Footwear And The Effects On Your Feet
Why wear shoes that aren’t shaped like your foot?
Cramped toes limit your balance, give you bunions, and the stiff soles or super cushioned bottoms which limits how much the muscles in the foot can work.
Wide toe box shoes allow the toes to spread and gives the foot the mobility to move as it was designed.
Wide Shoe vs Wide Toe Box
If you’ve been told to just “buy wider shoes” to help with foot pain, bunions, or balance issues, you’re not alone — but it’s not that simple. A wide shoe doesn’t always mean it has a wide toe box, and that difference matters more than most people realize.
Why? Because your toes and forefoot must be able to splay to help promote proper alignment, muscle activation, and overall foot function. A shoe with a tapered toe box, even in a wider size, restricts this splay, potentially compromising balance and contributing to deformities such as bunions and hammertoes.
This is a fantastic brand that provides a wide toe box while giving a range of cushion options.
I only use Altra when I run on and off road.
My #1 favorite shoe so far. If you’ve been in a session with Jamie, you’ve seen these beauties.
These are my favorite leathers. I love the leather lace, and the sole is thin so I can feel the ground. Free enough to allow the toes to breathe, locked in for the option to enter a spontaneous sprint challenge (Jamie has done it. It was a great).
I bought the sandal kit and it was so easy to put together. This sandal is so easy to slip on and off without the hassle of tying like the leather beauties above.
Seek out shoes with a wide toe box and work towards walking around barefoot as much as possible. The more your feet work, the better the body will feel up the chain.
Jamie has certified as a Level 1 Gait Assessment with Gait Happens. Get your bunions and running gait under control! Book your Bodywork session today!
