Posture Experts

It’s a growing market. Footwear that claims to be the key to a healthy posture. Some manufacturers also claim to have invented shoes that enhance fitness and banish cellulite to boot. Can the answer to back pain, slouching and orange peel thighs really be met in a shoe?

Perhaps the best known product is the MBT (standing for Masai Barefoot Technology.) The sole of the shoe is curved producing a rocking motion with each step. MBT’s are said to effect a gait which mimics that of the posturally perfect Masai Warrior Tribesman. The lower heel position and the instability caused by the shoe, works leg muscles harder and gives rise to shorter strides.

There’s no shortage of anecdotal evidence to suggest MBT’s can benefit some sufferers of low back and foot pain and an empirical study has concluded that MBT’s reduce stress on ankles, knees and hips. However more recent research has failed to demonstrate that wearers of MBT’s are at any advantage when it comes to maintaining a healthy posture.

Some experts advise caution, saying the shoes are likely to do more harm than good to those with pre-existing conditions. Whilst no one doubts that MBT’s provide a workout (and wearers report they can feel the burn after walking in them) they don’t strengthen the trunk muscles and therefore don’t build core stability. The artificial gait and increased muscle activity caused by the shoe can lead to muscle pain, stiffness and tension which increases the strain on already vulnerable joints and tissues.

Despite a weak evidence base and a bulky appearance, suggestive of an anti gravity boot, MBT’s have gained much popularity. Doubtless much of this success should be attributed to their celebrity champions. Public figures like Cherie Blair and a host of Hollywood stars (Gwyneth Paltrow and Sadie Frost among them) have been quick to don shoes claiming to improve our posture. Birkenstocks, Earth Shoes and the old favourite Dr Scholl’s have all been popularised by celebrity A listers.

The newest addition to the fit foot fashion parade is the Fitflop. Modelled on the traditional Flipflop it provides a high degree of shock absorption whilst a mini wobbleboard in the sole is said to increase energy consumption as you walk. But here again physiotherapists have expressed concerns that this shoe is not good for everyone and may cause pain and tendonitis in some wearers.

Love them or loath them, most posture experts would agree that having this footware popularised can only be a step in the right direction. Surely they’re preferable to cramming our toes into winkle -pickers or teetering on stilettos. However I have to speak up for poor Gwynie, criticized for setting a bad example in 3 inch heels on the red carpet. She just wouldn’t have cut it in that little black dress and her MBT’s.

The national Charity BackCare offers advice on shoe shopping for a healthy posture.