FiveFingers Shoes – Good or Bad Footwear?

Your feet are a very important part of your body. If your feet are causing problems, you can experience problems elsewhere in your body, such as your legs, your kneees, your hips and even your back. So, there’s no doubt as to why shoe manufacturers and those interested in feet are constantly working to find the perfect pair of shoes. And one company – and its products’ devotees – believe they’ve found the perfect shoe: the FiveFingers shoes.

The underlying belief behind the shoes is “barefoot is best.” This seems to make sense because humans were barefoot for a long time, according to evolution and generational progress. It also seems that some of our footwear actually causes foot problems, such as hammer toes and bunions. So, people think that humans were meant to be barefoot.

Others aren’t as convinced and there are concerns about how the human foot would do with day after day without support or protection.

A company called Vibram have come up with a new shoe called the FiveFingers Shoe, which addresses the protection angly. The shoes, described as gloves for the feet, are not the prettiest to look at, but their goal isn’t looks, it’s function.

A podiatrist quoted in this article, SOMETHING STRANGE IS AFOOT , expressed some concerns about the shoes:

“These offer relatively no support,” says Dr. Rock Positano, a foot specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery. “They do not support the arch well and may lead to postural problems that not only can adversely affect the ankles and feet, but also the shins, knees, hips and back.”

Now, I’ve not tried these shoes; I’ve not even seen them other than in photos, but I’d love to hear what other podiatrists think of these new barefoot shoes.

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