You Walk Wrong
Here is a link to an interesting article in New York Magazine. While it has some good things to say it fails in many ways to get at the crux of the issue it is discussing. Shoes per se are not bad -- it is walking badly in them that is the problem. The genius of the MBT shoes that are referred to in the piece is that Karl Muller, their inventor, looked to the Masai tribe for inspiration. What is truly inspiring about the Masai is their extraordinary posture. Energy moves effortlessly through their bones because of their skeletal efficiency. I would hazard that they would walk as well in just about any shoes.
When people find themselves with pain in their heels while walking, it is less about the foot than it is a result of poor weight transfer through the bones of the entire skeleton. If our posture doesn’t translate weight and energy efficiently through our entire body, then walking barefoot or wearing shoes is not going to make a difference.
The feet are the all important base of our bodies, but they are often unable to do their job properly due to what is going on above them, not because of what is wrapped around them. And believe me, I am no fan of shoes. As a yoga teacher and creator of the FitzGordon Method Core Walking Program (www.fitzgordonmethod.com), I am barefoot as often as possible and always wear high quality sensible shoes. But so do countless people who suffer with terrible foot and joint pain.
Sternbergh refers to an article that reports “natural gait is biomechanically impossible for any shoe-wearing person." I would respectfully disagree. Most of us don’t walk well because we have never really been taught how to walk. There is no question that we can walk well in shoes. Check the bottoms of yours. If you walk well, they will wear out on the outer heel and the inner ball of the foot. If they are, like most people, worn on the outer heel and outer ball of the foot, it has nothing to do with the shoes themselves. You simply need to learn how to walk.
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5 comments:
As a lifetime walker and recent purchaser of MBT walking shoes, I would like to add a comment here: I seem to have acquired pseudo sciatica or piriformis syndrome and am ONLY asymptomatic when I walk 45 minutes or more each day. My symptoms include stiffness that I describe as a velcro-like adhesion in my left hip and gluteous muscle, and that is not accompanied by fatigue or any signs of fibromyalgia, etc. Walking appears to be a non-option for me, and as long as I head out and walk, I can do the rest of my life. I am posting to support anyone else who may be experiencing a similar challenge and to open a discussion re: walking and yoga.
Interesting subject; and one I hadn't really considered before. I have blogged about it on Yoga Abode here: http://www.yoga-abode.com/blog/yoga_walking
walking shoes are very important for a walk.there are many walking shoes in the market but i love Trainers Shoes that are best walking shoes
Awesome. You have a great blog by the way!
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