Our own Rebecca Shapiro, an avid athlete, contributed this powerful testimonial after one full year of using Correct Toes, performing stretches, and wearing healthy footwear. She describes her journey toward foot health, illustrating both the benefits and the challenges. Here’s Rebecca’s story:
My feet are no strangers to tight, rigid, conventional footwear. From my earliest memories, I spent my winters in alpine ski boots and my summers in narrow cycling shoes or tapered English riding boots. In elementary school, I remember noticing that my feet were different. My big toes bent toward my second toes, dramatically increasing over time on my left foot. I saw my first podiatrist and started wearing orthotics at the age of 11. While correcting how I moved, the orthotics did not fix my bunion, and they left my feet weak and dependent on support. By the age of 14, I started noticing that I no longer had full sensation in the ends of my toes, especially my left big toe. I had never really thought about this lack of sensation being a problem and blamed the issue on too many cold winter training camps up at Mt. Hood.
While I considered myself to be a competitive athlete in many sports, I was also very clumsy. I tripped and fell frequently, and I could rarely complete any balance or stability exercises. I never would have believed it if someone had told me that my bunion, my neuropathy, and my balance issues were related. I would have laughed at them had they said these problems were caused by my footwear. And I would have been incredulous if they had said that all three problems could be fixed by wearing a piece of silicone between my toes.
Skip ahead to present day, and here I am, one year into my transition to Correct Toes and minimalist footwear. I wear Correct Toes 40-50 hours a week, and I’ve transitioned to new footwear across the board, including casual, dress, and athletic shoes. The results of the last year have been so unexpected. Not only has my bunion visibly reduced, but I now have full sensation back in my toes. Visually, my forth and fifth toes no longer rotate inward as drastically. I stand taller, as my arches no longer collapse and pronate as I move. Best of all, I don’t trip anymore! The improvements I feel in my body are now far more important to me, compared to how my feet aesthetically look.
The positive changes I’ve experienced over the last year haven’t been without discomfort or setbacks. This treatment path is not easy: it requires a huge commitment, dedication, and most of all, patience. I think it’s important to realize that changing to minimalist, barefoot-like footwear is part of a lifestyle, and that Correct Toes do not provide a quick fix. Change comes slowly, and it’s not comfortable at all times. During my transition to Correct Toes and minimalist footwear I experienced the usual foot and calf soreness. I also had a short bout with Achilles tendonitis six months in, and now I’m currently rehabbing a knee tracking issue.
Despite the bumps along the way, I would never go back. Over the coming years, I expect to continue seeing visual improvements in my feet and physical improvement in my body.
This journey is so far from being over.
Rebecca also speaks in this video, which recounts her story and demonstrates the effectiveness of Correct Toes and healthy footwear practices in restoring toe alignment.
