Shoes are obviously essential to enable us to go about our daily lives, but unfortunately, most shoes are not designed with natural foot movement in mind.
In an ideal world a shoe should:
- Be flexible and not rigid, to enable the foot to move as it has evolved to do.
- It should have a wide toe box (the width of the front of the shoe) so as to not squash the toes together, again to enable them to move and adjust to the ground.
- It should not have (or have minimal) difference between the height of the heel and the front of the shoe – the heel to toe drop. Most shoes have a higher heel than toe when looked at from the side. The higher the heel, the more posturally compromising the shoe.
It is worth bearing in mind that your foot has more nerve endings than your hand. It has evolved to be incredibly sensitive to inform your body of what you are walking on, enabling you to balance. Each step you take initiates a cascade of muscular contractions that start at your foot, works up and across your body and ends in your opposite arm. You need your foot to be able to be receptive and to move naturally to enable this to occur. Just like any part of the body, the foot muscles and nervous system will get deconditioned if not allowed to function properly.
An analogy would be trying to go about your day wearing gloves that did not allow your hand to move naturally. It would be quite difficult and feel very odd. We are so used to wearing shoes that we may not give what we place on our feet a second thought. It is a great time of year to get outside on the grass in your bare feet and allow your feet to work as nature intended.
