The Sham of the Shoe?

Interesting article here on the myth of the shoe. I always wondered why the freaking shoes had that tail up in front.

I for one, wear Birkenstocks as much as I can, even at work. My attitude is if you are going to can my ass because I wear freaking sandals, then I don't want to be your employee in the first place.

But, seriously, the article looks at the role of shoes and how those shoes designed to protect you with all that extra padding, and the thick heel to absorb the impact of the foot landing...may, in fact, be counter-intuitive. It may be hurting you. A portion of the article cites a study where they compared the impact/stress on the heel of the foot people have when wearing shoes to that stress when going barefoot.

What they found is your body is overcompensating for that extra heel built into modern shoes, and actually causing more stress/impact on your body because your body needs to feel the ground to maintain balance. The thicker heel in a normal shoe, means you'd need to actually press harder to get a sense of the ground through that heel.

Very interesting read. Partly also why when I do wear shoes, I wear slip on/off's so I can take them off in my room when students are away...and hell, sometimes when they aren't.