It's no secret that I am a huge proponent of minimalist shoes. I made the switch about 10 years ago and whole heartedly believe they have changed my movement habits, posture, and balance for the better. 

When I am out and about and even in the clinic, my shoes naturally draw some attention since they are 'different'. I get lot's of questions- most commonly, what are some good shoe brands to look at? 

And so I thought that I would put together some resources for you. 

Keep reading to learn the 3 things that you should look for in a shoe and then some of the brands and styles that my family wears on repeat. 

Anatomical shaped toe box

The toe box of traditional footwear is very tapered in which squishes the toes (especially the big toe and little toe). When toes get squished and out of alignment it makes it hard to properly load the arches and plantar fascia which means your foot is less stable and able to act as a shock absorber. 

You want to choose shoes where the toe box is the widest part of the shoe. 

This may feel odd at first (most people say it feels like their shoes are too big). If you are used to tapered toe boxes, your toes are accustomed to feeling the end of your shoe so when they have extra space in make feel like your foot is swimming around. 

Over time, they will get used to having more space and your foot will start to naturally splay out and toes will elongate which is how we get stable contact with the ground. 

Zero drop

The amount of drop a shoe has will be different than the stack height. Stack height simply refers to the amount of cushion. Zero drop means that the stack height is the same in the heel versus the forefoot. 

Stack height is something that you will have to consider what you want based on personal preference and most importantly your activity or terrain. 

For those new to minimalist shoes, I encourage you to start with considerable stack height because it is going to take a while for the fat pads in your feet to beef up. If you go super minimal cushion right out the gate you may end up with unnecessary pain. 

You also may choose a greater stack height if you are going to be logging a lot of miles on pavement or concrete. 

And then on the flip side, you may choose less cushion for shoes that you will be wearing for day to day use or lifting weights at the gym. 

But regardless of stack height, my preference is to always go with a zero drop. The only exception is when we are dealing with specific foot and achilles injuries where it is more optimal to hold the foot in a bit of plantarflexion. 

Flexible 

Your feet are made up of 33 joints. That means you have 33 opportunities for movement just in the foot. When we block that movement with a rigid sole and arch support, we block the body's natural ability to interact with the ground. 

Our feet our intended to be super mobile to allow us to sense uneven terrain or losses of balance and then act as the first line of defense to adjust and correct. This mobility also aides in the ability for your feet to act as shock absorbers. When we block the foot from moving as it was intended, the forces typically dissipated by the feet end up traveling up the chain to the ankle, knee, hip, or low back. 

There have been very few cases in my clinical career where I recommended long term external arch support for someone- and the few that I did were born with congenital foot deformities. For everyone else, we can train the feet to become stronger and function without a rigid shoe and arch support. 

Additional considerations

Minimalist shoes tend to just have less bulk and less material. This can mean less protection from the elements of cold and water. The trade off for a super insulated boot is often that it is very heavy and stiff. 

For my winter hiking where I need to keep my feet warm and dry i choose a water proof minimalist boot and then ensure it has a thick insole and that I wear thick wool socks. This combination leaves my feet both protected and still happy. 

I put together a video that goes all of this information plus more in detail. Click below to watch. 

As always, feel free to reach out with any questions, want to chat shoe brands, sizing, fit etc... I am always happy to answer what I can. 

Yours in health, 

-Jamie