Commentary by a toe doctor
YOSHIRO YUASA
Keiro Yuasa
Dr. Toe, Director of Toe Research Institute, President of Japanese Society of Functional Foot and Toe Therapy, and developer of Halmek shoes. Former director, vice president, and medical director of General Hospital. He specializes in exercise physiology and anatomy. He is also a foot and shoe specialist and a leading expert in postural occlusion therapy. He has cured various orthopedic diseases (over 70,000 people) with toe therapy alone.
When you bought your shoes at school or at a shoe store, did you learn how to wear and choose shoes? I think most of you choose or wear them "your own way". When you drive a car, you go to a driving school to get your driver's license card. Otherwise, you would not be able to get on the road, and even if you did, you would soon get into a traffic accident.
What about shoes? Shoe culture came from the West about 100 years ago. However, no one taught people how to wear and choose shoes. If you don't know how to wear shoes, you won't kill someone, but you may well hurt yourself. As long as you don't wear shoes, your toes won't bend, but today's shoe-wearing culture is inseparable from the way we work.
He wears soft shoes that seem gentle on his feet.
The most common cause of toe deformity is the choice of shoes and how they are worn.
Many patients and elderly people with knee or back pain wear shoes that are larger than their own foot size or that are squishy, soft, and gentle on their feet. This is probably because they are easier and more comfortable to wear. However, shoes that at first glance appear to be gentle on people with bad feet and legs are in fact not gentle at all on their feet.On the contrary, they are turning your feet into "feet that can't walk" more and more.
When walking in shoes that are larger than the foot or made of soft material, the foot slips forward in the shoe and the heel flops around, making it unstable. This causes the toes to tighten in an attempt to prevent this from happening. In fact, this causes deformation of the toes. Bending toes and sleeping toes also occur when the foot slips in the shoe and unconsciously makes a stepping motion.In other words, toe deformities are the result of feet that have been made to wear bad shoes and do their best to stand up.
After wearing lacing shoes, symptoms improved rapidly.
The most effective way to prevent toe deformities is to fix the heel of the foot. When the heel is kept tight and straight, the foot will not slip in the shoe and will be more stable. I used to work as a physical therapist in a hospital. This was before I realized that toe deformity was the cause of all diseases.
For patients with limp legs and backs who are undergoing rehabilitation, we recommended "nursing shoes" (soft shoes that are easy to put on and take off, and are often used in nursing care), which are easy to wear. They were recommended "nursing shoes" (soft shoes that are easy to put on and take off and are often used in nursing care). However, her symptoms only worsened. Walking became increasingly difficult. At the time, I had no idea why it was getting worse. Then one day, I tried on a patient's nursing shoes.
Then their feet would slip and they would have a very hard time walking. ...... I thought, "This is not good," so I asked the patient to wear lace shoes. Strangely enough, the patient's symptoms began to improve. At the time, there were still many things I did not understand about the importance of keeping the heel of the foot in place, but as I saw many more cases, I became convinced that the shoes themselves were the source of the pain.
5 points for choosing shoes that do not deform the feet
If the toes do not slip in the shoe or the shoe does not warp, the foot will not be deformed.... There are five points to consider when choosing shoes to avoid deforming the feet.
1. Lace shoes are the best choice.
Shoes with Velcro or zipper closures that do not fold back or loafers (slip-ons) that do not require shoelaces to be tied are not recommended. In particular, when choosing shoes for people with foot and back pain, shoes with laces that hold the heel firmly in place are best, rather than those that make the foot unstable. Ideally, shoes should have at least five holes for laces.
However, there are few children's shoes with laces. In such cases, choose Velcro-type shoes with a fold-over strap. If the shoes can be folded over and tightened tightly, they can be sufficiently secured around the feet.
2. "Flat laces" are better for shoelaces.
There are two main types of shoelaces: round laces and flat laces. Flat laces tighten over the entire surface, which increases stability and reduces the risk of the foot slipping inside the shoe. Incidentally, there are two types of materials: pure cotton and synthetic fiber, but we recommend pure cotton, which is less elastic and less likely to shift.
3. Shoes should have a firm heel.
Whether you are wearing leather shoes, sneakers, or pumps, if the heel is soft and squishy, the heel will not be stable in the shoe. Choose a shoe with a long, stiff heel counter.
4. choose shoes that do not twist easily
If a person who cannot stand on his or her toes walks in soft shoes, the foot will bend and the body will distort easily. Shoes with a steel or plastic core called a "shank" built into the sole will not twist easily.
5. Something that allows your toes to move in the shoe.
Just as the fingers of the hand build grip strength by grasping and gripping, the toes build muscle by moving. If there is not enough room in the toe of the shoe and the toes cannot move, basic movements such as grasping the ground and kicking will not be possible, and the foot muscles will lose strength. This can also cause bunions, spread toes, flat feet, etc.
Therefore, it is important to leave a little room at the toe of the shoe. If there is room for one toe (about 1~1.5 cm), the toes can stretch and move freely.
When choosing shoes, take the insoles out of the shoes and actually place your feet on them. If everything from the thumb to the little toe is on, and there is room for one toe on the toe, it is OK. On the contrary, if your toes are sticking out, it is an indication that there is not enough space. Take this opportunity to re-measure your feet. It is quite common for the actual size to be different from what you thought it was, and sometimes the sizes on the left and right sides are different.
YOSHIROIf you choose shoes with these five points in mind, your feet will not slip and you will be able to move your toes properly. In fact, many of my clinic patients have found that simply switching from soft, squishy shoes to lace-up shoes with a firm heel can eliminate knee pain and eliminate the need for a cane. However, there may be times when you want to wear fashionable shoes, or you may have a specific pair of shoes that you wear to work. For such people, it is advisable to prepare "maintenance shoes" that meet the above five conditions.
This is to maintain tired legs after returning home.Walking in maintenance shoes for about 5 minutes and doing "hiro-no-va exercises" will help prevent toe deformities while wearing your favorite shoes.
Choose insoles that are fully flat.
What is important in an insole is not the shape. It is whether it slides or not. Many insoles have a chemical fiber surface, which means that the material is slippery. Therefore, we recommend that you replace the insoles. Of course, it is also effective to put pigskin on the surface by yourself, but the material cost of pigskin is high, so we currently use NB's supportive rebound insoles35689We recommend the following
Change your "foot" habits by choosing shoes with the right points.
What people with deformed feet have in common. It is "shoe deformity. Surprisingly, many people step on their heels when putting on their shoes. Some people even put on their shoes by tapping their toes on the ground and forcing the shoes on. ...... If the heel of the shoe is bent by stepping on the heel, the core will not be restored to its original shape. Such rough wearing causes the heel to collapse and the shoe to deform. If the shoes deform, ...... so do the feet. If you have the habit of stepping on your heels, stop it today!
Use a shoehorn when putting on shoes
The key to putting on shoes is the shoehorn. A shoehorn is an item that "makes it easier to put on shoes," but it also has the role of "preventing the heel of the shoe from collapsing. I use a portable shoehorn to put on my shoes when I am out and about. If I don't have a portable shoehorn, I sometimes use a credit card or business card in place of a shoehorn. This helps protect the heels of my shoes by preventing friction when I put them on. Also, a shoehorn will naturally make your shoes last longer. If you have bought a pair of shoes that you like, it would be better if they last longer. If you do not have a shoehorn at home, it is a good idea to keep a shoehorn in your house because they are available at 100 yen stores.
Wear them correctly and use your toes to the fullest!
In addition to the shoehorn, there are other key points to proper shoe wear. Shoes should be worn in a standing position.
In particular, most people probably wear lace shoes in a sitting position. However, this is a bad habit for the toes. This is because the way weight is applied is different between sitting and standing. When you sit down, the arch (instep) of your foot becomes higher because you do not put your weight on it. If you tie your shoes without putting weight on them, the arches will drop when you stand up, causing the laces to sway.
The correct way to put on shoes is to stand up and use a shoehorn to put them on, then place the heel snugly against the shoe and adjust the shoe to the correct position. Tapping the heel lightly on the ground will help. Then, raise one knee on the ground so that the weight is on the foot. Tie the shoelace in this position to hold the foot firmly in place.
When tying a shoelace, thread it firmly through from the side closest to the toe. The key is to thread the shoelace from the outside of the hole to the inside (see the video for more details). (For more details, see the video.) This will secure the instep more tightly than if you thread the laces from the bottom to the top. If the instep is secured tightly, the foot will not move inside the shoe even if the upper laces are a little loose. When taking off the shoes, be careful not to lose the heel. Sitting down, loosening the laces, and then gently removing the shoes by holding the heel will make the shoes last longer.
People with deformed shoes also have deformed feet.
If you look at the shoes from the direction you are wearing them and see a straight crease on the back of the foot, it is normal. If the crease is in the shape of a "V", it is an "O" leg. In particular, the leg with more wrinkles is more inclined, and the burden is greater on the leg with more wrinkles. You can also tell by the way the heels of your shoes are worn down. If the heel is worn down on the outer side, the person has "O-legs," which are hunched over, and if the heel is worn down on the inner side, the person has "X-legs," which are bent inward. If there is a difference in the amount of heel wear between the left and right foot, the foot with the more worn heel is more inclined, and a greater burden is placed on the foot. When looking at a shoe from above, if the shoe is warped inward, it tends to be an X-leg, and if the shoe is warped outward, it tends to be an O-leg.
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