01/05/2022
If you care about how your body functions (both in the gym & life) we NEED to have more conversations about our feet and how most modern shoes hurt them. Wearing shoes with a narrow toe box (like most shoes from , , , , and ) smash your toes into an unnatural position. Here’s why this matters.
When your toes can’t splay out your foot stability is INSTANTLY MINIMIZED. This means it’s much easier for your foot to fall into excessive pronation & your knees to cave in when lifting.🤯
The ability to spread your toes (especially your big toe out) provides a wider base of support and allows your foot to function as it was designed & provide a firm foundation for the rest of the body.
The adaptation your foot undergoes with long term use of these narrow shoes also increases risk for problems like bunions, plantar fasciitis, Morton’s neuroma and other foot conditions! This is why research has continuously shown those who don’t wear modern shoes have EXTREMELY SMALL rates of these foot issues!!!
If you’ve been wearing narrow shoes your whole life (like most people) it is possible to regain your natural foot shape - you just need to start wearing shoes with a WIDE toe box!
If you care about your body - you NEED to understand what you put on your feet and how it affects your function & health.
If you want to learn more on shoes, check out my YouTube video “why you need to wear barefoot shoes” or my new 7-part blog series on squatuniversity.com on foot pain.
Big shout out to for the collaboration graphic.
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14/10/2021
🦶🏻 (barefoot life)
The unfortunate thing is that most people have no idea their shoes are actively deforming their feet. Slowly over time the foot begins to adapt to the shape of the shoe without you even realizing it (many shoes today are WAYYY too narrow in the toe box). This happens with almost every “popular” shoe brand in the world (Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Asics, Sketchers, etc).
There are many scientific accounts describing the enormous differences in foot shape and function between those who grew up wearing shoes and those who didn’t (a few listed below).
When it comes to athletic footwear, many of us have been taught to find shoes that have a “snug fit” based on the idea the foot needs more support. However, when it comes to the toes, this notion couldn’t be further from the truth. A narrow fitting toe box hinders the natural and desirable expansion of the foot (called toe splay) that should happen when weightbearing. Without toe splay the foot cannot functional naturally within the shoe and provide optimal stability for the rest of the body. This constriction leads to movement compensations with walking, running and lifting tasks like squatting or deadlifting.
So what do we do now? We try to find shoes that are wide at the toebox to allow our toes to spread out and provide a good stable base for the foot!
Research:
- Sim-Fook L, Hodgson AR. A comparison of foot forms among the non-shoe and shoe-wearing Chinese population. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1958 Oct;40-A(5):1058-62.
- Hoffmann P. Conclusions drawn from a comparative study of the feet of barefooted and shoe-wearing peoples. The American Journal of Orthopedic Surgery. 1905;s2-3(2):105-136.
-Shine IB. Incidence of hallux valgus in partially shoe-wearing community. Br Med J. 1965;1(5451):1648-50.
- Shulman SB. Survey in China and India of feet that have never worn shoes. The Journal of the National Association of Chiropodists. 1949;49:26-30.
-Mafart B. Hallux valgus in a historical French population: paleopathological study of 605 first metatarsal bones. Joint Bone Spine. 2007 Mar;74(2):166-70.
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04/05/2020
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