MBT Shoes: Do They Make Up For Their Ugliness?

You know those thick-soled, rounded shoes that everyone is wearing? They’re not wearing them to seem taller, they are wearing them to tighten up their rear ends! Strange that a shoe could do that, but can it? And do they do enough to make up for how ugly they are? These shoes, manufactured by Sketchers and Swiss Masai, are based on what is called Masai Barefoot Technology, or MBT. Like the Masai people in Kenya must do as they herd their cattle, these shoes are designed to simulate walking in sand while you actually walk on smooth surfaces. The falsified uneven walking surface supposedly requires your body to use all the major muscle groups to stabilize your movement, tightening your neglected muscles as you go about your normal business.They are also supposed to improve posture and gait, help with pain in your back, hips, legs and feet, fix joint, muscle, ligament and tendon injuries while reducing stress on your joints. Some people claim that they feel more worked out after walking in MBT shoes than in regular gym shoes. Others feel their back pain melt away as they walk straighter with the MBT shoes. Swiss Masai has conducted a number of studies related to the effectiveness of the MBT shoe. One of their studies showed that in patients with ankle injuries, regular therapy while wearing the MBT promoted long-term strengthening of the tendons in question. Another study suggests that long-term wearing of MBT can help dispel cellulite, with 63 percent of Swiss Masai study participants saying that they would definitely recommend MBT as an anti-cellulite tool. Additionally, Swiss Masai researchers have found that the majority of study participants reported lessened back pain with prolonged usage of the MBT shoes. Sketchers, Shape-ups, their version of the MBT shoe, comes with no real research to back it up. They are much more rounded than the Swiss Masai MBT shoe, some have compared wearing these shoes to standing on two small boats. The shoes destabilize you by preventing your heels from resting on the ground at any time. Their rounded bottoms force you to have good posture, which will improve your core strength. They do make you work harder to get places, but it is not like walking in sand at all, according to reviewers. And they sure are ugly, big, clunky tennis shoes. Some compare them to space-age nursing shoes, so be confident in their health benefits before you parade them around town! Sketchers offers them in a number of different styles, so maybe you can find some that strike your fancy. Moral of the story is, they will definitely work your muscles in a different way than normal walking shoes, although some bodies will respond differently than others to the destabilization. It seems that it would probably be a better plan to stick with your regular tennis shoes and go out for some exercise daily,at least then you are guaranteed some improved fitness and strength, without the $120 price tag. Learn more wellness tips at our Chicago chiropractic website. Check out our blog for tons of useful articles on a variety of health topics.