The World’s Most Common Foot Problem is Preventable

[@stefanierunz]

I work for a run specialty store. You’re SO right that people think a foot shaped shoe like Altra is a “clown shoe”. The other major issue I see is people wearing their shoes too small. I try to explain to everyone that just because your foot fits IN the shoe doesn’t mean the shoe actually fits your foot.

[@Tate525]

Since when did what people think became so important over actually caring for your own health? Let them think what they want to, that's not within our control.

[@stefanierunz]

@@Tate525I do let them think what I want. But as a run coach as well as staff it’s also my job to try and educate. They can do what they want with it from there.

[@JakeLeary]

I think we’re making progress because I asked a girl last week if she got Altras for the wide toebox and she said “no just cuz they’re cute.” I don’t think she has bunions but she wears holes in one shoe before the other and has wear at the ankle from the shoes brushing eachother mid air.

[@peetsnort]

​@@JakeLearyluckily some parts of the world don't have devil thorns.I remember growing up in cape town and having to look where we walked because we went barefoot. We just got on with it until we got domesticated by office mentality

[@wailingalen]

I've always liked more generously fitting footwear.

[@Isilily]

It always baffled me why shoes were not shaped like feet and absolutely no one talks about this. Literally the only reason I could find why they aren't is because it's "ugly"?????? But even athletics and work shoes are shaped like that, you'd think someone would actually prioritize functionality over aesthetics!

[@tiagogreeve685]

Modern shoe design is based on the shoes that were designed for rich people. The pointy shoes were designed for rich people because they didn't walk that much anyway and it was like a flex on weak people that could never work in such bad shoes. Most poor people would just not wear footwear at all. Look up how cleats came up, it's the same thing. This message is partial fact partial opinion. But you can research for yourself :)

[@mikafoxx2717]

​@@tiagogreeve685 Yep, poorer shoes would have been more like sandals or moccasins which were formed to your feet without impeding them.

[@schlurpie]

i find jordans uglier than barefoot shoes

[@tiagogreeve685]

@@schlurpie Haha, I agree, but when I said the shoes that were designed for rich people, I am talking about hundreds of years ago. The pointy shoes trend has formed from since the middle ages, if not since before

[@grqfes]

@@schlurpie entirely swaggerless..

[@annaliadesigns]

My doctor recently informed me that "you'll get bunions when you're older, its just the way your feet are shaped." Glad to know my fate isn't actually sealed, and I'm pretty disappointed that my doctor wouldn't give me any preventative advice

[@MrNoName7474]

My brother was missing a toe and got his whole foot amputated in 2nd grade because “it would eventually prevent him from walking”. So glad they could see his future so clearly and knew his fate was sealed. And so glad that they were able to cut off his foot which has made walking so easy for him *sarcasm*

[@Xnoob545]

Go educate your doctor

[@apcolleen]

If they were so ubiquitous why doesn't every old person have them? Oh that's right because bodies coming all shapes and sizes. Which I liked the heat covered in the video. Some people can wear narrow shoes and have no problems. A KZbinr called Nicole Rudolph is a historic shoemaker on the side and she never understood why people had a problem with shoes until she realized she has very long very narrow feet so she never runs into any of those problems.

[@Quartzite]

​@@MrNoName7474that's way too much, doctors were like 'if you don't have a toe, you won't even be able to walk correctly. So might as well lose a foot too.' I think bunions are a posture problem not some disease you acquire. At least walking barefoot in the house is a good practice for healthy feet.

[@confucheese]

How old is doctor

[@lossless4129]

My little brother, when he was a baby did not like shoes! Then as he grew up, he never put them on and would be running around all day, inside and out, rocks, grass, sidewalk…did not matter. His feet are so strong and look nothing like any of our family members feet. It’s wild!

[@bluwasabi7635]

Next, he should train for foot dexterity by picking up pebbles (or something) with his toes

[@davidegaruti2582]

You'll never hear of pepole who go barefoot have no arches , You'll ALWAYS hear pepole with shoes who have arches and they get more supporting shoes ...

[@davidegaruti2582]

You'll never hear of pepole who go barefoot have no arches , You'll ALWAYS hear pepole with shoes who have arches and they get more supporting shoes ...

[@davidegaruti2582]

You'll never hear of pepole who go barefoot have no arches , You'll ALWAYS hear pepole with shoes who have arches and they get more supporting shoes ...

[@krakentoast]

​@@davidegaruti2582Could you please write your comment a fourth time? I didn't quite get it

[@Malandirix]

Glad to see socks getting a mention! So hard to find socks that aren't insanely restrictive.

[@ericpmoss]

Agreed. I finally shifted to Bridgedale liner socks, which are not much thicker than panty hose, and it helps a lot. Injinji toe socks might be worth trying, too.

[@christianeedel5160]

I like wearing Japanese tabi-style socks, with just the big toe separated.

[@user299792]

Switching from normal socks to toe socks, even with normal (male, but with a wider toe box) shoes, had made a large difference to me.

[@RavenL1337]

⁠@@ericpmossi bough the injinji toe socks! got them as large as i could so that they do not feel as shite since toe socks that are to fit break faster :3

[@ThylineTheGay]

also, for me, ones where the seam isn't in a spot that makes it awful and impossible to ignore

[@OneGazelle]

I started to notice bunions in graduate school. I got rid of them by accident. I happen to read an article that said that most people wore shoes that were too small. I followed the advice of the article and measured my foot with a Brannock Device the next time I was in a shoe store. I didn't know I had wide feet. I started wearing wide shoes and my feet felt better. It wasn't until a few weeks ago, watching a Squat University KZbin video, that I noticed I was bunion free. For me it was mainly a change in footwear.

[@c0mput3r80y]

You'd be surprised how many people just don't wear shoes that fit their feet.

[@clueless_cutie]

​@@c0mput3r80y I got lucky in that my mom was weird. She was a farm girl (2nd to youngest of 15 kids) and she hated shoes. Her compromise? A good pair of flip flops that she wore until they molded to her feet. Then until she walked holes in them. Now my mom has very heavily calloused feet but I think a big part of that is 50 years of smoking ruining her skin. Thankfully her hatred of shoes meant she didn't stuff me into shoes and when I said they were uncomfortable she listened. I spent most of my childhood barefoot or in sandals big enough for my toes to spread. I am shocked by how many parents force kids to wear uncomfortable and crappy shoes

[@macareuxmoine]

Stop, and not only in this video but in all of society, to say: “when you start early” My bunions had been there forever and started to bother me after 45. I started with barefoot shoes and toe spacers and started moving much more instead of less. To the point that now at 50 my feet are greatly improved and I have a running routine that’s better than at any time in my life. People, buying into the belief of decline with ageing is just a form of mass psychosis! And please runners, switch to toe strikes! And apart from my criticism: thanks for the great video!

[@JakeLeary]

“You don't stop running because you get old. You get old because you stop running” - Born to Run

[@denofpigs2575]

You'd be honestly genuinely shocked at how much of our modern society is hypnotized into such a state of psychosis. Hell, there are fringe authors that comment on the state of mass psychosis and mass hypnotism as far back as 1919.

[@PLKinka]

@brony_in_the_stickswhy didn’t she ate in a way that resupplied the joints if she was moving more?

[@milliewoo337]

I “woo!”’d out my open window. Woo! TY macareuxmoine

[@milliewoo337]

I translated macareuxmoine it means Atlantic Puffin 👍

[@DuBCraft21]

I will say, Podiatrists are starting to give advice that aligns more with the advice you gave in this video. My mom recently developed bunions bad enough to force her to goto the doctor, and the podiatrist who she saw told her to stop using her old shoes, buy ones with wider toe boxes and to exercise her toes more.

[@Rick-ih7wp]

Every podiatrist I have dealt with gives the impression that if you take off your shoes you will DIE.

[@DankMemes-xq2xm]

@@Rick-ih7wp yeah, old school podiatry is to cram your feet into super chunky shoes with 10 different types of arch support that weigh 2lbs each.

[@merrywalsh2809]

This was so good. Thank you. From six years of ballet, to wearing high heels for years, you would think my feet would be pretty screwed up, but living in warm climates for sixty years wearing mostly flip flops or bare feet was the perfect antidote.

[@truckerdave8465]

This is exactly why I quit letting people pressure me into making my kid wear ‘real’ shoes. My kid has perfect feet. Mine are jacked up from years of restrictive shoes that met society’s ‘expectations’.

[@frustrateduser9933]

Wouldn't ballet also create very strong toes?

[@Qrtuop]

Women, stop wearing high heels!!! They are terrible for you

[@themischief420]

flip flops suck lol

[@phosp1083]

@@themischief420if the thing between your fingers is fabric and not plastic they are the best They are very comfortable

[@SinYingWong]

I've always wondered: how it is ethical to design the narrow af shoes even to this modern day? despite all the evidence showing how damaging it is to the population? In my entire childhood I struggled with feeling comfortable in shoes and I hated shoe shopping because everything felt restrictive, larger size only goes longer and not wider. I always opt for unisex/male shoes because I'm big for an asian and female shoes are too narrow for me.

[@PinkAgaricus]

Same, though I realize why New Balance is suggested...its the only brand at this time that actually fits my feet. I feel like the womens "size" on Unisex/Mens shoes are for standard width. In standard width its size 10/10-1/2 in womens for me, but none felt comfortable enough. (Especially Nike and Adidas) Edit (after trying Asics and Hoka and buying a sale model [of Hokas]): I have to add to the list of comfortable sneakers - Hoka and Asics

[@apcolleen]

I used to work for a lady who had to take 3 months off at the end of the year to get her feet broken and reset. Since the 1960s she had been wearing high heels that were too small out of vanity. She's nearly 6 ft tall barefoot and would only wear 2 in heels. But 40 years of ill-fitting shoes caused her feet to look like hamburger. I've never been fond of high heels and it even cost me my job at that office. They said I didn't dress the part and I said you pay me $10 an hour I don't know where I'm supposed to afford better clothes lol. They didn't like that answer. But she spent months in agony so that she could walk again and her health did improve. She was in her '60s I can't imagine cramming my feet into size sevens when I wear almost a 10.

[@daughterofsekhmet81]

It is absolutely unethical. Granted my feet are extra-wide, but when I literally cannot get my foot past the vamp in most shoes that's way more than just a "me" problem. I actually went down a rabbithole on this a while back and found out our shitty modern shoes were born from corporate greed. I also found out that old Victorian and earlier shoes that look really narrow were actually quite comfortable, made with very soft leather and thin, flexible soles. They would stretch and mold to the wearer's feet much like moccasins, unlike modern shoes which are stiff and cause the feet to mold to the shoe. Anyway, up until the 80s or so most shoes used to come in multiple widths. Shoe stores used to be full-service, you'd go in and a salesman would measure your feet and bring out the exact size and width you needed. Then companies realized they could save money by making all their shoes in a one-size-fits-all width, and shoe stores realized they could save money by getting rid of salesmen and switching to self-service. All us wide-footed people can just go F ourselves I guess, or spend a lot more money on specialty shoes. It honestly makes me really angry, I have nerve damage in one foot now from these crappy narrow shoes. Even if I buy two sizes bigger they're still too narrow.

[@Window4503]

That's so true. We sneer at practices like foot binding, but our shoe culture is basically doing the same thing at a slower rate.

[@frohnatur9806]

It's not. Ethics don't matter in our society. Optics do.

[@xenontesla122]

I think the aesthetic issue of wide toebox shoes could be solved with some good design. I’ve seen that “ugly” silhouettes can be improved by splitting the form up into multiple shapes with color or texture. Designers have done a lot with shoes, I’d love to see more designs to tackle this.

[@hedgehog3180]

You really just need some famous designer to start a fad, aesthetic preference are societally informed after all.

[@cedricl.marquard6273]

I have some Vivobarefoot Sensus and to me they just look... normal?? I honestly don't get why they are considered so ugly.

[@DankMemes-xq2xm]

@@cedricl.marquard6273 Vivo is one of the better looking brands, same with Splay and Lems. Softstar shoes, many but not all Xero shoes, etc, are kinda ugly.

[@TopOfAllWorlds]

​@@hedgehog3180 not entirely true. Humans are biased in certain ways to certain silhouettes and symmetry. The reason modern shoe design are so popular are probably in part due to the symmetry of it.

[@F3XT]

I think the aesthetic isn't even a true point tbh, people weren't given a lot of different shoes and choosing particularly pointy ones because they look pretty, it's just the way shoes are normally produced. once the problems are noticed tho this aesthetic point might come up as a justification that is just dunked on

[@freerideziege6047]

Have a problem? No problem: dive deep into the subject, analyze the cause, elaborate a solution! I love how you "overthink"/"meditate" away problems. Keep up the good work and stick close to honesty.

[@klxz79]

Thought: If people's feet become more deformed the longer they wear "normal" shoes can severe bunions lead to stability issues in elderly people that have been wearing "normal" shoes their whole lives and can bunions be a cause of elderly people falling more often which causes broken bones, etc. I know an 85 year old lady whose foot looks just like the severe case of bunion foot you showed in the beginning. She fell a while back while getting the mail and broke her hip. IDK if bunions caused her specific fall but on average it probably increases the risk of falling, right?

[@JakeLeary]

Yes bunions have been shown in multiple studies to increase fall likelihood. And falls are sometimes a cause of death in old people not just broken bones.

[@SunshineTheLover]

they do. my grandma wore heels to work everyday and as she got older she developed more and more issues with shoes and balance

[@seekyunbounded9273]

​@@JakeLeary My grandad was found on restroom floor with nose inside his skull lol

[@magiv4205]

Yes, studies have proven this. Not just the pain of bunions causes instability, but also the mere fact that the weak abductor and stunted movement ability of your toes means their toebox is much narrower and stiffer, meaning a narrower surface, a weaker grip and increasingly worse weight distribution.

[@dapperpotatoes8473]

Yep, a smaller base on any object makes it inherently less stable

[@Shrouded_reaper]

A huge amount of foot problems stem from shoes. Here in Australia almost everyone is wearing flip flops year round or going barefoot. I've noticed that we all have very wide and flat feet, this is how your feet are meant to look. Compressing your feet all day while growing up is like a modern version of foot binding and I suspect is responsible for a massive amount of issues.

[@svetabogush8266]

Well flat feet isn't normal. You must have arch

[@jamesgrosrenaudjr812]

My toes are ugly because of modern shoes . I compare It to binding . I’ve been watching animals walk and have felt human feet were supposed to work similar spreading as feet are planted . I’ve been trying to walk bare footed more and trying to fix my feet

[@apteropith]

the "modern shoe" is a form of foot-binding and should be treated as such i'm somewhat lucky that i spent a lot of my childhood barefoot, was always vocal about shoes being too small, had a parent who would listen and buy shoes that "fit", and eventually developed feet strong enough to defeat most shoes over time - provided i can get my broad toes into the horrid toe-boxes in the first place (finding shoes that fit at all is difficult now, partly because i have big wide feet, but mostly because of absurdly pointy toe-boxes on 99% of them) and with all that i _still_ show some amount of pre-bunion from a lifetime of my toes fighting the shoes

[@jmodified]

My father and all my siblings got bunions by age 40. I'm 55 and still don't have them. I've spent most of my life going barefoot. I did have "flat feet" as a child and was "treated" by a podiatrist with hard shoes and custom molded arch supports which did nothing. This was mainly an issue of excess ankle mobility leading to over-pronation as shown in this video. Playing basketball almost every day fixed it in one summer, and my ankles are still rock solid.

[@monicali2608]

All children have flat feet. A way to make money in the past.

[@jmodified]

@@monicali2608 I really did though. My ankles could collapse inward to the point where the bone almost touched the ground. A natural lack of arch is not a problem, but ankle instability is. The issue is that they thought arch support would fix it. I suppose it did keep the ankles in a better position, but didn't do much of anything for stability. Exercise is what was needed - probably anything like basketball or tennis where you are frequently moving and stabilizing laterally would have done it.

[@monicali2608]

@@jmodified Yes trading is good. For me it was best to fix the hip by a chiropractor and than the was no training in wrong position and no pain.

[@GlennMarshallnz]

Awesome stuff. Our bodies are fine if we live in line with our evolutionary process. 👍

[@OneAdam12Adam]

This is why I'm the past SHOE STORES had trained people fit your shoes with special measuring devices. Corporations decided it cost too much to serve their customers properly. Hence, we're all buying shoes that aren't a good fit.

[@Tsuchimursu]

I've been kind of saved by the fact that I'm highly suspectible to bunion by heritage, because even as a kid tight shoeboxes were just too painful and I would refuse to wear half the shoes provided. My moms method of measuring proper shoe size was poking at the tip of the shoe to see if there is space in front of the toes, disregarding my opinion of the side tightness I complained about.

[@lisadefries6718]

Think that common sadly for many children. As I have grown older now in late 50’s my shoe size has increased. Not because my foot size increased physically but because I now realise that I was shoehorning my feet into what should have been comfortable footwear for walking but just a half a size too small. Great for one foot but not the other which has a pink mark /callous on pinky. Women especially fall victim to this as it’s always been considered feminine to have smaller feet. You dont get girls bragging about having feet as large as their boyfriends even if they the same height 😊

[@apcolleen]

Are you susceptible? Or does your family just not know how to shop for appropriately fitting shoes?

[@DionDPR]

​@apcolleen how about, both?

[@KM-pm6qe]

I am SO fortunate that when I had some plantar fasciitis in my 20s, and was prescribed “arch support”, my feet rebelled. After that I always avoided shoes that I could feel the arch in, having the experience and the intuition that it would make my pain worse. I couldn’t know at the time that I had accidentally saved myself from a life of foot misery. I can’t abduct my big toes, but in my early 60s, and even with very poor physical conditioning, I still have decent arches and I still don’t have bunions, so it’s not too late for me. Thank you for this informative and easy-to-understand video!

[@leonormorais8509]

So you were prescribed arch support shoes but you didn't like them and didn't wear them and got rid of your plantar fasciitis anyway? Trying to understand, because I'm suffering from plantar fasciitis right now. Thank you! :)

[@Viper54K]

Hey, chronic neck issue guy here! Was recommended surgery by the medical system on my neck and lower lumbar. Instead, started doing exercises and changing my lifestyle to correct bad posture: my pain has SERIOUSLY gone down! At my worst, I lost control in one of my feet ("drop foot") and since then have been aggressively posture modifying and working out. Problems solved! No more loss of control, no more headaches when sitting down ("referred pain" from my neck). Your video lines up with my personal experiences perfectly. My wife also seems to have risk for bunions (inward tilting big toe) and this video will be a resource in getting her on track. PS: I still have some pains, but I'd say its roughly 20% of what it was prior to my changes)

[@Localshowershitter5140]

super sigma 👍

[@TopOfAllWorlds]

Congrats! How long that take you?

[@Viper54K]

@@TopOfAllWorlds Roughly 1.5 years since the start of my journey.

[@lynnemaclean7201]

This video has changed my life (I’m 69).This was the best I’ve seen to help me understand issues of my knee replacement causing my under heel nerve damage, life long pronation and arch and calf cramps, bunions, and a complete misunderstanding of shoes. As well as a lifetime of misunderstanding how muscles and bones work. THANK YOU SO MUCH ❤

[@merrymachiavelli2041]

To be fair on the evolution point, our form of locomotion is still pretty 'new' in evolutionary terms. We've been primarily bipedal for about 5 million years. For such a whole-anatomy adaptation, that's pretty recent. Especially if you compare humans to ostriches and other ratites, who are been bipedal and at least mostly flightless for 10s of millions of years. Their feet are much more rigid and spring-like, which is the direction of our foot evolution if you compare us to early hominins. Many of the problems we have with our spines, knees and feet are probably at least partially because we're still a bit 'bad' at bipedalism, in the same way early whales would have been relatively bad at being marine mammals.

[@JakeLeary]

You can claim that we are “bad” at bipedalism but humans are still, depending on who you ask, either the best long distance runners on the planet or at least in the top 7. (Horse, ostrich, camel, zebra, antelope, sled dogs are debatable, although I think only camels can compete when it’s hot out)

[@Xanthelei]

​@JakeLeary Both can be true. Long distance running is fairly uncommonly needed for survival, both for predators and prey. Most animals evolved around short bursts of speed being the strongest pressure on survival, so only those animals that routinely migrate over long distances would have use for long distance endurance to the point it noticably impacted their ability to do it. Looking over how far humans have migrated, both for initially spreading out and for social interactions like trade and war, we had that kind of evolutionary pressure - and the average person still wouldn't do that well vs something like the average horse. All the stuff you outline definitely impacts bunions forming, I don't think OP was saying otherwise. That doesn't mean our anatomy and relative newness to standing upright don't also play a big role.

[@JakeLeary]

@@Xanthelei all good points. I think the problem is that doctors use this relative newness to tell people that running is bad for the human body and going to cause injury, when that is simply not the case and good running form with minimal footwear is actually good for injury prevention and longevity. I’m a big fan of “Born to Run” obviously

[@GoriIIaTactics]

Human foot evolution is likely stagnant because there's no evolutionary pressure to have better feet unless we go back to hunter gatherer life

[@tissuepaper9962]

​@@GoriIIaTactics you're confused if you think evolution has anything to do with goal-oriented ideas like "better" or "worse"

[@mfkleven]

Dang, this was a veritable goldmine of evidence, research, and reason, and so expertly presented. Thank you!

[@robinmarks4771]

Hey, man. Just wanted to say I love your channel and I really appreciate you making this information easily accessible to people. I stopped wearing constrictive/pointed modern footwear when I was in my early 20s, though I was always averse to shoes when I was young too, and I've been a happy sandal-wearing/barefoot proponent of healthy/wild/natural feet since then. I'm now 40, my feet are properly splayed, haven't worn closed-toe shoes in 20 years, and I've had nothing but healthy, strong feet and posture for those two decades. I've been trying to persuade my partner and her mother (whose bunions are atrocious and who has been told all this nonsense by medical "experts") to give up unhealthy shoes. No luck with her mom, but I directed my partner to your videos recently, which in tandem with my arguments helped her decide to get rid of her unhealthy shoes. She's now wearing wide toe box shoes (some I think you recommended in one of your videos), using toe spacers, and going barefoot as often as possible. So, yeah, TLDR: thanks for helping persuade my partner to have healthier and wilder feet. Her pointed toes were definitely pre-bunion. Thanks to my gentle encouragement and your videos, she's now on the path to healthier feet, and I love her dearly, so I really appreciate it. Keep up the good work. Cheers!

[@JakeLeary]

Thanks for the kind words! Glad that I've helped and I hope wide toebox shoes become the norm some day! (I'm assuming the objections are were for fashion)

[@Lord_Marquaad]

Where did we go wrong as a society

[@burritoboyee]

When we disobeyed God and sin entered the world.

[@maxrc2009]

Humans just being humans, haha, history shows it all to well

[@texasfirst3991]

Kosher.

[@THEEJONESY]

when we starting caring about more than just survival in the moment

[@DreamtaleEnjoyer]

The moment the first person said "hey I know how to make this easier!"

[@Gibsothian]

As someone who has had bunions since at least age 5 (according to photographs), I think your video had a lot of useful information for the majority of people. But still, videos like this can’t help but make me feel like my bunions are some sort of personal failing, even though there’s nothing I, personally, could have known to do to prevent them at that age. I inherited flat feet from my dad, which I strongly suspect was the root cause of my bunions. Unfortunately no amount of training can restore an arch that was never there to begin with. I experienced pretty severe back, knee, and foot pain when I was younger, all of which went away once I started using orthotics in high school. Before orthotics, I really only wore tennis shoes at school and went barefoot the rest of the time. I wish I could go back to that, but it caused me so much pain and grief. Tangent aside, I think even people like me, whose foot problems cannot be completely fixed, can still benefit a lot from many of your suggestions.

[@anniee5487]

yeah my best friend in high school had awful bunions since she was a kid and she never wore shoes very much, even in childhood. she would stash her shoes in her locker when she got to school and spend the whole school day barefoot, including when walking between buildings and only put them back on when she went home. her problems got worse over the years i knew her, despite her wearing (comfortable) shoes for less than an hour a day. idk what else she could be expected to do.

[@Bidouleroux]

Did you actually watch the video? Bunions are primarily a posture issue. Bad shoes simply aggravate the bad posture, in addition to atrophying your big toe muscles.

[@liawatson5789]

Increase ankle strength

[@kim-ys2fs]

i still think you aught to do everything in this video ANY improvement is better than it getting worse vrs if you use your history as an 'excuse' (sorry, couldnt think of a better wording). At worst you will be slowing the development by giving your feet some love. I had something similar with MECFS disability recovery journey -i had to look on it like a science experiment n truth toldi was scared to win or lose by the changes i made, scared id relapse back to being non-verbal, non-thinking vegetable. But, as id tell myself 'you dont know until you give it your best shot' As the video hinted, the origin could lie with your pelvic tilt and/or leg rotation. My own pelvic tilt and pronation started with being a chronically scared child in an unstable environment, such i held tension in my lowerback tensing those muscles, on edge, hyper-vigilant and alert, ready to move at speed even when i was 'at rest'

[@Gibsothian]

@@Bidouleroux​​⁠​​⁠​​⁠ I did actually watch the video. Did you actually read my comment? My bunions started developing before I was 5 years old because my feet are/were flat. Flat feet means bad posture, which leads to bunions. For me, the best solution to flat feet is orthotics. Keeps my foot in the “correct” position when standing so I have better posture now.

[@atanas-nikolov]

As someone who walks barefoot a lot and uses barefoot shoes, I've reverted to something like Altra shoes (wide toebox, but with padding). Though I still use barefoots, mostly in the summer. I also walk about 5 miles barefoot daily. Our feet are made for walking barefoot, sure, but our environment isn't. Historically shoes are one of the first pieces of clothing we started using in some shape or form. Wrapping your foot was a thing. Even though I am light-footed and don't have a heavy heel strike, I've injured my foot plenty of times because of pebbles, glass, etc. Even hard concrete becomes a problem (I walk about 8 miles per day on average, 5 of those barefoot as mentioned). This is when wearing barefoot shoes. And saying that someone isn't "good at walking" is gaslighting. Again our oh-so-nature-attuned ancestors invented shoes for a reason. "Look at nature" isn't an argument in and of itself. It is a bit of balance. In my opinion thin soles do not solve anything, they are just marketed that way. I don't see much drawback in using zero drop Altras for example. If anything, I feel less pain with more "cushion". Though it isn't necessarily cushioning, rather something that separates you from all the nastiness on the ground. Birkenstock and Merrell are also on the wider side. I've found wide Riekers as well.

[@JakeLeary]

I’m not saying that you are bad at walking if you can’t comfortably step on glass. But I think a basic standard for movement / fitness (like being able to stand up from the floor without hands, do a pull up, touch your toes, etc) would be to walk comfortably on hard surfaces and fairly effortlessly switch between a forefoot strike and heel strike. If it’s painful to walk barefoot on concrete that would indicate something stiff in your gait. The reason I don’t go back to thicker soles shoes is because most of them feel super stiff, like the blood in my foot isn’t getting massaged around enough, or if the soles are soft enough to get that movement, then my heel and ball of foot sink in and too much body weight is put onto the soft part of my foot- exactly like how a soft chair or bike saddle will redistribute your body weight from the sit bones to your soft bits.

[@aqueuse]

I have tried to wear barefoot shoes and even barefoot sandals with very soft semelle and it has killed my left foot, Very bad pain on the ligaments below my foot, I could not walk at a moment. It was resolved with weeks of wearing normal shoes again and resting my foot. I will never try this again. It's too extreme for my ligaments. I'm in a search of a better alternative than "just walk barefoot everywhere and it will solve all your problems".

[@Shrouded_reaper]

​@aqueuse If you have been using arch support your whole life it's because the important foot muscles are atrophied to oblivion. You need to work into it slowly.

[@aqueuse]

@@Shrouded_reaper I will try short focused sessions of walk on an easy terrain with a lot of massages, my feet ligaments are very dumb

[@apcolleen]

One of the oldest pieces of clothing we have is shoes made out of yucca fiber. There are videos on KZbin that will show you how to make them. I love the free and open internet and the information it brings me.

[@camillecali2]

I have had tiny angle for over 30 years. It has been the same because I stopped wearing heels and tight shoes. I walk barefoot as much as possible. Also I buy shoes with a wide toe box.

[@pixality7902]

Its funny because i squat all the time on chairs or whatever as its more comfy for me. My dad still tries to yell at me about it, even in my own home.

[@darcieclements4880]

Just ignore him. There are a lot of people right now trying to get the ability to squat back and it's just going to become more and more accepted again.

[@frank_calvert]

L from death note?

[@pyra0717]

Dare ni mo mirenai yume wo mite

[@apcolleen]

Just make sure you don't squat on a toilet that is not made for being squatted on. I'm from the 1990s internet where we had there was a woman in a Brazilian nightclub who stood on a toilet and it did not end well for her. I don't recommend googling it.

[@apcolleen]

​@@darcieclements4880did you see the trend a few months ago where people were realizing that they lost the ability to skip

[@ShadVonHass]

I've been recommended Lems before, didn't buy them, then was gifted them instead. I thought they were alright, but it was only after going back to "regular" shoes I was fully convinced. I simply can't wear anything like that now. This was all earlier this year, and now starting to look for other types of shoes that are wide and am super glad I found this video

[@JakeLeary]

I've had the same experience. Did you get a barefoot version of Lems or thicker soles?

[@ShadVonHass]

@@JakeLeary Thicker soles, and not even the widest toebox, so I'm definitely going with a thinner one now. I've been debating on the different brands still, and if I want a more general one or a more active one first.

[@JakeLeary]

@@ShadVonHass I mean if you want something super low risk (low cost) these are $25 amzn.to/45p7nWG but there are certainly others that perform better for sports and will last longer

[@nsiebenmor]

Lems are still too narrow in the toe area imo

[@defconzero]

⁠@@ShadVonHassI love my Lems primal 3's. Super wide toe box and decently thin sole. Not as thin as some others, but you can take out the insole which gives you more room and a thinner sole at the same time. I like it either way.

[@imaspecofdust3913]

My whole life i absolutely HATED wearing narrow shoes, heels, etc. My grandma would always force me to wear these uncomfortable narrow shoes that gave me NO ROOM for my toes and really bad blisters for church but even at church I would just take them off. Finally it got to the point where I got to choose my own shoes and I just chose flip flops. I'm thankful my middle school and high school gave us the choice to wear any kind of shoe we want (obviously i wore flip flops) but in elementary we had to wear tennis shoes. Now as an adult, I have perfect feet because im barefoot 90% of the time and I didn't even realize my extreme pickiness is actually saving me from a lot of health hazards that many would consider to be socially normal

[@anna9072]

I think a lot of the problem stems from class distinctions in Europe up through the 19th century. Aristocrats were supposed to have small, narrow, high-arched, “elegant” feet, whereas peasants had large, broad, flat, “clumsy” (and probably healthy) feet. Of course, the growing middle class wanted to be more like the aristocracy, so they jammed their feet into small, narrow shoes. Not quite as bad as Chinese foot binding, but a similar mindset. The societal division is not as pronounced now, but the idea that feet “should” be narrow seems to hang on. Try and find dress shoes in a wide width.

[@ZaKnight.]

This video is one of the most easy to understand, and simultaneously, well study cited videos I have seen on the subject of barefoot shoes. It's not clickbaity or KZbinry, it's scientific, and serious. About both the benefits of wider shoes, and the *significant* drawbacks of "normal" shoes. I've been looking for over a year for the right video to share with my parents and family, to help me talk them through my belief in the health benefits of this very simple lifestyle change. And I can now say I've found that video. Thank you so much for this amazing content.

[@JakeLeary]

Thanks for the kind words! You could also get all of them individual copies of “Born to Run” for their birthdays haha

[@leahwilton785]

Since women usually have a wider pelvis (for baby birthing reasons), it's more common for their legs to be slanted inwards (medially) which means they are more likely to have interior rotation in the hips and pronated feet. Take care of yourselves, ladies.

[@SunshineTheLover]

i have this issue and im trying so hard to reverse it

[@leahwilton785]

@@SunshineTheLover I'm sure you're doing great, persistence is key !!

[@joyfulgirl91]

Sigh. I’ve worked on this ever since I learned about it when I was sixteen and I’m 45.

[@leahwilton785]

@@joyfulgirl91 and I'm sure you've made lots of progress/improvement. Keep trucking along friend, you're doing great.

[@JakeLeary]

@@leahwilton785 wouldn’t they just stand with their feet spread apart wider? To keep the ankles stacked under hips/knees

[@maxrc2009]

This video is actually very well documented and accurate, thanks for making this, keep up the good work!

[@ArtistUnknownOfficial]

I've had 4 foot surgeries at 19 because I had this deformity as a child. I hated walking and running because of knee pain since first grade. I'm 24 now, the pain is nearly gone after surgery. Only issue now is nerve damage and numbness in feet from botched surgery. Be careful out there! You only get one pair of feet! Treat them well!

[@colleenorourke7199]

This is such a great summary of pretty much all the key highlights of biomechanically-informed movement health I’ve been learning about for ~15 years now! Bunions definitely run in my family (heyoooo!!) but I’m in my 40s now with zero sign of them, which I attribute to getting into toe shoes and bare footing in my late 20s. Even when I have to wear fancy “normal” shoes for work, I take them off as soon as I get home and stretch and move my feet and recover immediately.

[@anna9072]

I went mostly barefoot most of my youth, and I still wear shoes as little as possible. And I won’t wear shoes that compress my toes. I have no foot issues at 70.

[@IncandescentLightbulb00]

This is really good! My toddler has a bit of a flat arch I’m going to try some of those tips for him. First of all get him different shoes! One thing that I can also point out about some people not getting bunions is the shape of toes. Many people have the first toe the longest and I feel like this type of foot shape will have much harder time in tight pointy shoes. My foot isn’t like that at all. My joint for the big toe is way down and my second toe is longer making the shape my toes make round, not straight and squareish like most people (which includes my husband and son). My toes don’t really get squished in round toe box shoes because the shape they make is naturally round. I have not even a slight bunion and strong toes despite wearing regular shoes. But I also like balance yoga so there is that. I just wanted to share that this is probably why some people don’t develop bunions as easily because their natural foot shape has much easier time in the shoes they make today.

[@jaredhenderson4909]

Military doctors do this surgery on dudes that don't even have bunions, my roommate had both feet done, not because he needed it but because the doctors are bored, have too much time. The doctors in the military, especially overseas have tons of down time if they aren't in a war zone.

[@Rick-ih7wp]

Quacks! All of them.

[@SpaceDoug404]

The military will fk you up with unneeded surgeries, military-ran medical centers need to go it should be civilian or va only

[@blobbowo]

Keep telling people about this!

[@redella50]

My Dad's been having an issue with a bunion for many years now. Has had surgery 3 times on it and it still never fully recovered. I was always worried when the time came for my bunions to get really bad, but this video relieves me greatly. Also, I wish people would understand "Excercise" does not equal "workout." Excercise doesn't have to be intensive, time consuming, or tedious in any way. It's just a couple minutes set aside everyday to stretch any muscles that need it. You don't even need equipment most of the time!

[@songofshadow5043]

19:54 "Some people have ligaments so strong ... their toes just burst through the sides of the shoe." This happened to me as a kid: I ruined a couple of pairs of shoes by having my feet bust a hole in the side of the shoe by my pinkie toe. Since we did not have the money to keep replacing my shoes, I just taught myself not to put any weight on the outside of my feet. I eventually forgot about this, and assumed I walked perfectly normally. (Honestly, I assumed I had above-average foot strength, since I go barefoot as often as possible.) That is, until just this year, when someone pointed out that I walk with pronated feet. I assume that this is related to the fact that my pinkie toes collapse completely sideways when I put any weight on them, and that my knees go inwards when I bend them. (And, perhaps, to the fact that my knees click horribly every time I squat?) My big toes are perfectly fine, though, so that's good, at least!

[@mikaelaolsen8835]

Wow I say! Incredible! 29 minutes and 41 seconds PURE UNADULTERATED FACTS! NO FLUFF! ZERO FLUFF! Not one unnecssary word. I am so impressed by it I almost miss out on the content. I think my feet has been saved by me being born with what I think is called hip dysplasia in English. I simoly refused to wear tight shoes as a child because I lost my balance when I couldn't use my big toes. As a teenager I noticed how the instability in my hips caused me to have inflamed achilles tendons. Worst on the left because that hip joint is worse. I naturally started to do foot exercises and hip exercise to be able to walk without pain. I did and do all my training and exercise barefoot because those big cushions people like under their feet actually exacerbate hip instability, thereby knee instability and the foot...... it is like trying to do something with jellyfish for feet. My big toes are now very little out of line inwards. Dies anyone listen to me when I tell them about the impostance of foot exercise? No. They prefer snapped achilles tendons and plantar fasciatis.

[@hammersaw3135]

I blame the industrial revolution. To make all these shoes and boots uniform and easy to mass manufacture, and make all the people uniform and easy to control, put you all in a mass manufactured box, so you can eat mass manufactured food, drive a mass manufactured car, so you can make insane profits for a few individuals, at the expense of the health and well being of well, the entire planet.

[@JakeLeary]

That’s part of it (e.g. “straight” shoes that were not left-right foot specific) but the pointy thing was a fashion / status symbol at least by the 14th century and came largely from the pointy toe design for getting your foot more easily into horse stirrups. But also the first ever shoes were pointy because they were made from a single piece of leather stitched down the middle

[@narrgamedesigner2747]

​@@JakeLearyyeah but that's the start of it though. This is probably the only thing that trickles down into the poor. Everyone wants to act like the wealthy and appear civilised. Ultimately wanting to fit into the image. Why keep off with the neighbour is so prevalent. Boom you have health problems because you're copying someone's idea of a life. How Many people sit in chairs or complain their body doesn't work right when they've had bad habits since a child/teenager. Never taught how to keep healthy only diet advice. But this is criminally unnoticed.

[@OnlyXaM]

HOW DOES THIS NOT HAVE MORE VIEWS, this needs to be seen more, not enough people know about this

[@JakeLeary]

Thanks! Sometimes the algo takes a couple months to really crack

[@mayanightstar]

I got custom inserts around the age of 18 and used them for a few years then lost them. Then a few years ago I bought barefoot running shoes and would walk for 20 minutes in them every few days, and spent 5-10 minutes every night before I went to sleep massaging the bottom of my feet with my fingers between my toes, and this had a much greater affect on strengthening my feet and arches than shoe inserts ever did.

[@SirPhysics]

How dare evolution not design our feet for wearing hard-soles shoes which don't fit our natural foot shape. Really bad planning if you ask me

[@xenasloan6859]

i love this kind of unbiased pure intelligence; you do the world a valuable sevice, good sir

[@Muenchies]

Best video I’ve seen yet on this subject! Thanks for touching on so many points, including so many images/visual aids, and wording things so concisely!

[@elisecccccccc]

I had a lower back injury a year ago now and have been slowly working on basically all of the things mentioned in that chart stemming from the sedentary lifestyle box (even though I actually do work on my feet a lot)!! So insane! Im only a minute in but excited to hear your recommendations 👀

[@sydneygorelick7484]

This video got me to try some Xero shoes. I bought the new Breckenridge boots, and I LOVE them! They're maybe not as crazy-flexible as some of the other makes and models that can fold up in on themselves, but they're real leather, so they've already started softening up, and the flat insole and wide toebox have been game changers. My feet feel so much better in these than in any other shoe I've tried (after I wore them for like half a week to break them in. No blisters, just some uncomfortable rubbing). I tried them on for a bit when I got them and then spent the next day in my normal shoes, I was shocked by how much more restricted I felt in my usual sneakers! I have custom orthotics that I wore in my normal shoes, but I realized instead of fixing my overpronation on my right foot, it was supporting it, and even encouraging it! I had stopped wearing the narrow fashion shoes that were giving me ingrown nails and toe pain, but even my reasonable, athletic sneakers were doing my feet dirty! My insoles were the only way that normal shoes wouldn't hurt my knees, but either I'm stronger now so that's not happening or, more likely, it was the shoes themselves that were hurting me, pushing my toes together, which causes my ankle to fall in which messes the whole system up. Anyways, all this to say, I'm a converted believer now, and I'll likely be buying a second pair in another color! Now, time to look into toe socks...

[@JakeLeary]

Awesome! I’m so glad to hear that. It is crazy how accustomed we become to squished toes and only realize when we switch and try to go back to the old shoes

[@ellairax]

God as a person with wide feet and pre bunions, this is so true. It is a freaking STRUGGLE to find shoes that even fit on my foot, impossible to find shoes are approximately wide to allow full movement of the toes. It’s so frustrating that just because my foot is “wider than average” I’m basically screwed footwear wise.

[@JakeLeary]

There’s lots of super wide toebox barefoot shoes!

[@pong9000]

You can still get shoes custom made in Vietnam, from scratch, to your own feet, quite affordably. You'll come in a 2nd time when the shoes are mostly complete for final fitting and adjustment. Also Japanese feet are famously wide and the prefab local shoes reflect that.

[@daer2121]

Shoes up to 6E are available from major brands. Past that youre looking at custom.

[@totallynoteverything1.]

I rarely use shoes, I jsut wear flipflops everywhere 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭

[@lenkamaresova4116]

When I was 15, I have found the hard way that the "supportive, fix your ankle" shoes were not for me. I was on a week-long mountain hike, and the only thing that my "proper" shoes did was causing several nasty falls on a difficult terrain and a tendonitis on both of my achiles tendons. We weren't in place where pick-up was possible, so I cried with every step for last two days of the trip. Against all advice of older and wiser people, I have been on several similar trips since in nicely walked-in, low, flexible shoes. Zero falls, zero tendonitis, zero blisters. I have pretty resilient ankles, I'm used to using them.

[@kenzen2]

Best video I've seen so far on this subject. Well done 👏 I've suffered bunions for years. And debilitating pain for 4 years. I've now had 2 years of cortisone injections. And 2 years of Vivo barefoot shoes. I need to do more. I'm still heading fast towards needing surgery. Thanks for all the information ❤

[@JakeLeary]

Thanks! I hope it helps. If your bunions are severe then the best case for conservative strategies may be delaying progression as opposed to reversal. But they're worth a shot because surgery is not fun, and its important to start good habits for foot health even if you do get surgery.

[@blakelindemann8672]

I wear these too, no good competitors

[@Immersion333]

Thank you for creating this amazing video! My journey back to barefoot started about a month ago, and I’ve been gradually switching to barefoot shoes. As I’m from Japan, it’s hard to find information in Japanese about barefoot shoes, bunions, or foot exercises. Your video shared a lot of what I needed for my journey. Keep it up!

[@pistachioracle]

Barefoot enjoyer over 40 here. Normal shoes are always something I suffered and avoided when I could. I was called weird and duck-footed while being told I’d have fallen arches and other deformities by now. Excellent foot dexterity, no pre-bunions yet! Grandparents’ feet? Morbidly misshapen. Mother who barefoots? Nearing 70 and feet are healthy. “Genetics” can suck it. Partner’s feet? Not looking too good, but he tells me his feet are “just like that.” There’s no foot dexterity, and he insists on Walmart boots of one type and nothing else, as they are solid as rocks. He calls me “monkey toes,” saying my dexterity is freakish and unnatural. We are all encouraged daily to remain in pain for a style, even being made to feel more human by doing very inhuman, unnatural things to ourselves and then socially pressuring our peers to do the same. This is insanity, and foot health is just the start.

[@rhajaro]

Thank you for taking the time and effort to make this. The exercises and stretches you recommended alleviated the foot pain I woke up with very recently and saved me a costly chiro visit.

[@teresablake188]

Great video - such logical and useful information, now I know I have a tailors bunion and how I got it - my doctor couldn't tell me that. Luckily a 30yr career in a profession where you get to work bare foot (acrobat) has saved me from big toe bunions. Now that I sit down for work I'm going to take on some of your suggestions for keeping my feet healthy.

[@sunderkeenin]

The podiatrist I spoke to about my hammer toes recommended orthotics, but actually went through the muscle-based reasons why I prorated my feet and then got a flat foot and then got the hammer toes, so I've just quietly taken that as advice to simply walk around explicitly avoiding proration of the foot and explicitly maintaining proper foot positioning as much as I can, and then when I get too sore I lean into the orthotics to allow the muscles to relax. I'm pretty consistently sore basically up my entire feet through my knees and it has been great for my foot and ankle mobility. The squatting advice is something I've already been doing for a while and man can I only second it.

[@wonderterror1541]

How is a video about foot problems better at making me want to exercise than every highschool gym & health class I've ever had? As a sidenote, this makes me wonder what effect the raised heels in women's shoes might have. If im understanding it right then its kinda concerning that the study at 9:20 showed wayyy more women with feet issues than men

[@JakeLeary]

Thanks! Eventually want to make a video just about motivation to exercise, and probably one on eating healthy too. Yeah it definitely affects more women as women are very likely to wear shoes that are too small.

[@AlicinhaEstudante]

Hi, Jake! I always questioned myself why i never felt confortable with any pair of shoes. It really makes sense. After growing up, i started buying bigger shoes, but now i see that i only was getting more space for toes, and still buying the wrong shoewear. Thanks for the help!

[@jsmxwll]

for those looking for a wide toebox shoe without spending a ton, the whitin brand from amazon has a couple options that work well. i've put a few hundred miles into each of my two pairs and they are holding up pretty well. WHITIN Men's Wide Canvas Barefoot & Minimalist Shoes | Zero Drop Sole is a pretty decent looking general canvas shoe that i've had success with. i grew up in cowboy boots and work boots mostly, switched to selfmade moccasins in my late 20s that fit my feet better and slowly stretched as my foot spread. tried some vivos but didn't really like how they felt and then ended up with the whitins and for a lot less money than the vivos. they are a pretty good value and entry point i think.

[@someed3702]

For basically all of my life, I have instinctively "played with my feet". Now I know why, and I also know why I'm the oldest person in my family to have never had a bunyan problem. This makes a lot of sense to me. Now I have an answer to give people. Not that many people see me playing with my feet anymore.

[@musikbrezel]

I learnt something, I was entertained, I am now even more paranoid about my body. 10/10 video.

[@starchan2036]

Very interesting and informative video. Living in a sandal society (tropical asian country, where we're all barefoot at home) this isn't super applicable to me but still very interesting to learn about!

[@dawert2667]

You can absolutely blame genetics for diabetes but not because of liking sugar, there is a genuine genetic component of metabolism malfunctioning that is not related to behavior.

[@JakeLeary]

Ok so you and your twin are both pre-diabetic, you blame your genetics and he stops drinking soda, who gets diabetes?

[@a_lethe_ion]

You do understand that a lot of conditions can be the result of multiple factors? Also reducing it to sugar is simplifying it a lot. Of course nutrition has an effect on things, but so has genetics and other environmental factors. Air quality, stress, hormones, genetic differences in hormone reactivity, infection triggered autoimmune condition. Post covid saw a worldwide increase in diabetes and other issues related to the immune system, specifically things reacting to histamine signalling in the body. So unless possibly hundreds of thousands of people worldwide all were prediabetic/having metabolic syndrome but without it ever being seen suddenly all develop T2 diabetes 3-24 months post viral infection (COVID in this case) then your snippy 'just stop eating sweets' is hou talking far out of your lane and looking like a self important windag arguing against things that weren't even said in THIS argument

[@LJinx3]

I read an article that overbites can be caused by bad posture and resolving the posture issue will gradually stretch the muscles back into place to bring the lower jaw in line

[@jonbaker1697]

As for bunion splints not working at reversing bunions [from just misalignment, and not caused by bone growth], in studies. The studies are not valid, if the test subjects continue to wear shoes that bend the big toe inwards. Did the studies take this into account

[@NoOctopuss]

I was developing bunions. Two of sisters had foot surgery for bunions. I definitely didn't want to end up like that, especially once I found out you just need different shoes. I switched to barefoot shoes in 2013 and stopped the bunions. We blame genetics for so many environmental issues. The most important one for me was cutting seed oils and eliminating migraines and headaches. Let's approach all our problems from the root cause!

[@lamMeTV]

Everyone already knows. So I am glad that you explain the mechanics behind it instead of just saying "Stop being stupid with your body"

[@the_southlander475]

I think you've said it all. I wanted to let people know about this stuff, because I am personally going through this right now. It is a slow and somewhat painful process in getting better. Especially when trying to increase range of motion in the foot. I wore loafers for a few years and I believe that lead me to developing foot pain in both my feet. I drove 3-5 hours a day in them and then worked 8 hours while sitting as well. I was fortunate enough to leave my last job and have a hybrid/remote job, so I am home most of the days of the week. It allows me to go to the gym regularly and also to be more active and not chained to an office desk. I can go wherever I want, it is truly freeing for my mind and feet. And there's still work that needs to be done to be at least, close to 100% health.

[@-Raylight]

Wild how some people choose fashion over health...

[@alquinn8576]

the thing is, bad shoes have become so normalized that people don't even realize what they're doing anymore. it's assumed that foot problems are normal and that there is no possible trade-off between foot health and "fashion"

[@pixie3458]

So true about wide fitting shoes or even walking or hiking boots not having a wide and deep toe box. I have wide feet, but only across the main joints. Shoe Manufacturers seem to think that means your heels are wide too. It's a nightmare!

[@terrior3252]

I don't think people hate on wide toe boxes as much as they hate on crocs specifically, I think they are not good looking but I would not say this about wide toed shoes other than crocs

[@JakeLeary]

Crocs are the most popular but "normal" shoes with a pointy toe (Nikes, Vans, Adidas) are considered stylish and barefoot shoes are generally considered to be uglier

[@jayemover_16]

Crocs genuinely look so weird. I love the look of barefoot shoes, especially the ones with a separate big toe like tabi socks, but christ on a stick do crocs just *not* look like something that should be worn outside.

[@justiceman3039]

Sad to say, but I cannot believe this is free. I’ve been struggling with many issues in this video and can’t thank you enough for the information. Truly Pro Bono

[@azrieljale]

27:50 - "His feet are actually pretty normal" What!???

[@GlennMarshallnz]

Brilliant and informative video Jake, thanks. IMO, another significant factor is obesity. Our feet did not involve to handle the 20kg or more of excessive body fat that many people are carrying around.

[@JakeLeary]

For sure, that is mentioned in the literature but I figured its just one of those things that everyone knows makes every health problem worse (smoking, obesity, anxiety etc)

[@Dumb-Comment]

Get into university, sleep your way through the years, get a paper, get hired by corporation to make "credible" research papers in favour of their businesses

[@identifying.as.asovereignhuman]

Great video. Very comprehensive and applicable for lay people and health professionals. I'll be sharing this. Nice work!

[@orions2908]

Interesting, here in Brazil wearing flip flops is quite common, maybe that's why bunions don't happen often at all

[@randymarsh3432]

great vid- been quite concious of my foot health having had the odd strain. i'm kinda lazy and focus my workouts around my daily showers- hold squat for two mins, 50 push-ups, have my shower, 50 shoulder roles backward with arms at side, 50 with hands reaching for the sky (helps stretch out by lower back), towel dry then 50 toe stands, 20 ankle rotations both directions (standing on one foot for each foot), crunch wiggle toes and 20 air stomps each leg (lift knee and stomp down but not touch the floor) then 20 touch toes with knuckles- alternating each foot as target. my work boots do crush when new but i widen my toes till the boots are stretched to fit my foot- i've replaced treads at near the cost of the boot to to avoid changing them but they only last a few months more!

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Idk why YT thought I should watch this but I am totally converted now. I'll start with the socks and take it from there.

[@idrissamorehouse322]

This video is truth! I thought i was premature aging w/ myfoot pain starting in my mid 40s -- started to play frissbee sports and get fit at age 46 - feet slowly started to have pain because feet were spreading in response to all the fitness but the pressure of normal shaped shoes was pinching tge now healthy spreading toes ! It was getting worse and worse -- took awhile to give up my favorite pointy running shoes -- switched to KEEN boots and sandals and began exercising toes w/ drills and spacers - took a year of serious work to loosen and regain freedom from pain . Still working on it . Walking in sand w/ bare toes is a great excercise to rehabilitate toes and pre-bunion conditions :) BE patient and dont give up!! YOU CAN HEAL YOUR OWN FEET - I DID!

[@hugh1997]

Would you mind sharing what barefoot shoes you use at the moment (the most)?

[@JakeLeary]

When it’s over 80 degrees: Vivo Ultra: tidd.ly/3T7rKnH and Xero Z Trail: bit.ly/47ahe4X Spring/fall Wildling (handmade in Europe): fas.st/t/ijBYSq2N Xero Forza trainer: bit.ly/3Xj2kWB Splay Freestyle 2.0: bit.ly/3XjZosT

[@kim-ys2fs]

i want to be become a uk foothealth practitioner. So when i saw this title, i had to jump at it! :D The issue i see across ALL academic/elite professions, disciplines and sciences, including history, medicine (my 2 faves) is that the crux of the issue is in the training. Training gives outdated, incorrect info, is locked into a closed mindset. (such as the 'clovis first' history theory that ruined many peoples careers when they accidentally discovered evidence for humans in the americas before the clovis period, and any evidence was only disseminated via alt history/pseudo science channels to the general public) There's issues such as tenure, ego, pride, closed-mindedness, the assumption that all those hours and effort adds up to factual truth, the best of the best. The scientific principles of being open-minded, curious, adapting to new evidence get forgotten in the effort and celebration of having qualified. The trainee then goes on to preach what they were taught while wearing blinkers, too busy or too 'superior-minded' to look for new better information. Most especially if that info comes from outside their professional field. (such as the geologist robert schoch re-dating the sphynx due to weathering and not historical assumptions from the first generations of egyptologists -which also has a colonialism mindset issue). I own some barefoot shoes/trainers, and i bought some costly barefoot walking boots last summer. I THOUGHT that because ive been extreamely sedentary (recovering from MECFS/chronic fatigue syndrome) for the last 10 years, that as my daily walks were barely 5-10mins, my lack of fitness would enable my feet to strengthen at the same time. i started being barefoot only while indoors n gradually increased my exposure, but i didnt do any actual exercises. After 3months i believe i was doing 45min walks quite happily, but the next month my knee got quite destroyed, from doing nothing different/extra that i could tell. Dont recall slipping etc. By october, i had to stop my walks, but i also didnt use enough rest, let alone ice-pack, compression or elevation when it was visibly swollen. Took me all winter to recover. This summer, ive bought myself some v flat, but not absolutely flat sandals with a thong aspect to them (2mm heel difference) which i wear indoors everyday and as often as the weather allows outdoors, but i dont do my daily 30min walks in them and im doing yoga to work on my APT, forward head and rounded shoulders. On my walks ive gone back to my old 'mucker-boots' or these soft-foam mostly flat squishy stretchy trainers. I have however ALWAYS worn toe-socks these last ten years -my feet are OMG so much more comfy in them! And in winter they make it SOOOOOOO much easier to wear 2 pairs of socks in my wellies. Im lucky that age 42 i dont have any issues except my big toes can sometimes get 'locked' until i click the joints like cracking knuckles and it recently occured to me i aught to start doing prevention (APT, pronation tendancies and clicky hips and knees) Ive saved this vid to my 'foothealth' playlist, thankyou. My intention is to use orthotics, but only to reduce pain such that the client is then able to do corrective exercise, if capable and i will always state that they will not solve the cause if the client is resistant (most of my clients will be elderly)

[@azrieljale]

Me after 30 years of wearing "clown shoes" Haha whos the clown now *to all my friends with crooked ftoes*😅

[@Ouchimoo]

I'm pretty sure as a baby/toddler my parents put me in shoes that are too small because my toes are pointed inward, with a noticeable bunion bump by my big toe and my small toes all curl almost under each other and they look mashed. Still, I don't have any foot pain because growing up I could never stand shoes and any chance I could be without them, that's how I was. Compared to several people I knew along the way who always had foot problems and their shoes were always so constricting. Sometimes even offering their shoes to help me with their problems "just weird btw" and ten minutes in their shoes would make my feet hurt. It really made me realize just how bad of a shoe problem we have. Also my feet are incredibly wide and I have the worst time finding shoes that fit me that don't have arch support, it's as if we really don't cater to people being barefoot in this country.

[@nadMoZzzg]

Everyone wear shoes but only someone have this problem

[@RegenTonnenEnte]

I swear if he starts talking about bloody barefoot shoes I'ma break something..

[@HerbsActuallyWork]

I want to talk about something really important “how the footwear industry affects our health” and “what it means for us as citizens”. We know that a lot of footwear on the market and that most can harm our feet and bodies, leading to serious problems in our ankles, hips, bad posture etc. What makes this so concerning, is that these health issues burden our public healthcare systems, costing us all a lot of money, are unnecessary and avoidable. Surely as citizens in so called democracy’s, we should have the right to be protected from harmful products. Poor footwear is causing real harm, physically, psychologically and financially, so our government’s and manufacturer’s should be held accountable too. We need to push for stricter regulations on what can be sold. Brands like Nike and Adidas may create stylish shoes, but if they’re hurting our health, that’s unacceptable. We deserve to have our health and well-being prioritized. If we’re going to continue participating in a democracy, we need to demand better protections for ourselves and our communities. Let’s stand together and advocate for the changes that will help us all! What are your thoughts? 👟💬

[@SirLightfire]

It's really cathartic to see that my childhood hatred of foot prisons is actually healthier My lord i hate shoes

[@Destructocorps]

I feel like I'm in a parallel universe, I'd never heard anyone say bunions were caused by anything but shoes before, especially ones like high heels, I guess Big Bunion skipped me over

[@imaginitivity7853]

Thank you, i think what i appreciated most from this, apart from the simple cause/effect and what to do about it aspect is that you have given me hope that improving my obviously deteriorating foot condition is possible, as opposed to the mainstream mantra that there's no coming back from where I'm at now and that surgery is the inevitable and only solution

[@meppeorga]

I got nerve damage and slight bunions in my right toe from wearing work shoes in one workplace for just 3 months. Reduced them to manageable and non painful level with exercises similar to those in this video and wearing flip-flops almost all year around (barefoot shoes are expensive and ugly), it took me 2 years to fix the damage done with bad footwear done in 3 months. I am suuure wearing shoes that did the damage in the first place would fix it.

[@JakeLeary]

You can get barefoot shoes for $24 that are not ugly!

[@meppeorga]

@@JakeLeary Not in Poland, they are all imported

[@doggoo69]

While watching this video i felt the urge to wiggle my toe, massage my feet, sit while squating, run around my room, exercise, and then start planning an exercise routine. Awesome video!! Im gonna try and make my feet and my physical health be more healthier now!

[@Liu484]

lol the guy with boat for a job

[@whosaidthat4299]

His job is boat 😂.

[@njcanuck]

Excellent info. My doctor had no info on this. Then I asked my physio about exercises - gave me hip exercises but nothing on the foot. Thank you!! BTW, I had to slow it down due to the volume and complexity of information.

[@aguspuig6615]

The medical issue pipeline: -Issue is looked into -No cause is found -Some scientists start assuming its genetic because a study shows that its slightly more common to have the issue if your parents do (they dont even consider it being lifestyle related) -Tabloids run full speed with the idea, start creating a bs evolutionary idea arround it ''being depressed and suicidal was actually an advantage in the stone age'' -Scientists stop getting grants to research a solution for the obviously genetic and therefore inevitable problem My fellow rare illness, bunion, posture, scoliosis, depression brothers unite!

[@bunhelsingslegacy3549]

I used to have narrow feet and a small bunion in my late teens/early 20s despite spending most of my leisure time barefoot, then I switched to wearing men's work boots a half size too big for me because I couldn't find women's work boots and I needed them for foot protection at work. I also have spent a lot of time in the last 20 years on tatami mats barefoot making my pronated feet hold themselves up, and I suspect these two factors are why my small bunion never got bigger or worse. And it turns out as a hypermobile person, I'd been instructed wrong all my life about how to deal with joint laxity and only now in my 40s am I addressing and in some cases reversing some of the damage done to my joints by allowing them to just do their thing without the correct muscle support. Now I measure as very wide toe with very narrow heel and I need the more supportive running shoes for jogging or else my heels slide around inside the shoe and I go over on my ankles (supinate and sprain). The only padding I add to my other footwear is some heel padding because no matter how strong my feet are, I get very sore heels from very little pressure on them (tied up running shoes used to be enough to make me sore), so I tend to wear either work boots or croc-like sandals if I need to do a lot of standing on a hard surface because padding, and also not held so securely to my foot that taking the weight off the foot doesn't take the pressure off my heel. Walking? No problem, my foot's not in constant contact, owie doesn't happen. Standing for ten minutes in a line waiting for something when I'm not in something with some heel padding? I end up doing toe exercises, squats, lunges, warmup stretches etc while I wait, or my heels really hurt. Thank the gods for my physiotherapist, saving my body one joint at a time when doctors just said stupid things like "your joints are too loose" or "you have osteoarthritis at 19" "oh take anti-inflammatories for your sore joints" and never told me what to do about it. Oh yeah, I also had orthotics as a kid, but I still alsays had some form of foot and knee pain due to how my body works, and they just exacerbated the "ow, something's touching my heel, get it off" thing.