There is no doubt about it, shoes change the way we walk. Which is why everyone’s concern is arch support and cushioning and, of course, style (usually). Many people are even willing to jeopardize comfort for looks. As a runner and a sales associate at a sneaker store back home, I know the importance of a good quality shoe. It can make the difference for shin splints and tendonitis and feeling good knowing your shoes complete your outfit. But what if the shoes are the root of all these problems in the first place?
Shoes are bad for our feet. Feet were never meant to be put in shoes. Whether tall stilettos, super cushioning, extremely supportive or great for people who over-pronate sneaks, shoes are not natural and they change the way we walk. According to Dr. William A. Rossi, it is impossible to walk with our natural gait when wearing shoes.
He says, “It took 4 million years to develop our unique human foot and our consequent distinctive form of gait, a remarkable feat of bioengineering. Yet, in only a few thousand years, and with one carelessly designed instrument, our shoes, we have warped the pure anatomical form of human gait, obstructing its engineering efficiency, afflicting it with strains and stresses and denying it its natural grace of form and ease of movement head to foot.”
A study was done at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa using 180 humans from Sotho, Zulu and Europe. These feet along with 2,000-year-old skeleton feet were all compared to determine whose feet were healthiest. The research showed that the Sulu people, who often do not wear shoes, had the healthiest feet, whereas the Eurpoeans (those who constantly wear shoes) had the worst. For centuries we have been creating shoes that try to make up for what we think our feet lack. But, as Galahad Clark, a man in the shoe business himself, now says, “It’s a back-to-basics philosophy: that the great Lord designed us perfectly to walk around without shoes” (Sternbergh).
During cross-country season in high school, my favorite workout was one where we had to sprint 100 yards 50 times across a football field. For the second set of 25 we were allowed to take off our sneakers. I cannot tell you what a difference it made for that second half when I was already tired and worn out but my feet felt free and weightless. I ran even faster for the second half than I did for the first and my shin splints seemed to disappear. If we started walking around barefoot our feet would eventually callus and become use to hard surfaces but we have grown up with the “comfort” of shoes making it difficult for this transition. If you have any feet, ankle or knee problems I encourage you to walk around barefoot more often just to see how it feels.
Sternbergh, Adam. “How We’re Wrecking Our Feet With Every Step We Take — New York Magazine.” How We’re Wrecking Our Feet With Every Step We Take — New York Magazine. N.p., 21 Apr. 2008. Web. 19 Sept. 2013.