Do you believe in foot binding? People understand the cruelty of foot binding in ancient China. Obviously that practice isn’t accepted in places like America or does it happen to that extent anymore, but from the time humans are children, their feet were put in shoes that aren’t foot shaped and weaken the muscles.
Stop putting your feet in an unnatural position and make the change to barefoot shoes, which are shoes with a thin sole and wide toe box.
The majority of shoes in present-day squish the toes, have an artificial arch and have anywhere from a 0 – 14 mm heel to toe drop sole. The problem with this is the toes are crucial for balancing, they are the base of the body. When walking, the toes are on the ground 75% of the time and provide stability by taking up a wide surface area to support body weight. Modern shoes have a narrow toe box, it’s almost the exact width of the heel as shown in the picture below
The toes naturally spread wider than the heel. By wearing shoes with an artificial arch from early childhood, ligaments are weakened. A main purpose of the arch is to absorb shock when walking. Without a strong arch, the foot can’t function properly. Having a shoe with a high heel to toe drop angles the foot downwards. This does not correlates to the natural movement of feet. Wearing a shoe with a thick sole lessens the ROM(range of motion) in the foot, yet again making it stiffer and less natural. All around the modern shoe construction sucks made exactly by a shoe designer.
If people are not used to zero drop shoes and are making the transition later in life, it needs to be slow. The longer the feet have been confined, the longer it takes for them to be rehabilitated. If suffering from pain in the joints and switching to minimalist shoes, is not a viable option, get shoes that have a wide toe box and cushioned soles. It takes time for the muscles to build up to the point where they’re able to support the foot as intended. When the feet perform in their natural state, the strength works its way up to the ankles, knees, back, and neck. The cool thing about barefoot shoes is that they have a wide toe box which allows the toes to create a strong base, a thin sole which permits a load of flexibility and movement, and a zero drop sole meaning it’s a flat sole with no fake arch. Wearing these shoes lets the feet be free.
I can attest to these statements because I have recently made the change. I could naturally flex my foot, spread my toes, feel more of the ground underneath me, and because of this, my balance has improved. I felt like I was released from the stereotypical idea of wearing “cute” shoes. When I wear barefoot shoes I don’t feel like my toes are scrunching, trying to keep a shoe on my foot like they do when wearing modern shoes. I can now relax because barefoot shoes just feel like protective covers on my feet because they are foot-shaped.
The perception of minimalist shoes are that they are ugly This is because socially accepted shoes are limited to traditional footwear. No wonder people think they’re atypical. Change the outlook to barefoot shoes being accepted so major shoe companies will start making attractive and trendy styles. Stiff, modern shoes are a real issue that people aren’t recognizing. The shoes worn today can majorly affect people either negatively or positively. Making the change to minimalist shoes today can leave you with better, pain-free tomorrow.
