Senior Health: Rocker-Sole Shoes for Seniors Too!

Rocker-sole shoes are all the rage.  Of course the advertisements pitch to teens and young adults by promising them toned thighs and firm buttocks, but that isn’t the only purpose.  As usual marketing has forgotten about us, the older end of the continuum, but you might be surprised at how many seniors are wearing rocker-sole shoes and loving them.

 

You might call rocker-shoes “instability shoes,” as Nadine Hantke (McClatchy-Tribune Business News, Washington: September 2010) refers to them.  Rocker shoes have been around for awhile and claim to mimic the naturally unstable human gait.  Muscles are used more and in different ways.  The end result is less strain on the knees and back. The instability of the rocker shoe comes from the high rounded soles.  To correct for the shoes instability you are forced to change your usual gait.

 

A friend of mind recommended these shoes to me because I have been troubled with recurrent plantar fasciitis for many years.  I was desperate to find a comfortable shoe that would relieve the stress on my heels and toes.  She had a similar problem related to torn tendon, and her podiatrist recommended rocker-sole shoes.  She tried them and loved them so much that she was eager for me to give them a try.

 

I did try, and guess what?  She was right.  My feet feel so good that I am counting this experience as a minor miracle.  Not only do they relieve pressure on the heels and toes, but the rocking motion exercises/stretches the painful tendon that is responsible for the problem in the first place.  I am in love.

 My daughter tells me they are truly ugly though, and this is probably a sign that that I am officially old, because I don’t care.  My friend tells me that she found a pair that is a little dressier than the general oxford style, and she feels okay about wearing them with a dress.  Some people recommend giving yourself an adjustment period by wearing them for only 20 minutes a day at first, but others put them on and can wore them like a regular shoe right away. 

 

You don’t get firmer buttocks and better toned thighs simply by wearing the shoes, but at our age having pain free feet is probably more important anyway.  As a whole rocker-sole shoe get a” thumbs up”, and researchers feel that  adjusting for instability while walking is beneficial and could possibly prevent some orthopedic problems.

 

Some older people, especially if they have trouble walking, may lack the coordination for unstable walking. The shoes are suitable for walking but are not recommended for running.  The feeling is similar to walking on wet sand, grass or soft forest soil.  Doesn’t that make your feet feel good just thinking about it?

 

 

Comments

[Campbell White]

The rocker sole shoe category is shifting toward brands that are more stable. Here is a video that discussed new rocker sole shoe trends for 2011:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ0t5KUrWro