I’ve heard that back in the '60s or '70s, there was something called “Earth shoes,” a kind of sandal which elevated the ball of the foot above the heel. The theory was that this is a more “natural” way to walk – if you ever walk barefoot on the beach, you’ll see that your heel sank further into the sand than the ball. I’ve tried to find these, because I have a problem with my Achilles tendons being too short, orthopedists have advised me to do heel-stretching exercises, and I’d like to find something that (unlike any orthopedic shoe I’ve ever worn) would do that for me at every step. But nobody seems to have them, not even shops specializing in Birkenstocks and such. On guy at one such shop told me they had to stop making “Earth shoes” because of lawsuits – apparently that gait actually causes back problems. But that’s all I’ve heard. Does anybody know more details?
Google strikes again!
I say it was a BS theory. Marketing hogwash. A scam.
Back in the time I had a pair and they caused foot problems. They caused the bones in the heel to start to deform. On top of that, they were ugly and stupid. I should have gotten rid of them long before I did.
Earth Shoes was charging a lot for their shoes and as soon as they became popular there were knock-offs that undercut them. Then people started to realize that they were ruining their feet. I was never so happy to hear that a company went bankrupt.
So they think that Pre-Shoes Man walked around on a beach all day? Personally I find walking on a beach quite uncomfortable at times, I’d imagine those shoes would be as well.
I bought a pair of flip-flops that did the same thing in New Orleans (in May). They provide a nice calf-stretch, but they did require a little more balance than some people possess. I kinda like them.
Wow–do you have a cite for that? I was thinking of buying a pair of these, but I might reconsider.
Umm…the hell? The heel goes further into the sand because when it hits the sand, it’s the only part of the foot touching it, and has more pressure, and so it sinks deeper. By the time the ball of the foot hits, the eintre foot is on the sand, so there is less pressure, and it doesn’t sink as far. Complete hogwash.
And how the Hell is it “more natural”? Go walk barefoot. OK, now how do you walk? HEEL-toe, HEEL-toe, not “heelballtoeallatonce.”
I wore 'em for several years. The huge, spread-out toe box lets your toes stretch out, and that’s good. That, coupled with that orange, oil-tanned leather they like to use, makes you look like you ought to be quacking. They claim the low-heel stance forces you to have good posture, and I don’t know if I buy that.
The thing that finally drove me away was the fact that the design gives you nearly zero heel cushioning. Heck, you get more cushion from cheap Converse Chuck Taylors (old-style). I was working on concrete all day, and I needed a little more give.
I don’t have a cite, I only have personal experience. The bones just above the heel started to bulge outward. Maybe it was due to lack of cushioning and I was on my feet a lot. After I got rid of the godawful things the condition corrected itself.
I will say though, the stupid things were tough as nails. It would have been better had they worn out.
The main thing about Earth shoes was their name–back in 1971 or so, anything do to with “mother earth” was super-cool. The other new buzz words then were “pollution” and ZPG-zero population growth. It all seems quaint now. But for a year or two back then, it seemed like the planet was in terrible danger , but it would be okay when the vegetarian Birkenstock brigades save us all.
Earth shoes got really, really popular on campuses. For about 1 semester.
Then they disappeared. Totally.
Probably because you can’t join the crowd at the protest demonstrations if your feet hurt.