Hi again, following my last comments you may be wondering what I was leading to. I spent quite a bit of time researching footwear and orthotics and what we were being sold as medical / podiatric common wisdom. My story began as a runner running the streets in a certain brand of footwear. Shin soreness developed and orthotics were prescribed and the situation stabilised. The shoes were firm but the advertising suggested they were protecting me from shock when I ran. Some time later I went to buy new shoes and was advised by 'experts' to swap brands to a commonly used alternative. Lovely, well cushioned shoes, heaven to run on. 6 weeks later I had bone stress in my heels and had to stop running for a few weeks. When I returned I used the hardest sole shoe the running magazines suggested (rotten shoes by their account) and I never looked back.
Many years later I realised that cushioning absolutely dampened the information flow from the ground strike to the plantar nerve receptors, disorganising the muscle and joint response to the shock and making the shock absorbing foot lazy and weak.
The message, and this is endorsed by many people, shoes are BAD for most people's feet and orthotics are a waste of time, they are a crutch and we don't leave people on crutches if they do not need them. They are at best a temporary training tool.
Moral - accepted wisdom, passed on as science is narrow minded and commercially controlled. There is no money in a barefoot population with good health!
Want to know more - book a 'Footwear - Neccessity or nonsence' lecture and workshop (for Massage Therapists, Personal trainers and those with open minds).
Contact Michael on 02 60246724 for details
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
