Earth Shoes & Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is a painful injury that occurs when the plantar fascia, a tendon at the bottom of the foot, becomes painful and swollen. It's caused by weight-bearing strain on the tendon. Earth Shoes' heel is lower than the midsole, which is thick. The shoes' toe box rises above the rest of the shoe. This forces you to put your heel down lower than the rest of your foot and push hard on your toes to get your foot off the ground. Some people think the shoes can help cure plantar fasciitis, but many podiatrists disagree, arguing that the shoe further damages the plantar fascia. They recommend different shoes and other types of therapy, including gentle stretching (but not while standing), to treat plantar fasciitis.

Plantar Fasciitis: Background

• The plantar fascia is a thick tendon that starts at a bone in your heel and ends at the ball of your foot (forefoot). The heel is where people develop pain and swelling, explains podiatrist David S. Wander on the Footwise website. The pain is usually most severe upon waking or after being sedentary for an hour or more because the injured tendon is tight. It's a common injury among runners and other athletes, but can also be triggered by standing for long periods of time, Wander adds. Pain and swelling occurs when the tendon is stretched too much or begins to pull or tear away from the bone.

  Several problems can cause plantar fasciitis, according to the Foot.com website. They include over-pronation, or flat feet, which causes the arch to collapse when it's bearing weight; an unusually high arch; a sharp increase in weight-bearing physical activity; and ill-fitting shoes.

Earth Shoes: Background

• These shoes were introduced in the early 1970s and were advertised as helping people to walk naturally, as they would when barefoot. Their popularity waned toward the end of the decade, but more stylish versions of the concept have surfaced. Wander says that many fans of the shoe cite as proof that they're designed to help people walk naturally, like the footprints we make in the sand. The heel makes a deeper imprint in sand than the midsole. The toes often make a fairly deep imprint because you push on them to make the foot leave the ground. This claim no longer appears on its website, if it ever did, but is widely alluded to in the media and by fans of the shoe. The Earth Shoe site does not currently claim to treat plantar fasciitis.

  The shoes are now called Earth Footware, according to an article in the April 6, 2009, Dayton Daily News article.

Criticism

• Although people argue that the Earth Shoe helps stretch the plantar fascia, which should, in theory, help it to loosen and heal, Wander vehemently disagrees in his commentary on the Heels327 website. He argues that Earth Shoes make plantar fasciitis worse because they force the tendon to stretch while bearing the body's weight, which strains the plantar fascia. (This seems to be particularly likely among people who have flat feet, because the thick mid-sole would put pressure on the tendon where it crosses the arch. Sufferers who are overweight would be at increased risk of further injury as well.) He calls for people with this injury to stretch without putting body weight on the feet.

  The shoes may also aggravate achilles tendonitis (the tendon that runs up the back of your foot/ankle), according to the Dayton Dayton Daily News article.

Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis

• If you want a shoe-based approach to treating plantar fasciitis, Wander suggests that you consider Birkenstock shoes/sandals because their cork footbeds conform to the shape of your foot, providing support where it's needed. Podiatrist Stephen M. Prubit advises on his website that people buy shoes that bend at the metatarsals (where the toes join the foot), not farther back, to give the main portion of the foot the support it needs.

  Other forms of therapy include anti-inflammatory medications to reduce pain and swelling, heel cups to cushion the heel, strapping/taping the foot and shoe, and inserts (orthotics), which can support and cushion affected areas, Wander says on Footwise. The pain on the heel may tempt you to walk more on your toes, but avoid this because it will worsen the injury, Prudit warns.

Prevention

• The best way to prevent plantar fasciitis is by protecting the plantar fascia. Try not to run on hard or uneven ground, and control your weight to avoid putting strain on the tendon. Also wear shoes that support the arch to keep the plantar fascia from being over stretched, Foot.com advises.