Wondering if anyone has experimented with these shoes in their daily lives and what their experiences are...
I have broken my right ankle a few times now and it is so fucked I roll it at an absolutely minimum weekly. I have done and still am doing physio but the damn thing is so stretched out and weak, combined with being a bigger guy, no matter what I do if I step even slightly askew it folds over. Most times it does nothing and I carry on with my day, but it broke again a month and a half ago and I am so tired of dealing with this. Currently I am consulting with a surgeon but we all know how long it takes to get anything done in this country for stuff like this so I am trying to figure out how to keep living my life and not turn completely sedentary out of the anxiety I get from even something as simple as walking the dog.
Here is wear minimalist barefoot shoes (aka zero rise) come in...
It was suggested by someone I consider these types of shoes as a means of helping to attain better balance by way of having a more natural barefoot feel with you toes spreading apart naturally and your foot receiving much more feedback from the surface you are walking on helping you adjust and shift better along with a more natural angle to your foot strike. They also apparently help strengthen your foot muscles over time. I have to admit I was pretty skeptical but I also am at the point where I am willing to try just about anything so after a bunch of research I decided to order a pair and try them out. I went with a company called Xero and the model is the Prio in Suede. These are not the "toe shoes" but they do have a wide toe box with very thin soles so your toes spread apart naturally in the shoe and are extremely flexible with crazy feedback.
I have to say that while it is taking a little to get used to, I am really quite shocked how much I am enjoying wearing these. I definitely feel far more planted on the ground and way more stable. The sensation of feeling almost barefoot while wearing shoes is quite pleasant actually. No painful annoying pokes and stuff from rocks through the soles but you certainly detect everything underneath you. It is getting better and better every day too. My feet were sore early on but I am going through an entire day with them now and not feeling any foot pain and I can absolutely feel the muscles getting worked differently, even into my calves, but I think that is a good thing. I am out walking more again and my confidence getting around without feeling unstable is great compared to wearing even premium quality normal shoes.
Anyhow, I was just curious if anyone else has tried this kind of shoe and found improvements or if I am just drinking the snake oil haha!