MBT academy has done a survey of 1000 individuals and found that two thirds had suffered back pain. Half of the sufferers had dealt with the problem on their own while the other half sought medical help.
This is not unusual in itself, however, MBT are a footwear company. Obviously a footwear company want to sell its shoes, however, this shoe company doesn’t like shoes. These shoes really are different to the norm. Don’t be fooled by the picture to the left, MBT stands for “Masai Barefoot Technology”. Think about that... Barefoot shoes.
In the early 1990’s the founder of the company noticed that the Masai not only never suffer with bad backs, they also never wear shoes. He wondered if there was more than a casual connection of these two facts. He claims that the muscles used to keep the Masai steady on his uneven ground atrophy when he is given shoes and walks on even ground. Back pain can then ensue.
Have a look at their web site (it is one of the best designed flash based sites I have come across and is presented in 18 languages) and consider the design of their footwear. They have an excellent flash based explanation of their footwear. They are not cheap, but they certainly do make you think and there is some interesting research you could kick about.
