The human foot is naturally widest at the toes. This means that as we move through the gait cycle, we roll through the foot and push off from a wide base, with splayed toes.
This splaying of the toes and forefoot gives us the widest base of support possible, connecting our digits to ground below and ensuring balance and stability with every step.
Unfortunately, many of us will have spent a lifetime in conventional shoes, which usually have tapered toe boxes that narrow and squish the toes together. Not only does this decrease stability when walking in the shoes, it can also contribute to chronic narrowing of the forefoot as our bodies adapt to their environment.
Humans already have an extraordinarily narrow base of support for our height and this further narrowing at the forefoot can create instability, decrease balance and increase risk of falls.
By switching to barefoot / minimal shoes, we can begin to reverse this narrowing, embracing our natural toe splay and improving balance and stability into the future.
Gait analysis and tailored training programmes available at The Posture Practice. Contact me for more information.
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