11/22/2021
This is an excellent illustration of what most modern shoes (many made by Nike, Adidas, Ascis, etc) do to our feet compared to a natural barefoot style shoe.
The most noticeable difference is in the toe position. The angled position of the toes in the top shoe is called “toe spring.” If you closely examine many of your shoes (especially those designed for athletics) the front tip will be elevated a few degrees. Originally this feature was built into thick and inflexible shoes as a way to help “roll” the foot forward as you walk. Think about this as having the bottom of a rocking chair on your foot.
So why is this a problem?
Toe spring basically forces the toes of your foot “out of business.” Your foot was designed to have all of your toes completely flat on the ground when weightbearing. This allows the toes to grasp the ground and provide stability for the entire foot and therefore the rest of the body. Because 18 of the foot’s 19 tendons are attached to the toes, allowing them to remain flat essentially anchors your entire foot to the ground and enhances stability (one reason why toe spring on a weightlifting shoe or any shoes you wear to the gym makes absolutely zero functional sense).
So if you currently wear a pair of shoes that has toe spring to the gym - I’d recommend getting into a pair of shoes that allow your toes to splay out flat against the ground or just going barefoot!!!!
Shout out for the artist rendering & from whom I first saw this post.
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