“The human foot is a work of art and a masterpiece of engineering.”

Leonardo Da Vinci

Take a natural step

Feelmax® Footwear simulates barefoot feeling and it is ideal for the athletics to improve the power and stability of the feet and ankles or for anyone who wants to take care of themselves. Walking barefeet make it possible for the feet and for whole body to move naturally. Best benefits of the Feelmax® Footwear will be found in natural environment.

DO WE KNOW OUR FEET?

– “The soles and tips of the toes contain over 200,000 nerve endings, perhaps the densest concentration to be found anywhere of comparable size on the body. Our nerve dense soles are our only tactile contact with the physical world around us”. (Rossi 2001).

– “Sensory feedback of the barefoot brings about greater flexibility of the foot. Sensory feedback is greatly diminished by the insulating sole of the shoe. Siff and Verkhoshansky (1999) reported that modern footwear always reduces proprioceptive and tactile sensitivity. False sense of security may contribute to the risk of injury”. (Robbins and Hanna 1987, Robbins and Gouw 1991).

– “The studies show, that sensory feedback activates the little foot muscles or so called intrinsic muscles. It has been suggested that the basic primary function of the intrinsic muscles is to permit flexibility for shock absorption and balance, and to provide rigidity and stability for propulsion. Also the intrinsic muscles may have a functional role for stabilizing the feet during single-limb balance. (Travell and Simons 1992).

– “Ankle inversion sprains are the most common (90-95%) acute injury suffered by athletes. The best lateral stability, with mostly reduced inversion, is found in the barefoot condition. Also, imperfect proprioception can cause the foot to be placed in an awkward position. Compared to being barefoot, foot position awareness has been shown to be 107.5% worse when wearing athletic footwear”. (Robbins et al. 1995, Stacoff et al. 1996, Warburton 2001).

– “Unlike the dorsiflexed ankle of the shod runner, at heel contact the barefoot runner’s ankle is plantar flexed leading to a more horizontal position for the foot. A more horizontal foot would have fewer shear forces acting on the heel. Also, maximum pressure on the heel is reduced with a more horizontal foot at touchdown. The lower leg is more vertical for the barefoot runner at this point thanks to a greater knee flexion.” (De Wit et al. 2000).

– “Midstance is the time of the greatest ground reaction force. One study found the impact peak in barefoot running to be 14% lower than in shoe conditions. This reduction may occur because the impact peak and the end of midstance happen significantly sooner for the barefoot runner. An additional benefit of the barefoot runner reaching the end of midstance sooner is the related rapid rate of pronation that has been associated with a decreased chance of developing overuse injuries.” (Kersting et al. 1999, Hrlejac et al. 2000).

– “Barefoot runners also land midfoot, increasing the work of the foot’s soft tissue support structures, thereby increasing their strength and possibly reducing the risk of chronic injury. Barefoot activity also shortens arches and that bare arches returned 70% of the energy that went into them. Running shoes returned only 40% to 50%”. (Robbins 1997, De Wit et al. 2000, Yessis 2000).

– “On the barefeet the digits rest flat, their tips grasping the ground as an assist in step propulsion. Inside the shoe, the digits are lifted slantwise off the ground, unable to fulfill their natural ground grasping function”. (Rossi 2001).

– “The results of studies examining barefoot activity have consistently shown that the unshod human foot is characterized by excellent mobility, primarily in the region of the forefoot, better alignment of the phalanges with the metatarsals causing the digits to spread, an absence of foot deformities, and mobility of the arches on loading.” (Robbins et al. 1993).

– “Footwear modifies some of the characteristics of the propulsion phase in other ways, among others elevated heel. One byproduct of heel elevation is a shortening and the loss of stretch reflex of the Achilles tendon and calf muscles. As these muscles become shorter, they fail to pull properly on the back of the heel thereby increasing the flattening of the arch. The elevated heels of most available footwear, including athletic footwear, prevent this stretch reflex from occurring”. (McClanahan 2003).

When we are moving on the natural surfaces, the feet are operating efficiently. The feet become lots of functional training, while normally, depending on our avtivity we are taking approximately 9000-14000 steps a day and with barefeet, actually every step is training. Running with shoes vs. barefoot and the differenties in body movement.

WITH SHOES

  • The upper body is tall and straight.
  • The landing leg is straight and forward of the torso asthe foot touches down.
  • The heel is the first part of the foot to strike the ground.

BAREFOOT

  • The upper body is short and sleek.
  • The landing leg is beneath the torso; slightly bent to better absorb impact.
  • The forefoot is the only part to touch the ground and lightly at that.