In the past, before we invented stiff and constraining shoes, our feet looked very different. Here’s a fascinating article about natural feet, and how they work when not trapped inside restrictive shoes. Our feet change as footwear styles evolve. You may feel like you need arch support or a “good sturdy shoe” because that’s what you’re used to: Your feet have been slacking off and letting the shoe do the work, so they are weak. Just like any other deconditioned muscles, they can be re-trained to be strong and supple, by doing exercises and gradually transitioning to minimal shoes.
A long, long time ago, humans evolved to walk barefoot. We did just fine until we started wearing stiff, supportive shoes. Stiff shoes actually encourage a different gait – striking on the heel instead of the ball of the foot. Without the muscle of the foot softening the landing, more impact jars the body, from the ankle up to the spine.
It’s possible to retrain yourself to walk like an Egyptian (er, a pre-modern human), but it definitely takes some practice. The two graphics above are by Softstar. Their completely minimal shoes are fantastic once you have built some strength and flexibility in your feet (exercises here), but I do not recommend switching to them just yet if you’ve been wearing very stiff / supportive shoes. That’s like asking your couch potato feet to run a marathon, and injuries can happen! Note: I am a huge fan of Softstar Shoes, but they are not appropriate for everyone. If you have damage to your feet, extra weight, or spend a lot of time on concrete, you’ll need a little more support / cushioning.
The problem is compounded because we decided to make shoes not shaped like feet, for some strange reason. Compare these pictures, and see if you can spot the problem:
Modern shoes are shaped as if our third toe is the longest, but it’s always our 1st or 2nd that need the most room. Eventually, the feet will be deformed to match the shoes. The bones of the great toe, lacking the room to reach forward, will escape sideways. I see this a lot with tall men who went through a growth spurt as a teen and didn’t immediately get new shoes. If you’ve had this problem your whole life, it’s probably due to overly tight baby shoes or outgrowing your footwear as a kid – studies of “familial” bunions that looked at baby footprints generally showed that patterns of behavior were inherited, not bad feet.
In the medieval period, pointy shoes were all the rage, and bunions became a massive problem.
Reach down and wiggle your great toe. If it is rigid and can’t get back to a natural position, it may be too late. But if it moves, we can still retrain the muscles and tendons to get your foot back to health.
WHY THIS MATTERS – YOUR GAIT AFFECTS THE REST OF YOUR BODY!
This is not just an aesthetic issue! Your toes are supposed to be doing a lot of balancing work for you. If they are bound up, all that work gets pushed up the chain, affecting ankles, knees, hips, and even the lower back. I’m NOT saying your tight shoes caused your back pain, but they definitely contributes to a complex set of issues, and they slows down your recovery.
Hammertoes form for the same reason – not enough room in the toebox. After being squinched up for a while, the tendons shorten and the crimped posture becomes that foot’s default. But we can reverse that with acupuncture, medical massage to break up fascial adhesions, and gentle daily stretching.
Read these articles for more about foot pain (also contains links to foot exercises) or shoe shopping, even assessing boots.
Please let me help you liberate your toes! I can teach you self-massage, fit you for a set of Correct Toes toe spreaders, and modify them to fit you, if necessary. Of course I can also provide gentle acupuncture and advanced medical massage to get you back to optimal performance as soon as possible! :)