A brief history of shoes

Artifacts of the first shoe were from 40,000 years ago.

Here’s a reconstruction that they found from the feet of the Otzi the Iceman.

10,000 years ago, sandals went mainstream helping to protect people’s feet from sharp objects.

And then in 1812, the first shoe factory opened. Converse basketball shoes, “Non-Skid”

It wasn’t until 1817 that the concept of a right and left shoes took off.

Footwear became fashionable and the shoe companies with the best marketing came out on top.

In 1924, two brothers started a shoe company named the Dassler Brother’s Shoe Company.

They would later have an argument split into what we now know as Adidas and Puma.

Then Nike came on to dominate the market shortly after sponsoring a man named Michael Jordan.

Shoes were designed for protection, traction, and fashion.

But shoes and flat surfaces have made our feet weak.

Shoes are just another form of technology.

And as with any invention, there are benefits and drawbacks.

Most major shoe companies have transitioned to selling supportive shoes.

But I don’t believe this is the right way to fix our feet.

Sure it might feel good in the store.

It might even work for a couple months because you’ve reduced the work load for your feet.

But support is only a short term solution.

Today foot care is a 3.3 billion dollar industry and is expected to double over the next 10 years.

Thick-soled shoes are like wearing a cast on your foot.

When you take it off, joints your joints are stiff.

Your foot muscles and tendons get weak when they’re not challenged.

I won’t tell you to throw away all your supportive shoes today.

But it’s worth consider transitioning to minimalist footwear.

Shoes with thin soles and enough room for your toes.

Shoes that allow our foot to function the way it was designed to:

Strong, adaptable, and close to the ground.

Hope this helps,

Tyler Van Acker, Doctor of Physical Therapy

PS

Shoes are re-shaping our feet and foot pain is the result.

I created a 10 minute stretching routine for fast foot pain relief.

Keep an eye on your inbox, I’ll share the link in next weeks email.