Having a positive impact on your health
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The design of our shoes respects natural gait and the natural morphology of the foot.
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When we say “positive health impact” we mean :
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The footwear of any community that wants to participate needs to respect the natural gait and morphology of each individual foot, so called minimal footwear. To define whether the footwear is minimal the biomechanical effect of walking in (indigenous) footwear needs to be quantified and a standard research protocol[1] needs to be followed, containing :
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a comparative analysis between barefoot walking versus shod walking with indigenous shoes over a planter pressure distribution plate;
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a production ethnography (description of materials, amounts, weight etc.) of the local footwear;
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Shoes should respect the shape of the foot. They are sufficiently wide.
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Shoes should allow for proprioception, which means that you are able to feel the surface you walk upon. They are sufficiently thin.
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Shoes should allow for a smooth roll-off of the foot. They are sufficiently flexible.
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How does Future Footwear Foundation ensure compliance with these requirements ?
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Mandatory prescreening investigating health-potential
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Future Footwear Foundation who signs off the designs of these shoes, is continuously engaged in academic research on positive health impact of footwear.
[1] A full overview of the protocol and published open source research articles are available upon request