The Benefits of Following Good Standing Advice.
Choosing the right footwear is essential for maintaining good structural health and supporting your corrective care progress. The shoe industry has done an incredible job of marketing the ‘benefits’ of cushioned and supportive shoes, but the truth is that there is no science or common sense to back up this sort of standing advice.
There is however, research showing that wearing soft, ‘supportive’ trainers increases your risk of injury. This is because they don’t allow our feet to perform the job of supporting the body properly. This is a job the foot does remarkably well if allowed to do so.
The human foot is arguably one of the most impressive natural designs in existence, and it is more than capable of supporting the body when the bones are properly positioned in the feet and the lower back.
In recent years, there has been a marked reversal in thinking regarding foot health; with a trend towards more minimal, flexible, and ‘unsupportive’ shoes that allow the feet to feel the ground beneath them and move in natural ways. This is a trend that takes us right back to our roots as hunters and gatherers, where we have been primarily barefoot (or near enough) most of the time for thousands of years! Also interesting to note is that older athletic shoes up until the 1960’s were basically completely flat, even though in the 50’s and 60’s some cushioning materials began to be introduced. It wasn’t until the 70’s and 80’s that more moulded ‘supportive’ designs began to emerge.
Myth-Busting: Bad Standing Advice and Arch Supports
The first myth to dispel is that we need to support the arches of our feet. Nothing could be further from the truth. The human foot is arguably one of the most impressive natural designs in existence, and it is more than capable of supporting the body when the bones are properly positioned in the feet and the lower back.
Proper foot bone alignment allows for optimal nerve control of and supply to the supporting muscles of the feet and lower legs. If you have had your feet trapped in tight, inflexible, and ‘supportive’ shoes for many years, these supporting muscles can become weak and atrophied. It can therefore take some time for them to regain their strength and flexibility, but the important point here is to give them the opportunity to do so.
Your feet will never rehabilitate fully if the foot arch is artificially lifted with an orthotic or shoe support. These also act as a splint on the foot, not allowing it to move properly, which shifts that stress upward into the rest of the body. If you are undergoing structural correction care at any ABC office around the world, it is very important that you wear shoes that allow your foot to move freely and to feel the floor. Wearing overly supportive, cushioned, and restrictive shoes can lead to ongoing problems with your whole body structure and either slow down or limit the progress that you can make with your ABC treatment programme.
If you have any questions or concerns about this issue, please feel free to ask your practitioner to explain or demonstrate these effects to you in more detail.
Improved Health & Wellbeing Begins Here
Standing Advice & Recommendations For Choosing Healthy Shoes
1. The best shoes have thin, flat, and flexible soles.
It is best to avoid thick and heavily cushioned shoes because they cause a disconnect between your feet and the ground, numbing the sensory feedback that is so critical for your foot and postural health. Many shoes have arch supports built into the inner sole. You can usually pull this out. If it is not removable, you will need to buy new shoes. The shoe may feel too big when this inner sole is removed, and if that happens simply purchase a flat inner sole to replace it.
Another common problem with many modern shoes is that they have a ‘negative’ heel, meaning that the very back of the heel dips downwards causing the heel bone (calcaneus) to sink and your posture to fall backward. This can cause adverse compensation affecting your lower back mechanics and is best avoided. This problem can easily be detected by your practitioner, so if in doubt, please ask to have your shoes checked at your next session. A negative heel is also commonly found in shoes that have been worn down over time through overuse.
2. A flat sole is best, but a small heel doesn’t matter too much.
A small heel of about 1 cm can be quite beneficial for the alignment of the lower back. Try to avoid wearing shoes with heels that are more than 1.5 inches (38 mm) high, as this can throw your whole posture off balance by tipping the pelvis excessively forward. You will have to pay attention to what your body is doing when you wear high heels. If you feel that your body is thrown forward, then the heel is too high.
3. Avoid shoes with built-in arch support
Shoes such as running shoes, “cross trainers” and many brands of sandals often have arch supports already moulded into the shoe which cannot be removed. Wearing these shoes will stop your body from unlocking and unwinding by blocking normal foot mechanics.
4. Make sure that your shoes are wide enough to fit your toes in them
(Image source: feelgrounds.com)
Your toes need to be able to spread out and grip the floor as you walk. Many shoes have toe boxes that are too narrow to fit the front of your foot correctly. It is also important to make sure that your big toe doesn’t jam up against the top of the shoe.
5. Make sure that your shoes are long enough.
A common mistake is buying shoes that are too small, squashing the big toe against the end of the shoe. Not only can this cause harm to the toe joint, but it can also significantly negatively affect your walking mechanics. Ensure at least 1 cm of space from the end of the big toe to the end of the shoe.
6. Use an “ABC™ Dot” under the arch of your “breakdown side” foot.
If you are undergoing treatment with the ABC technique and you know your breakdown side, you can help support your breakdown side by placing a small lift under the arch of the foot on that side.
For example, if you are a left breakdown side then you would only support the left arch. You can do this yourself by taking 1-3 plasters and taping them lengthwise one on top of each other on your innersole so that the pads are under the highest part of your arch. Some people just require one plaster, others require three. Start with two and test it out by walking and make adjustments if necessary. You can even test out the theory by placing the support on the wrong foot and noticing the differences! (If you have any difficulty with this step, please ask your practitioner for help when you see them at your next session.) We can also provide an adhesive dot that is the right thickness for most people.
The best approach is to be barefoot as often as possible. There are some fantastic shoe companies these days that sell ‘minimalist’ shoes that more closely mimic the conditions of being barefoot without making you stand out like a sore thumb and appear to be more strange than you probably are (as well as providing some protection). Wearing these sorts of minimal shoes every day will support your corrective care programme, and over time train your feet to become very strong and flexible.
The Barefoot Shoe List
Some of the best companies that I have come across are Vivobarefoot, Xero shoes, Tadeevo, and Be Lenka. They are great places to start, as you can have pretty much all bases covered with their products.
Update: Vivobarefoot was sold to Clark’s a number of years ago and as a result, Vivo shoes are no longer consistently as good as they used to be.
If you want more options to find the perfect minimalist/barefoot substitution here are quite a few options for you:
ABC™ Friendly Shoes
- Groundies – great for everyday smart and casual use. Fashionable. ABC™ friendly.
- Xero Shoes is a popular brand that has various casual styles, sandals, sporty and everyday options. ABC™ friendly.
- Be Lenka Casual, everyday, perfect minimal design, very ABC™ friendly.
More Barefoot-Style Shoes
- Tadeevo Sporty, casual, everyday options. A very minimal design that encourages true barefoot walking.
- Skinners These are basically tight-fitting socks with a thick sole that acts like a tough additional layer of skin — affording a very effective barefoot experience with adequate protection for your feet.
- Vivobarefoot is (or was) an industry leader with shoes for all needs: sporty, casual, everyday, work, and everyday wear.
- Revivo – reconditioned Vivobarefoot shoes at a reduced cost.
- Carets Men’s work and smart dress shoes
- Realfoot Relatively new Czech company. Recommended by one of our colleagues in Croatia.
- Mukishoes Portuguese barefoot shoe company
- Bohempia EU: Casual barefoot shoes, including many styles similar to Converse and Vans
- Bahe grounding shoes
- Zaqq Men’s and women’s, all styles including formal wear
- Feelmax Sport, casual, everyday
- Feelgrounds Casual everyday shoes
- Freet barefoot every day, hiking, walking, sport, children
- Magical shoes casual, running, boots, sandals, everyday
- Lems shoes casual, sporty, everyday, active
- Joe-Nimble casual, sporty, work, everyday, formal
- Vibram Sporty, casual, training
- Softstar shoes Casual, smart, every day, running, work (American shop)
- Tieks A large range of female princess/flats shoes, casual, dressy, everyday (American shop)
- Earth runners sandals, sporty, running, everyday, casual
- Tunefootwear casual, work, smart, professional, men’s (American shop)
- Unshoesusa sandals, sporty, casual, everyday (American shop)
- Tikki shoes women’s, children’s, boots, and sandals, everyday, casual
- Water shoes – there are lots of shops that sell these – just search to find one (a very inexpensive option)
Mainstream Shoe Brands
There are also several mainstream brands on the market that have more minimal options available:
- New Balance– The Minimus range is good for sports, everyday, casual
- Skora Running– has a good introductory minimal running/training shoe option (American store)
- Toms have flat, casual, stylish everyday options
- Merrell – A range of minimal/barefoot options for sports, training, and everyday
- Roger Coco– Women’s casual, everyday, and smart – look out for the flat sole options that don’t have a heel (American store)
- Havaianas – Their flip-flops are excellent, comfortable, and flat-soled, without any arch supports which makes them perfect
- Converse – The classic All-Star range is flat, flexible, and without arch support making them a good everyday casual option. Mind the toe-box width though! (You might find that a half size larger than usual will be better)
Safety Footwear:
If you need steel-capped shoes it can be a challenge to find a suitable pair of boots or shoes that are wide enough in the toe box and flexible enough to still allow your foot to move. Here is one option that we’ve found which seems to tick all of the right boxes:
SK Apparel– look for the Lee Cooper safety plimsoll
Often the best solution is to bring your current pair of safety boots in and have your practitioner look at them and assess how they affect your posture. It may be possible to make a few changes to the insoles and heel support to have them better support your posture at work, even if it isn’t perfect. (see below).
The Children’s List
If your child is under 18 months, don’t feel pressured into buying shoes for them yet. One or two pairs of socks, or even going fully barefoot (in the summertime) can often be the best solution at this age. Many shoe shops offer cheap, basic minimal footwear for kids. Remember they should be flat, flexible, and un-cushioned. If you would like a specialised brand for older children who are more active, here’s a list of good companies:
Standing Advice: Improve Your Current Shoes
There are two major problems that can sometimes be corrected without needing to throw your shoes out and starting again. The first thing is to take out any removable insoles (like those pictured) that may be in your trainers, boots, or shoes. These often have built-in arch support, which may appear to only be slight, but is still enough to stop your body’s normal mechanical function and interfere with your unwinding process and overall structural health.
If you find that the base of your shoe is now too uncomfortable, rubs, or the shoe now does not fit correctly, then replace the contoured insoles with a flat pair which are easily obtained online or at a good shoe shop. Something like this works well. Timpsons will often carry a basic flat insole as well.
Image Source: Ecco.com
The second issue is called a negative heel. Run your finger along the inner sole of your shoe from the middle to the back. If you notice there is a dip, or indentation down where your heel bone goes, then you have a negative heel. The effect of standing in shoes with a negative heel is similar to sitting in a soft chair; it causes your posture to be tilted forward, harming your alignment and impeding your unwinding process. If you suspect that your shoes have a negative heel, then you can correct it with a heel chip or a heel lift, which you can purchase at Tree of Life.
Making a good decision about shoes is sound ABC ™ standing advice.
If you are in any doubt about the shoes you commonly wear, please bring them in with you and the practitioner can assess the effect that they may be having and see what can be done to correct any problems.
