I have to tell you about some shoes. They are called mbt shoes <http://www.mbt-uk.com/ >. From the Web site:
Masai Barefoot Technology ...
… activates neglected muscles … improves posture and gait … tones and shapes the body … can help with back, hip, leg and foot problems … can help with joint, muscle, ligament and tendon injuries … reduces stress on knee and hip joints
They only make them in adult sizes, but I contacted the company and there is a guy in NYC who can add the mbt sole to any pair of shoes. We also had him add arch support since Kian has a tendency to pronate a bit, especially when tired. The cost is $125. He can be found at:
EneslowThe Foot Comfort Center 924 Broadway (between 21st and 22nd) New York, New York, 10010 Phone: (212) 477-2300 Fax: (212) 477-2156
We put a pair on Kian (age 2) today and the effects were amazing, both to us and to his PT and OT. His posture immediately improved. He lost his sway back and he held in his tummy. His feet came closer together and his hip alignment improved. He can run in them and squat in them and loves rocking back and forth on them. He laughs at the rocking motion and really seems to enjoy them.
I have a pair and they are very comfortable. They are my shoe of choice and I can feel them a bit on my legs. When I really noticed them, however, was the day after I had an English riding lesson (with posting and posting and posting). The next day my legs ached, but it wasn't so bad until I put on my mbt's. With my mbt's on it seems like I felt every sore muscle in my trunk and hips and buttocks and legs. In fact, the muscle ache in the mbt's was so pronounced that I couldn't wear them for a day or two until I had recovered from my grueling horse ride. It made me realize how many muscles I must be using when walking with mbt's in comparison to normal shoes.
The shoes are designed to be unstable and they are unstable, so keep that in mind. So far, however, the instability doesn't seem to be getting in Kian's way.
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