The MBT shoes as well as the Skechers Shape-Ups are becoming more popular, and it is hard to ignore them in the store, with their thick, rocker-bottom soles. They are advertised by the manufacturers as a way to tone thighs, calves, and buttocks, but there may be better or more definite advantages to them as far as foot health is concerned.
One group of patients the shoe is not recommended for is anyone with balance or gait problems which makes them less steady on their feet, such as many elderly individuals. The rocker sole is a less stable platform and may lead to falls in a susceptible person.
So, do they really tone your legs and buttocks? They probably do a little, as the wearer is forced to use more muscles and balance control while wearing them, but some podiatrists are not sure if it is enough to really make a big difference in physical appearance or strength. Perhaps if your feet felt better in the MBT or Shape-Ups you would walk more, which would certainly be better for your overall health.
Toner shoes have been dubbed the “World’s Smallest Gym” and are now the fastest growing segment in the footwear industry. Shoe companies claim the shoes’ design tone legs and boost the benefits of walking. With popular spokespeople, including Joe Montana, Wayne Gretzky, Karl Malone, and Kim Kardashian, the toner shoe market tripled last year.
Collectively, shoe manufactures have released more than 60 different toner shoe options. Toner shoes seem to have been accepted by the public as a legitimate way to stay in shape; however, recent studies found substantial risks posed by the footwear.
All consumers need to be aware the risk of toning shoe injuries, particularly as the curtain is beginning to be rolled back on the type of hidden problems their designs possess. Toning shoe manufacturers, like Skechers, are marketing these shoes as a healthy means to exercise without warning the public of the significant safety problems and dangers of the shoes.
[More on Toner Shoe Injuries]
(c) Copyright 2011 Brett A. Emison
Brett Emison is currently a partner at Langdon & Emison, a firm dedicated to helping injured victims across the country from their primary office near Kansas City. Mainly focusing on catastrophic injury and death cases as well as complex mass tort and dangerous drug cases, Mr. Emison often deals with automotive defects, automobile crashes, railroad crossing accidents (train accidents), trucking accidents, dangerous and defective drugs, defective medical devices.
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