These ‘Shoes are Made for Walkin’

Like many mature people with mature Rheumatoid Arthritis, my feet are now an issue for me. To begin with, my left foot has been surgically reconstructed. Seen under x-ray, its complex metal scaffolding bears more than a passing semblance to a small Eiffel tower lying on its side. My right foot is also metallic, with large staples holding together a sub-talar fusion. My ankles are not happy campers and my knees are titanium. When you see me walking, you won’t mistake me for Karen Kain’s dancing partner.

Well, I’m past the age of vanity. I’ll trade looks for comfort any day when it comes to my feet. No more needle-nosed shoes for me, in slick and buffed Italian leather. Give me shoes that don’t hurt when I walk. Give me shoes that will take me for a reasonable ramble along the sea wall and won’t leave me crippled in the evening when I get home.

I’d more or less given up hope that I would find such shoes. Oh yes, I had my “Rockports”, and yes, I’d tried “New Balance.” And yes, I had orthotics (which I’ve never been fond of and that I confess I am sometimes negligent about using) but to tell the truth, until recently, I’d really given up all hope of walking in comfort again. Then fate took me to Washington, DC this year and in my free time, I resolved to walk about the city, enjoy the fine Autumn weather, and see something more of the wonderful Smithsonian Museum. So that meant walking and lots of it.

After Day One, my feet were killing me and I felt my resolve begin to weaken. Then I passed a shoe store selling MBT shoes. MBT stands for “Masai Barefoot Technology”. The shoes bearing that name are made in Switzerland and were devised by a Swiss engineer who spent years in Africa studying the walking habits of the Masai tribe. He decided to design a shoe that would emulate that relaxed, rolling, barefoot gait. Hence “MBT’s” came to be.

The MBT shoe has a special concave sole, curved rather like the runners on a rocking chair, so that when you stand still in MBT’s you are not on a flat surface, but instead you become engaged in an ongoing act of balancing. Your feet, knees, thighs and buttocks must flex slightly and continuously in order to keep your balance ----rather like the principle of those large balance balls that people sit on in offices to strengthen their back muscles. When you stride forward in MBT’s, the central and most concave portion of the sole cushions your instep beautifully and encourages your foot to spring and then to “roll” forward in a natural way, as if you were barefoot and walking on a soft, sandy or yielding surface.

So I decided to try them. They were pricey—almost $260, but I no longer begrudge my feet anything.

And did they feel wonderful? Oh goodness yes they did!!! I walked all over Washington with a sort of joy and freedom in my stride I haven’t felt for years and at the end of the day, my feet weren’t sore and my legs had had a good workout. How wonderful!! So I’ve since become a sort of super sales person for MBT’s, grabbing strangers by the arm and singing the praises of the shoes, thrusting videos and brochures at them on every occasion. Now I’m after you. TRY THEM.

Okay, okay, maybe MBT’s aren’t right for you. Maybe your feet aren’t like mine. Maybe you won’t like the sense that MBT’s give of not being flat to the ground and you may always want to feel secure and pre-balanced on your feet. Maybe you love your orthotics and your current footwear. All possible. But maybe--- like me--- you are gradually finding yourself walking less and less and enjoying it less and less because your feet just hurt too much.

Well, if the shoe fits…. If you’re curious about MBT’s , check out the company’s official Canadian website: http://www.swissmasai.ca The website will tell you everything you need to know about these wonderful shoes and also where you can find a shop that carries them nearest to you. Check them out. Your feet will love you for it!! And to borrow from Nancy Sinatra, "These shoes are made for walkin' and that's just what they'll do. One of these days these shoes may let you walk around like new."