Functional footwear is a category of athletic footwear designed to improve the health and function of the most important part of your running anatomy: YOUR FOOT! The journey towards improved foot function and pain free* running begins with TOEFREEDOM®
provides toefreedom® so that the runner benefits from the extra room for the big toe to anchor and control the foot
so that the forefoot and metatarsals are naturally aligned and stable
with no toe-spring allows the toes to engage more rapidly with the terrain and promote forefoot stability
Thickness of sole and heel-height are negotiable based on the age, weight and foot function of the individual and the biomechanical demands of the movement/sport
Most movement-related pain in the foot can be classified as "overuse pain," which is the result of the accumulated stress on the musculoskeletal system beyond its ability to recover and adapt (1). Around 60% of this pain is caused by impairments that result from doing too much, too often, and taking too little rest (2,3). The remaining approx. 40% are caused by anatomical factors, shoes and the nature of the ground, which, independently and in combination, influence the biomechanical behavior of the foot and the strain on the ankle, knee, hip and lumbar spine (2,3,4). The interaction of the foot-shoe surface and its effect on the biomechanics can therefore be seen as the most important influence on movement-related pain in the foot after the above described impairments and the selection of the most suitable shoe based on foot function, age and weight of the wearer, and nature of the ground (2,3,5,6).
For more information and to see a full list of common movement related pain please see the sources below:
1. Hreljac A. (2005) Etiology,Prevention and Early Intervention of Overuse Injuries in Runners: A Biomechanical Perspective. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16005398/).
2. James, S. L., Bates, B. T., & Osternig, L. R. (1978). Injuries to runners. The American journal of sports medicine, 6(2), 40-50. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/03...)
3. Clement C., D. B., Taunton, J. E., Smart, G. W., & McNicol, K. L. (1981). A survey of overuse running injuries. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 9(5), 47-58. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/009...).
4. Dodelin D, Tourny C, L’Hermette M. (2020). The biomechanical effects of foot-function on gait. An experimental study. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111...).
5. Johnston C.A.M, Taunton J.E, Lloyd-Smith D.R, McKenzie D.C. (2003) Preventing Running Injuries: Practical approach for family doctors. Canadian Family Physician (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC22...).
6. Bates, B. T., Dufek J. S., & Stergiou, N. (2020). Advanced biomechanics. In: Stergiou, N. (2020) Biomechanics and Gait Analysis, 65-80 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-813372-9.00003-8)