Minimalist Shoes, 1915

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In light of Erik’s continuing struggle with plantar fasciitis, and my own neverending search for shoes which fit my monkey feet, we found this 1915 handbook on military footwear, The Soldier’s Foot and the Military Shoe, by Edward Lyman Munson, a fascinating read.

Seems that way back in 1915 we knew that arch support created weak arches, and that thick soles impaired foot dynamics.

The principle message of this book is that if you want your soldiers to able to march long distances, and arrive at their destination in any shape to fight, you have to give them flexible boots which do not squash the toes or impede the natural movement of the foot. Simple as that.

So why, exactly 100 years later, are we still debating whether the foot needs lots of external support and cushioning? Why are overbuilt athletic shoes and supportive inserts still favored by mainstream opinion?

Minimal footwear enthusiasts may find the language below eerily familiar.

You can read the whole book at the invaluable archive.org.

(o) The shoe should not support the arch of the foot in the sense of lifting it up or buttressing it from below. This fact is opposed to common belief, but the latter is based on lack of knowledge of the anatomy of the foot and misconception as to its function. Rigid support of this region weakens its intrinsic muscles by favoring their non-use, and thus tends to directly cause the condition of flat-footedness which it is attempted to avoid. Barefoot peoples have no such arch support and flat feet are practically unknown among them. . . . In the new shoe, the purpose is to have the leather accurately follow the outlines of the average soldier’s foot arch, but without compressing the sole muscles to such an extent that their function will be interfered with and their development and strengthening be impaired. Every structure of the foot concerned in marching should be left free to function to the best anatomical and mechanical advantage. For this reason, the new shoe has no metal shank as stiffening under the foot arch.

(p) The sole should be sufficiently thick to prevent injury by inequality in the ground. But if too thick, planter flexion of the foot is lost and dorsi flexion much reduced. The foot is thus reduced to the condition of a solid block, hinging at the ankle and simply furnishing a solid support for the leg. Moreover, with thick soles, the leveraging function of the great toe is interfered with…

(p. 51, The Soldier’s Foot)

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12 Comments

  1. My husband and I have both treated plantar fascitis with The Melt Method. A series of rubber balls of differing density and specific exercises to match. It is truly amazing.

    • I posted on the podcast thread about kinesiotaping, but this is also excellent advice. The small ball kit is affordable and really, really effective.

  2. This reminds me of the book I’m reading right now, Whole Body Barefoot by Katy Bowman. It’s all about the minimalist shoe “movement”, how to transition in a safe and effective way, how the health of your feet effect the health of the rest of your body, and exercises to get that strength back in your feet/ankles. I’ve had plantar faciitis in the past and am struggling right now with lots of tension in my ankles and hoping the book will help. I’m a big fan of Katy Bowman and recommend her to everyone I can. Definitely check the book out!

  3. If you haven’t already, you should read “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen”
    Book by Christopher McDougall
    There is a great deal in it about barefoot running and shoe design. Plus, it’s a great read!

  4. Hmmm. I wonder about this. I certainly have worn very “sensible” shoes all my life. Nothing that squashed the toes or added extra arch support. Yet I have catastrophically flat feet and would be a cripple without my Redwing Boots and ballistic nylon arch supports. I have tendinitis in my left leg from going too long without proper orthodics.

    This stuff might be true for a lot of people, or even most people, but I don’t see how it could possibly be true for people like me. Beware of over-generalizing.

  5. I was going to also ask if you have looked at Katy Bowman’s work, but I see someone beat me to it. She is a brilliant woman.

  6. I got terrible planter faciitis teaching school ( on feet all day) wearing hard shoes such as doc martins.
    Wearing soft sneakers such as Merrrils and this kind of sandals
    http://www.usadawgs.com/p-1022-ladies-dawgs-z-sandal.aspx
    made things much better, exercises and barefoot on hard surfaces really did nothing to help my feet heal.
    My suggestions, don’t wear stiff shoes ever if possible, yes stay active, but don’t expect strengthening exercises to get rid of your pain.

  7. I haven’t had foot problems and am blessed with decent arches, but I wanted to wear something healthier for my feet so I transitioned to minimalist shoes a few years ago. I love Soft Star Shoes (an Oregon company, all made in the USA, http://www.softstarshoes.com) and wear them when I can’t go barefoot. My husband has plantar fasciitis and wears orthotic inserts in his work shoes, but wears his Soft Stars exclusively at home. He’s slowly transitioning to these minimal shoes and loves them. Anecdotal, yes, but I’ve heard many similar stories and even his podiatrist gave it the OK, so maybe it’s worth trying. I loved “Born to Run” and am looking forward to reading Katy’s book.

  8. Have you tried acupuncture? It worked wonders on my “plantar fascitis”, which by the way you need to look up “plantar fasciosis”, that was actually my problem and finding a health care practitioner who understood that was key.

    http://www.podantics.com.au/plantar-fasciitis-vs-plantar-fasciosis.html

    – Plantar fasciosis: is the term used to describe the degenerated and non-inflamed phase of plantar fasciopathy (heel pain) caused by the degeneration (deterioration) of the plantar fascia which often occurs as a result of repetitive stress.

    https://nwfootankle.com/foot-health/drill/3-Problems/31-Plantar%20Fasciosis

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