I rarely wear trainers just simple, minimal shoes that allow me to feel the ground beneath my feet. My toes and arches respond to the terrain, bending and flexing as nature intended – spreading and flexing as I go 🏃🏻♂️🤸🏻♂️🕺🏻
It’s taken me a while to transition! Jumping into minimalist shoes, especially when you have a ‘bad back’ can be a painful experience, especially where spinal compression is a factor.
There’s normally a pretty good reason why your spine is compressed, it’s either through trauma, or it’s one of your bodies own protective mechanisms to keep you going.
This can and has been successfully treated in clinic, however for some, even after the motor control issues and compression have been resolved, activities like running still remain uncomfortable.
This is why there are two very different types of footwear which you will find I advise people explore. My favoured brand of minimalist footwear is Vivobarefoot, it suits my (and most people’s) slightly wider feet, and has a good size toe box to allow the toes to spread fully within the shoe.
There are other brands – the Merrell Vapour is a great minimalist shoe as well, but tends to suit narrower feet.
For those that want to run, and still have compression, or pain after decompression, something like the Hoka One One are worth exploring.
https://barefootshoefinder.com/barefoot-shoe-brands
If you want to talk more about shoes or feet, just give me a shout 🤓
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