soft, springy materials inside are that they add a level of shock absorption. This may make sense intuitively, but there have been significant findings that show that the softer the midsole of a shoe, the greater amount of shock the body experiences [7]. This can be simply explained by returning to our example about gloves: Boxers put on boxing gloves in order to protect the bones of their hands and the soft tissues of their opponents face. As soon as a boxer has a glove on his hand, they can now punch their target with much more force due to the decreased risk to their knuckles. This logic may easily be applied to a shoe, allowing a runner to strike the ground with more force and end up running faster for longer periods of time. In both cases, we have in actuality witnessed an increase in force entering the body. In the case of the boxer, the wrist, elbow and shoulder girdle suddenly must brace against much more force than if the boxer were bare knuckled. In the case of the runner, each stride caused the ankle, knee, hip and back to have to work much harder against the forces being applied to them.

Heavy Shoes Ruin How You Walk

When a shoe weighs more than it needs to, it can cause larger muscles above the leg to work harder to move the shoe around. It also can add to instability, as whenever the leg moves any direction, the body must compensate for the extra weight that is attached to the end of it, complicating accurate foot placement.

Stiff Shoes Kill Range of Motion

One of the most fascinating and useful features of our feet is their ability to create elastic energy. This means energy that is created FOR FREE, without the use of calories from a muscle. Once our feet are stuck in an inflexible shoe, that elasticity is all but erased, and all the joints above the foot must now exert more energy to deal with the forces entering the body. When a muscle, ligament or tendon does not utilize its functional range of motion while it is being used, it can gradually tighten and shorten over time. Once a muscle has become tight, it can take a very long time to return it to its original length and strength. By using a stiff and inflexible shoe, the majority of joints and soft tissues in the foot experience this exact shortening. Over a long enough period of time, the foot can experience significant reductions in strength and mobility. This is one of the main purposes for the massage balls that we sell here on our website: to aid in the recovery of proper tissue pliability.

Loose = Unnecessary Effort

Loosely fitting footwear usually refers to flip flops, slippers, slides, or any other footwear that is not secured from behind. While these forms of footwear are VERY convenient and often comfortable due to their padded design, the user has no choice but to adopt compensatory movement pattern (4). This often comes in the form of squeezing the muscles of the foot harder and more often than necessary, or the leg limiting the range of motion the ankle goes through. This happens because we instinctively want to "hold onto" the loose footwear, causing our feet and ankles to work overtime.

Transitioning to Barefoot Shoes

Walking barefoot after years of being shod can be a challenging process. Muscles and joints need to restrengthen and realign, and it doesn't just happen overnight. Here is how we recommend to begin and continue the process so that transitioning is as smooth and comfortable as possible.

Foot Care

Learn how to mobilize, coordinate and strengthen your feet to regain their proper functionality.

Joint Care

Barefoot Running Workshop

Dates and locations of our workshops are coming soon!

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