Postural shoes improve posture by placing the heel lower than the toe, but studies on their effectiveness are debated. Some shoes can tone muscles, but their unstable design discourages running and jumping. Barefoot shoes are designed for running. Some argue their effectiveness is due to a placebo effect.
Postural shoes are designed to improve the wearer’s posture, usually by placing the heel of the shoe lower than the toe. Some companies that offer this type of shoe also claim that the product can relieve back pain, aid in weight loss, and improve stamina. While some studies suggest that shoes can also tone calf and buttock muscles, researchers have pointed out major flaws in these studies. In some cases, the shoe manufacturer discourages running and jumping while wearing the shoes due to their unstable design.
Shoes designed to improve posture are often constructed with the heel lower than the toe so that the wearer is always walking on an incline. The drop is sometimes emphasized by giving the shoe plenty of arch support. This departure from normal shoe design might not seem like much at first glance, but first-time wearers tend to find walking in them tiring until their muscles get used to the change.
Walking shoes designed to improve posture are common, but they’re not the only type of shoe available for this purpose. Many styles of boots, flip flops, and loafers can be designed as posture shoes while looking nearly identical to regular layman footwear. Some shoes are even designed to simulate being barefoot and are very minimal compared to most shoes. Unlike some posture shoes that shouldn’t be used for running, barefoot shoes are sometimes designed specifically for this purpose.
Numerous studies have been conducted to prove or disprove the effectiveness of postural shoes. In one study, half of the women were asked to wear posture shoes and walk 10,000 steps three times a week for a month, and the other half were asked to wear regular shoes and do the same. Those who wore the shoes designed specifically to improve posture and tone muscles burned more fat, gained more stamina and improved breathing more than other women.
Even with a lot of supporting evidence, a lot of debate surrounds the effectiveness of postural shoes. Some argue that because the wearer knows they are wearing shoes to improve their posture and tone their muscles, they walk with a stronger and faster step. This new step may explain the positive effects, such as fat loss and better posture, that the researchers found in their studies. If this is true, posture shoes are effective due to a placebo effect, a ploy that works, or at least is believed to work, because the user truly believes it should.
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