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Have you ever considered how necessary the "toe" aspect of them are? If the problem is the sole, well fine wear something with a thinner sole. But then you'd

Have you ever considered how necessary the "toe" aspect of them are? If the problem is the sole, well fine wear something with a thinner sole. But then you'd really feel like you're just wearing flip-flops or ballerina flats for men. The genius of the Vibram Five Fingers in particular over all other alternatives that meet the same end of improving your gait is that they look ridiculous (read: distinctive). That's why they get all the press mentions (possibly in addition to having a good PR firm) and that's why people wear them: they start conversations. I'm not discounting the value you see in them, but I'm curious if there were other similar products that you considered, and if you find any particular value in the toe-sock nature.

kemayo 16y ago
I can feel a difference while I walk, as most of my foot lands and then my toes touch. I can't speak for whether that actually represents any measurable benefit to it, gait-wise. I suspect that it'd make you more stable just because your toes can settle on slightly different levels on uneven ground, but that's just guessing. Mainly I like that it's letting my toes spread out as much as they feel like. My toes are less lumped together now after a day in shoes. (And my old shoes weren't overly narrow or anything like that.)
Groxx 16y ago
Quite important, actually, I'd bet. They keep your toes from toeing-in like essentially every shoe does. Just look at how many people have bunions - they're almost exclusively caused by shoes, plus some genetic causes which typically start much later in life. There's also a very big difference in toe strength from having them be able to move separately, and I've had a noticeable improvement in balance from wearing them. And I'm pretty stable anyway. When your toes are stuck moving together, they don't develop any ability to do so, and toes are pretty important to walking / balancing. (edited for toes instead of bunions, as I think it makes a better case)

kemayo 16y ago

I can feel a difference while I walk, as most of my foot lands and then my toes touch. I can't speak for whether that actually represents any measurable benefit to it, gait-wise. I suspect that it'd make you more stable just because your toes can settle on slightly different levels on uneven ground, but that's just guessing. Mainly I like that it's letting my toes spread out as much as they feel like. My toes are less lumped together now after a day in shoes. (And my old shoes weren't overly narrow or anything like that.)

Groxx 16y ago

Quite important, actually, I'd bet. They keep your toes from toeing-in like essentially every shoe does. Just look at how many people have bunions - they're almost exclusively caused by shoes, plus some genetic causes which typically start much later in life. There's also a very big difference in toe strength from having them be able to move separately, and I've had a noticeable improvement in balance from wearing them. And I'm pretty stable anyway. When your toes are stuck moving together, they don't develop any ability to do so, and toes are pretty important to walking / balancing. (edited for toes instead of bunions, as I think it makes a better case)