I took some time this morning to educate my players on their choice of footwear to optimise athletic performance and decrease injury. I started by asking, “How many of you guys were born in a pair of Nike running shoes?”
Once the laughter had subsided, I explained that over the last 2.5million years we have evolved to need our heels flat on the ground. Any deviation away from a flat(ish) surface systematically shortens the heel cord. Have you checked out the latest Nike or Adidas running shoes? We are talking a heel raise of over 1cm. They are a glorified high heel shoe.
What is the problem, you might ask? A propped up heel is an upstream disaster manifesting itself as foot, ankle, knee, hip and low back pain.
I’ve challenged my players to spend as much time as possible during the holidays barefoot.
As physical therapist, Kelly Starrett, says in the following video on the topic, “Why put your kids at a movement disadvantage?”
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