This week USA Today ran a cover story about the rave in toning shoes, A Revolutionary sneaker, or overhyped gimmick?  Seduced by their claims to improve posture, circulation and reduce joint pain, these shoes have been a source of lively discussion in my senior yoga therapy classes.

The feet impact every part of your posture and are one of your main sensors for communicating pain. While the body is quite adaptive and will make modifications to maintain its muscular-skeletal alignment, any change to your natural movement, results in a shift to the entire body. Just experiment with walking on the insides of your feet, or the outside edges and notice what happens to your posture, your hips, your spine and the muscles that are being used to support you. It’s not that you are using increasing the intensity of your muscle use, it’s that your body is adapting by using different muscles not normally used. This is the reason most of us find our legs fatigued after walking for a period of time on a sandy shore.

Our feet are innately designed to provide traction for mobility and aid us in balance and posture. The entire posture originates from the feet and aligns upward. When the feet no longer sense the ground, or when they are forced into an unnatural position, they no longer support the posture in an optimal way.

The long-term impact of these toning shoes on individuals with knocked or bowed knees, hip displacements, ankle rotations and a host of other postural misalignments has yet to be unveiled.

(c) Namasteworks Yoga + Wellness, LLC.   Nancy Levenson, Highlands Ranch, CO http://www.namasteworksyoga.com