Here is a little article I wrote about MBT's in my October 2007 newsletter:
What's the Deal with MBT® Shoes?
MBT, short for Masai Barefoot Technology, aims to increase overall health by simulating the experience of walking barefoot on natural surfaces. One of the major benefits of the shoes is that their unique rocker sole induces a good degree of muscle activity through the legs and buttocks - very useful in people who don't ordinarily use these muscles. The curved outer sole also reduces the impact of footfall (landing) in the weight-bearing joints of the foot, leg, and spine - very useful in people who have a heavy gait.
The downside of the rocker sole is that it is unstable, especially on (ironically) natural surfaces. In my experimental trial of MBT® over the past year, I have ended up with one significant and two minor ankle sprains, something I've never experienced from walking before.
As in Nike's Free® shoes, the inside of the MBT sole is flat to simulate walking barefoot. While this might be ideal if we grew up walking barefoot, most of us have stretched the ligaments in the soles of our feet and do better with inserts and supports as protection against further stretching and possible tears.
Ultimately, there isn't any real substitute for learning to walk using your foot, leg, and (especially) buttock muscles actively, walking with a light tread, and reinforcing healthy architecture throughout your body. Neither does it hurt to save yourself the $250+ cost of the MBT solution!
Since I wrote this article, several patients have reported to me that whereas they experienced short-term benefit from wearing MBT's, in the long run they experienced some knee, S.I. or back issues they ascribed to the shoes.
Anyone else have anything to report on these shoes?
I wore a pair of MBT shoes for almost a year. Surprisingly, the MBT shoes reduced the arch pain I had been experiencing prior to wearing the MBT shoes. But eventually I developed some knee pain, and it seemed that this may possibly have been from wearing the MBTs. My wife on the other hand has been wearing MBTs full time for well over a year and has nothing but good things to say (so far). So far she has not experienced any MBT-related knee pain.
I have been wearing MBT sandals for about 1-1/2 years and have nothing but good to
report. Most of my walking is on concrete or on bare floors--I especially
appreciate how the shoes help my back feel after a night teaching adult ESL.
At first, I had a lot of difficulty on uneven (lawn! I'm a city girl) surfaces,
but now I'm comfortable anywhere and even running. I for some reason really like
the instability of the rockers--as an older person (68) I feel a lot of small
muscles get exercise that would not in regular shoes. MBTs seem to help me be
aware of my whole body moving, and how my weight placement affects how my back, etc., feels. I also have been taking Iyengar Yoga from a very good teacher, for
about the same length of time as I have been wearing MBTs.
I've only just today learned of the Gokhale Method from a friend and just signed up for the program in Seattle in a week. I've been wearing MBT's for about 6 weeks and so far really like them. I found this old thread because I was curious if the way the MBT shoes "make you walk" is in alignment or contradiction with the Gokhale Method. It sounds like they're at least not contraindicated...correct? Any further comments.
It seems like some people love MBTs and some people hate them. I don't tell my students who love them to stop wearing them. MBTs do encourage your legs and gluts to work more to power you forward and give you the heel to toe rolling action that is desirable when walking. But you want to be able to walk like this anyway, MBTs or not. So is MBTs help you practice and get the feel of Glidewalking, great - but make sure you try to get a similar kind of action even when wearing other shoes or when barefoot.
I wear Ryn shoes. They have more stability in the side-to-side axis while having the full rocker front-to-back. They continue to be made in Korea, as MBT's used to be. I think they are a superior shoe to MBT's. I'm 59 with bone spurs in my feet and arthritis in my knees and, wearing these exclusively on the street, have had no problems with injury. I do worry when I have to run for a bus through.
I am looking for a barefoot shoe though. I still experience some pain with bone spurs wearing Ryn's, but no pain going about the house barefoot. That's probably because I'm not walking distances inside, but I think it's worth testing. Living and working in a city don't give me much terrain for true barefoot walking sadly.
Esther - I followed your advice and read the material on MBTs originally in the Oct 2007 newsletter.
My issue is as follows: The phylangeal metatarsal joint in my right great toe is very deteriorated/arthritic. I have been wearing rocker bottom shoes (now Ryn) for years, to avoid repetitive use of the joint. Each night, I do certain, controlled movements to use the same joint, safely.
But I have been using the shoes in a lazy manner. I have not been touching down at the back of the heal, but rather towards the center of the sole. It seems that if I focus on using the rocker bottom shoes properly, I will be using my buttocks & leg muscles, while protecting my injured joint. Please comment. Thank you very much.
47 min 57 sec ago
09/10/2008 - 8:36pm
What's the Deal with MBT® Shoes?
MBT, short for Masai Barefoot Technology, aims to increase overall health by simulating the experience of walking barefoot on natural surfaces. One of the major benefits of the shoes is that their unique rocker sole induces a good degree of muscle activity through the legs and buttocks - very useful in people who don't ordinarily use these muscles. The curved outer sole also reduces the impact of footfall (landing) in the weight-bearing joints of the foot, leg, and spine - very useful in people who have a heavy gait.
The downside of the rocker sole is that it is unstable, especially on (ironically) natural surfaces. In my experimental trial of MBT® over the past year, I have ended up with one significant and two minor ankle sprains, something I've never experienced from walking before.
As in Nike's Free® shoes, the inside of the MBT sole is flat to simulate walking barefoot. While this might be ideal if we grew up walking barefoot, most of us have stretched the ligaments in the soles of our feet and do better with inserts and supports as protection against further stretching and possible tears.
Ultimately, there isn't any real substitute for learning to walk using your foot, leg, and (especially) buttock muscles actively, walking with a light tread, and reinforcing healthy architecture throughout your body. Neither does it hurt to save yourself the $250+ cost of the MBT solution!
Since I wrote this article, several patients have reported to me that whereas they experienced short-term benefit from wearing MBT's, in the long run they experienced some knee, S.I. or back issues they ascribed to the shoes.
Anyone else have anything to report on these shoes?
15 years 5 months ago
05/26/2009 - 9:59am
2 months 4 weeks ago
06/22/2009 - 6:00pm
report. Most of my walking is on concrete or on bare floors--I especially
appreciate how the shoes help my back feel after a night teaching adult ESL.
At first, I had a lot of difficulty on uneven (lawn! I'm a city girl) surfaces,
but now I'm comfortable anywhere and even running. I for some reason really like
the instability of the rockers--as an older person (68) I feel a lot of small muscles get exercise that would not in regular shoes. MBTs seem to help me be aware of my whole body moving, and how my weight placement affects how my back, etc., feels. I also have been taking Iyengar Yoga from a very good teacher, for about the same length of time as I have been wearing MBTs.
1 year 9 months ago
04/16/2010 - 3:33pm
6 years 5 months ago
09/16/2008 - 4:29pm
13 years 1 month ago
10/05/2011 - 1:13pm
I wear Ryn shoes. They have more stability in the side-to-side axis while having the full rocker front-to-back. They continue to be made in Korea, as MBT's used to be. I think they are a superior shoe to MBT's. I'm 59 with bone spurs in my feet and arthritis in my knees and, wearing these exclusively on the street, have had no problems with injury. I do worry when I have to run for a bus through.
I am looking for a barefoot shoe though. I still experience some pain with bone spurs wearing Ryn's, but no pain going about the house barefoot. That's probably because I'm not walking distances inside, but I think it's worth testing. Living and working in a city don't give me much terrain for true barefoot walking sadly.
8 months 2 days ago
12/25/2013 - 6:06pm
Esther - I followed your advice and read the material on MBTs originally in the Oct 2007 newsletter.
My issue is as follows: The phylangeal metatarsal joint in my right great toe is very deteriorated/arthritic. I have been wearing rocker bottom shoes (now Ryn) for years, to avoid repetitive use of the joint. Each night, I do certain, controlled movements to use the same joint, safely.
But I have been using the shoes in a lazy manner. I have not been touching down at the back of the heal, but rather towards the center of the sole. It seems that if I focus on using the rocker bottom shoes properly, I will be using my buttocks & leg muscles, while protecting my injured joint. Please comment. Thank you very much.