Should I wear different shoes?
Thank you to Jeremy Nehme for his contribution to the Titan Blog - it addresses common questions regarding the difficult decisions about footwear. Enjoy!
Should I be wearing different shoes?
This is a common question people have, and sadly the answer will probably disappoint you: it depends. You may ask yourself, what does it depend on? Well, I’ll try and separate it into a few big categories:
The type of shoe you are currently wearing;
What your goals are;
How long you have been wearing your shoes; and
What issues you are trying to address.
That being said, regardless of your answer(s), when making drastic changes to your footwear, you should always transition slowly.
“Buy good shoes and a good mattress, because when you’re not in one you’re in the other.”
Types of shoes:
We can classify shoes in many ways, but for the purpose of this blog post, I will be separating them in terms of maximalist vs minimalist shoes. If you don’t know the difference between the two, don’t worry, we will go over it. Most of us can remember being told that we needed to have lots of support in our shoes for cushioning and to walk properly; these shoes with big thick heels would be maximalist shoes. Nowadays, many people say we should have as little support as possible in our shoes (think really thin soles); these would be your minimalist shoes. Now, these shoes are on a spectrum, and you can find shoes on both extremes and everywhere in between.
A great visual demonstrating the spectrum of today’s footwear. Image from https://therunningclinic.com/minimalist-index/
If you are wearing any shoe that could be classified on the above index, you don’t need to worry too much about changing shoes unless you want to or have a specific reason to. If you do decide to change shoes, it should be a GRADUAL TRANSITION. Sandals and slides can also be classified on this scale.
What are your goals?
Are you an athlete? What kind of activity are you doing? Are you running, weightlifting, or doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT)? Different activities may require different shoes. I will not go into any greater details on this in this blog as this is a very extensive topic in its own right.
What are you trying to address?
Are you trying to change shoes due to pain? If so, where is that pain? Ankles, knees, hips, or back?
It might surprise you, but cushioned shoes tend to transfer more impact to your knees, hips, and back. If you are experiencing knee, hip, or back pain, you should not increase the cushioning in the shoe, and possibly you could consider decreasing it. I know this sounds counterintuitive, but this is due to the fact that your shoes are preventing the muscles of your feet and ankle from doing their jobs.
Minimalist shoes/barefoot shoes have a greater impact on the ankle and foot. A healthy ankle and foot that has been conditioned to this can absorb that impact. This is why it is key when transitioning to a shoe lower on the minimalist scale that you go slowly.
Regardless of where your shoes are on this scale, they are most likely not the sole cause of your pain, and just one piece of the puzzle. Pain can be due to multiple reasons, and unless you address it, changing your shoes will not change things and might actually make things worse. If you are not willing to strengthen the areas that need strengthening, shoes are not the quick fix you are looking for.
Are you trying to change for athletic reasons?
For most of us who run, we have heard of different running styles. Forefoot running and heel running. Neither one is better than the other. Forefoot running is more impact on your feet and ankle, and heel striking is more impact on your knees and hips. Minimalist shoes promote more of a forefoot running style, and maximalist promote more of a heel strike. The other aspect, which is only really important if you are a high-level athlete, is the weight of the shoe – minimalist shoes tend to be lighter.
And, of personal interest to me, is footwear that best supports bunions.
The most important thing to consider when you have bunions is how wide the shoe is. Typically, barefoot shoes have much bigger toe boxes than other shoes, and it really doesn't matter whether the other shoes are minimalist or maximalist. If you are shopping for shoes and have a bunion, I would look for shoes where your toes have room to wiggle (i.e. a wide toe box).
You might have noticed that I did not mention flat feet; this is a highly debated topic. I have flat feet and I wear barefoot shoes with no orthotics without any problems. This does not change the fact that the jury is still out on whether people should or shouldn't use orthotics if they have flat feet. However, I do find that they create a dependence, and if you can avoid them by strengthening your muscles and feet, that is the best way to approach it (this is not always possible and would depend on the cause of your flat feet).
My closing remarks and opinion…
It's hard to determine whether you should change shoes or not. My preference is towards minimalist or, even better, barefoot shoes, as they provide less support and allow your muscles to function as intended. When I say barefoot shoes, I am not talking about the five-toed shoes; there are many different styles of barefoot shoes out there.
However, there are many reasons why this would not be the best decision for you (years of wearing supportive shoes, for example), and I would not recommend it to everyone. More important than having minimalist shoes is having a wide shoe that allows your feet the room they need.
It is also important to note that my opinion on barefoot shoes being better is just that, an opinion, and research shows that different types of shoes just change where we feel the impact, and that if you transition improperly, you can cause yourself more harm than good. Transition slowly and ask for assistance if you are uncertain.
I hope you found this a helpful discussion on footwear and are better able to make decisions on your next footwear purchase!
-Jeremy Nehme
