When he was walking through a rice field in Korea barefoot, Karl Muller – a Swiss engineer – found that his back pain (which had been a recurring problem for him) was very much better. Intrigued, he did a little research and discovered that Africa’s Masai tribesmen do not suffer from backache. They are also known for their good posture.
Considering the evidence, Muller deduced that walking on soft ground in bare feet was better for your back and joints than walking on hard surfaces. He decided to design a shoe which would attempt to produce the effect of this type of gait on a soft surface such as grass or sand.
What he came up with was the Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) shoe. According to the company website, this is so different to normal shoes that it can accurately be called the “anti-shoe”.
MBT shoes feature a specially designed curved sole which has no heel. This produces a gentle rolling action when your foot makes contact with the ground. In fact, it’s just like walking on grass. Different densities of material are used in different areas of the sole which helps further by minimizing jarring and impact shock.
Independent scientific testing has confirmed that this design is genuinely better for both joints and back – and there are further proven benefits. For example, walking in MBT shoes means that the wearer’s muscles are used for longer (in comparison with walking in normal footwear). There is about a 16% increase in the duration of muscle activity. There is also a tendency to “walk correctly” and take marginally shorter strides. These effects mean that extra work is performed.
What this means is that each and every step you take when wearing MBT shoes provides you with extra exercise. It’s like a lower body workout – but without the need to visit the gym. As well as reducing backache and improving posture, MBT shoes can also help you to tone your legs and reduce the size of your buttocks.
You would imagine that would be sufficient wouldn’t you? However, despite all of these benefits some people find MBT shoes a little chunky and not very pleasing to the eye. MBTs are also a little more expensive than conventional shoes (but the benefits may make them great value for money). Fortunately there are now other, more cosmetically appealing, offerings available which utilise the same basic theory. Both Skechers Shape Ups and Fitflops have similar curved soles which are specially engineered to increase the muscle activity duration and tone your legs and buttocks whilst engaged in normal, everyday walking activity.
Whatever design you find most attractive, the potential to get a lower body workout and reduce back pain just by normal walking looks like an extremely attractive option.
Find out more about Skechers Shape Ups and MBT Shoes