Expert Article

Shoes That Kill

Footwear and its affect on health 

Does your feet throb after a night out with friends? Does your knee feel sore? Does your backache? Do you know why? You are wearing the wrong shoes!

Dozens of research have been published in the last few years showing that most footwear do more harm than good, including the extremely cushioned and supportive running shoe that you own! According to some podiatrists, comfortable shoes do not necessarily mean that they are healthier for your feet (Adams). Goes against intuition right? In the next few minutes, I will explain the problem with most shoes and what alternatives are better.

The problem with shoes

I will start of talking about the worst of the worst: Heels. To the guys reading this article, high heels might not be your style, but I promise that this article will be relevant to you soon, just keep reading.

In the last few years, the average height of high-heels has gone from 3 to 5 inches. As a result, doctor visits for foot complaints have increased by 75% (Voss).  Anyone who has ever worn high heels can tell you that they are hell. Walking in heels increases pressure on the knee joint by more than 26%, causes the center mass of the body to shift forward, the hips to move out of alignment, and increase the curvature of your spine (de Burca, Demelza).  Sure the extra curve on your back might make your butt look great, but is it really worth the discs on your spine breaking down? Or muscle spasms?

The effects of high-heels on the foot deformation are just as bad: bunions, hammertoes, stress fractures, tendinitis, and plantar fasciitis. I would show you a picture of an actual foot, but for the sake of the squeamish, I’ll show a drawing instead:

It’s obvious that high heels are unnatural and are no good for the body. So the solution seems to be to wear flat shoes right? What most people don’t know is that so-called supportive trainers are also just as bad.

Shoes with cushioning encourage the wearer to land on the heel first when moving instead of the ball of the foot or flat-footed.  Landing with the heel not only causes stress injuries, but also alters the natural stride and posture of the body. In other words, running with your heels first creates an unnatural walking pattern and puts a lot of pressure on your joints. In fact, according to a research conducted by Daniel Lieberman, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard, heel runners experience a collision force of 960 times more for every mile they run compared to those who run on the balls of their feet (Hendrick).

  

So if heels are bad for you, and so are most flat shoes, what do you wear?

The alternative

As Irene S. Davis, the Direct of Spaulding National Runner Center explains, “We’ve over-support our feet [with shoes] to the point that our foot doesn’t have to do what it’s designed to do, and when you support a muscle, it doesn’t have to work as hard. When it doesn’t have to work as hard, it gets weak” (Helmer).  The easiest way to prevent this would be to walk and run barefooted. After all, we weren’t made for shoes and our body went through years of revolution to perfect the design of our foot. By going barefoot, we naturally shorten our steps, are more prone to land on the ball of our feet, and flex more in our knees, hips, and ankles for softer landing on hard surfaces.

Unfortunately, walking around in most cities without shoes is frowned upon and even dangerous (I had to pull glass out of my friend’s foot once), so the next best alternative would be wearing ‘barefoot shoes’ or ‘minimalist shoes’. The most well known example of these would be the Vibram FiveFingers. I personally don’t like how they look so thankfully other brands have started producing similar and better looking products. I will list a few that I have heard good reviews from:

·      Vivobarefoot (this brand specializes in barefoot shoes for both sports and casual footwear):

•         New Balance Minimus
•         Inov-8 Bare-XF
•         Merell Vapo Glove
•      Toms 

I wear minimalist shoes whenever I can now, and I love it. My knees have been hurting less, my posture has been improving, and I even feel like I’ve been running faster! However, if you do plan on joining me on the barefoot shoe lifestyle, I would suggest that you do so gradually. From personal experience, I can tell you that your body needs time to build up the muscles on your feet and calves. If you stress it too much, you will be sore.

Works Cited

Adams, Jill U. "Comfort Shoes Aren't Necessarily Good for You. How to Find the Support You Need." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 Sept. 2016. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/comfort-shoes-arent-necessarily-good-for-you-how-to-find-the-support-you-need/2013/11/11/99846312-40dd-11e3-8b74-d89d714ca4dd_story.html>.

De Burca, D. Wear More Flat Shoes to Heel Feet. London (UK) Apr 08,2009 International Newsstand; ProQuest Central

Hendrick, Bill. “Barefoot Running May Have Health Benefits.” WebMD, n.d. Web, 27 Sept. 2016. http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20100127/barefoot-running-laced-with-health-benefits.

Helmer, Jodi. “Barefoot Running: Should You Try It?” WebMD, n.d. Web, 27 Sept. 2016. http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/new-exercise-trend-barefoot-running.

Voss, Gretchen. “Are Your Shoes Killing You?” CNN. N.p., 4 Nov. 2011. Web, 27 Sept. 2016. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/04/health/shoes-feet-hurt-body/>