Five fingered shoe opinions?

[high_on_rock]

Tyler, I will let someone else address the science of it all, I can merely tell you that my feet have never felt better. I have had a lot of foot pain in the past; as a lawyer wearing those crazy wing-tips all day; as a high school teacher standing around all day on cement floors; but I currently feel no pain. I was always known for trying to get a foot rub out of anyone who might relent, but no longer have the need (still the desire, just not the need.) I don't know if these "barefoot" style shoes have made the whole difference, but I do love them.

Eric

[layton]

I will get you the references tomorrow if possible.

[JayB]

Possible the best running shoe design ever.

 

I dunno, I have pretty serious over-pronating feet. Also, it doesn't look like there is a lot of cushioning, I wonder how they'd run on concrete/asphalt?

 

Yes it looks weird, but almost no one would have foot problems if we all wore them.

 

Sounds like a specious claim to me.... Back it up?

 

Anyway, I'd love to try a pair out.

 

Look it up yourself, I don't have the time. Basically cultures that don't wear shoes don't have foot problems...even though lots of them would be qualified as serious over-pronators. Try strengthening your ankle wuss. You muscles and ligaments are all the cushioning you need. That said, running on concrete with those shoes would take a long time to get your body used to.

 

I can't help but wonder if part of the notion that "barefoot cultures have not foot problems" stems from the fact that people who are too poor to afford shoes have other concerns - like eating, the raging leischmaniasis that's eating away their cartilage, watching their children dying in infancy, etc - that trump "minor foot pain" on the list of health problems that they're likely to report to the odd relief-worker that happens to traipse through their village every few years.

 

[layton]

Good point.

 

but the healthy ones don't either. Look at ultra marathoners from Kenya. They are in great health and beat us barefoot or running with spare-tire tread tied to their feet every time.

[layton]

I'd love to attach the PDF files, but I can't find the attach file button

[olyclimber]

test

3705-idiot.pdf

[olyclimber]

have at'r brah

[layton]

here

3706-ArchSupport.pdf

3708-Children\'sFootwear-AdultIlls.pdf

3711-Footwear-ThePrimarycauseofFootDisordersPart2.pdf

3712-WalkingBarefoot-KneeOsteoarthritis.pdf

3713-WhyShoesmakeNormalGaitImpossible.pdf

[tthirloway]

Thanks, this looks like some great stuff.

[JayB]

Just had time to look through the figures, but the figures in ref 3711 provide a nice schematic overview of the "tits-up-ass-out" effect that high heeled shoes have been engineered to produce.

[high_on_rock]

Warning, getting a little "Teva funk" out of my non-teva footies. But boy, do my feet feel good!

[high_on_rock]

I went over to help a buddy top and drop some trees. I don't have climbing spurs, so I merely climb the tree much like a roped solo on a rock. I showed up in my little "footie" things, and just never changed them. They were magnificant all day long. I spent ten hours in them, toping and dropping, cutting up the limbs, stacking brush; and my feet were the only part of me that were not tired. Climbing around in the trees with those five-toed shoes was a tremendous experience. I loved the shoe experience! (sorry about the neighbors fence!)

[TREETOAD]

Take care you don't drop a big fir round on your foot.

[cj001f]

but the healthy ones don't either.

 

Ever looked at the feet of Nepali porters? They've some mangled digits dude.

 

As soon as people forget about the prior bit of "western shoes are bad" quackery (earth shoes!) people come up with something new

[chris]

There was a great article a few years ago about the running culture amongst the indigenous communities in Copper Canyon, Mexico. They routinely hold races from village to village - up to ultra-marathon distances - that includes kicking along a ball the size of a softball. A few of their best runners were brought up to the States to run a marathon, and given new running shoes as part of the program. They tried the shoes on, and then immediately prior to the race, removed them and put on their sandals instead. They all placed high, I think one even won the race.

I've seen Nepali porters' feet (and the bare feet of people from Thailand, Mexico, and Ecuador) - and I wouldn't call them mangled. They're heavily calloused, muscled, and gnarled from spending their entire lives in direct contact with the ground - not unlike the hands of a carpenter or a fisherman.

[cj001f]

I've seen Nepali porters' feet (and the bare feet of people from Thailand, Mexico, and Ecuador) - and I wouldn't call them mangled. They're heavily calloused, muscled, and gnarled from spending their entire lives in direct contact with the ground - not unlike the hands of a carpenter or a fisherman.

 

gnarled, mangled... semantics. the feet I've seen of people who wore boots all their working life didn't look nearly so nasty. I've heard the same ancedote before, I'm not sure what it proves aside from a nice soundbite.

 

But speaking of semantics, are sandals shoes or not? Because the feet in India, Peru, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and Paraguay among the sandal wearers look pretty nasty too....almost as bad as the place dropping.

[chris]

Whatever.

[cj001f]

you keep your fantasy, I'll keep mine. I like 3somes with supermodels more than believing shoes are the debil

[layton]

Don't spill any Mickey's on your frat hat or docker's cj001f when you type. Have fun with your fantasy pin-up girls...they must really dig ya.

[cj001f]

mistaken stereotypes amuse me

[Pandora]

BUMP

 

To get the discussion back on track, I'd like to hear an update from the people who have now been using these shoes for several months as opposed to several days.