School has started. It’s a time when parents are buying their children new shoes for gym class, cross-country and everyday wear. Given what we know about childhood development and the elements of natural running gait movements, here are a few things to consider before you start shopping for shoes. — Ultra-thin soles allow proper proprioception,…
Category: Kids
Get Your Kids Into Minimalist Shoes to Ensure Natural Foot Development
As a family physician, I firmly believe that children should play in their bare feet or in activity shoes that complement natural foot development and proper biomechanics of movement. Runners, walkers, coaches, and the medical community are all awakening to the benefits of allowing proper natural foot motion to occur in all of our daily…
Barefoot Running with the Kids
Two Rivers Treads and Dr. Mark Cucuzzella present a short, high-energy video of barefoot running in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
Ticking Time Bomb: Children’s Shoes Cause Health Problems Later in Life for Adults
by Dr. Phil Maffetone. Twenty years ago, a review of shoes and gait in the journal Pediatrics outlined some key factors that affect children’s feet. Pediatric orthopedist Lynn Staheli, M.D., from the Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, listed these important points: 1.) Optimum foot development occurs in the barefoot environment. 2.) Stiff and…