A common misbelief is that thick and cushy shoes are ideal.

Sadly, big companies use this misconception as a gimmick to take advantage of your ignorance, innocence and dedication to your health.

Here is the truth: arch supports greater than 3mm create reverse myotactic reflexes and modify gaits involuntarily.There are a variety of painful foot problems that are caused by running shoes created by big brand companies. For example, have you ever noticed that your sport shoes come with an insert that has a built in arch support?

The first problem, aside from the concept that it is shoe companies that choose the platform that you foot stands on, is that the qualities of an arch support are standard for everyone. They induce your feet to supinate via a segmental arc reflex, and if someone is bowlegged, the shoes, over time, will contribute to medial meniscus degeneration.

The solution

Perform a quick test in the store prior to purchasing your shoes. While barefooted, in the frontal plane, have a friend assess your shoulder tilts by looking at the height of your styloid processes (wrist).

Put on the prospective shoes and have your friend re-assess your tilt. If the tilt worsens, the shoe is not convenient for your posture. In fact, it would be detrimental. If you really want the shoes, it is advisable to just remove the inserts completely. In order to effectively treat your foot pain, you need to identify the cause. Taking a look at the shoes you wear and the inserts inside of them can help you discover some of the underlying causes for foot pain.To this day I have accumulated a total of 60 clinical cases of bowlegged clients with running shoes that contained inserts that have originally consulted me for knee pain.Some clients even wore custom orthotics on top of the inserts thereby causing a lot of confusion for their bodies and for the messages going back and forth between the feet, the muscles and the brain.

Take away #1: Remove insert from your running shoes.

Take away #2: Assess any tilts in the frontal plane while trying new shoes on.

Take away #3: If you are bowlegged, do not wear any arch support.

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The Shoe Myth

A common misbelief is that thick and cushy shoes are ideal.

Sadly, big companies use this misconception as a gimmick to take advantage of your ignorance, innocence and dedication to your health.

The solution