Educational Articles

How Minimalist Shoes Can Help Prevent Ankle Sprains

Posted By Marty Hughes, DC

Disclaimer:

The above content is for educational or informational purposes only and is not intended to replace or augment professional medical instruction, diagnosis, or treatment. Read full disclaimer here.

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Comments
April 22, 2015
Mike

I don’t understand the point about the big toe. Wouldn’t the pinky toe be the bigger factor in preventing rolling your ankles? Even the link you put talks about the big toe and pronation, but the traditional ankle sprain is supination.

April 22, 2015
Natural Footgear

Hi, Mike,

Thank you for your comment. All the toes (including the big toe and the little toe) are important players in ankle sprain prevention. For most people, it’s the big toe that is most deviated from its natural alignment, and so restoring it to its true anatomical position can have a tremendous stabilizing effect on the entire foot/ankle complex. You’re absolutely correct that the little toe is important in preventing that most common inversion sprain at the ankle. I’ve updated that section of the post to give more credit to the little toe in preventing ankle rolling. Thanks again for your astute comment!

Kind regards,
Marty Hughes, DC

October 23, 2016
Brick

What are the awesome looking shoes in the picture at the top of the article?

December 13, 2016
Natural Footgear

Hi, Brick,

Thank you for your question. The shoes pictured in this image are Be Real Shoes:

www.naturalfootgear.com/pages/be-real-shoes

Cheers!
Marty Hughes, DC

December 13, 2016
Sara

Thanks for your fantastic resources! What’s your opinion on ballet flats?

December 13, 2016
Natural Footgear

Greetings, Sara,

Thank you for the positive feedback! We are happy to know when our resources are meeting people’s needs.

Regarding ballet flats, we hold true to our criteria for what constitutes a healthy shoe in general:

www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/education/17878244-definition-of-a-healthy-shoe

While nearly all ballet flats offer the flatness from heel to toe that is preferable, and most are functionally flexible, nearly none of them offer a wide enough toe box (i.e., a toe box that’s widest at the ends of the toes) to accommodate natural, healthy toe splay. As they say, two out of three ain’t bad. Unfortunately, neither is it optimal. Vivobarefoot offers the best we have seen; this model is called the Jing Jing. It hits all three criteria with high marks, though it still may not be wide enough in the toe box for some.

Thanks again for posting. I hope we can continue to prove helpful!

All best,
Sarah K. Schuetz

December 15, 2016
Mark Kamoski

What minimalist shoe do you recommend for indoor soccer on turf? How about a minimalist cross trainer? Suggestions? FYI: I am a 51-year-old indoor soccer player with glass ankles since age 13. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

December 15, 2016
Natural Footgear

Hi, Mark,

Thank you for your comment. And thank you for your questions!

One shoe that may be able to do double-duty and meet both of your needs is the Topo ST-2:

www.naturalfootgear.com/collections/mens-topo-shoes

It’s a lightweight, zero drop, wide toe box shoe that’s great for a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities. Removing the included (optional) liner allows you to have an improved ground feel, which is important for both indoor soccer and cross training.

I hope this info helps!

Kind regards,
Marty Hughes, DC

February 21, 2021
Barbara Drubka

I play pickleball outdoors and was wondering if you have a shoe that would work for that stop-and-go, side-to-side action?

February 21, 2021
Natural Footgear

Hi, Barbara,

Thank you for submitting your question! For activities like pickleball, we really like the Xero Prio athletic shoe. It’s got a nice wide toe box, a flat sole from heel to toe, and a relatively low stack height. You can learn more about this shoe here:

www.naturalfootgear.com/pages/xero-prio-shoes

I hope this info helps!

All the best,
Marty Hughes, DC

February 22, 2021
Petra Fisher

I love what you guys are doing here, thank you! I just wanted to say that I think the Lems Boulder Boots are a poor hiking choice because they have so little traction. I wish they’d put a better sole on because I love them apart from that and would happily hike in them otherwise.

February 22, 2021
Natural Footgear

Hi, Petra. Thank you for your comment. And thank you for your kind words!

In terms of the Lems Boulder Boot being a good or bad hiking boot choice, I think it depends on the kind of hiking you’re doing. From our perspective here at Natural Footgear, the Boulder Boot works great for the vast majority of hikes, with the possible exception of extremely slippery conditions (in particular, icy conditions). That problem can be solved, however, by using a winter traction aid in combination with the boots.

I’ve hiked the entire Annapurna Circuit in Nepal using nothing other than the Lems Boulder Boot as my footwear, and I’ve found them to be excellent for a multi-week hike such as this that incorporates all sorts of conditions and terrain. Would I use them for scaling a snowy, high-altitude mountain summit? Probably not. But for pretty much anything short of that, I have no qualms about donning these foot-shaped and lightweight boots.

Kind regards,
Marty Hughes, DC

January 28, 2024
Louise

Besides wearing barefoot shoes, do you have any resources or exercises for ankle strengthening, either to prevent sprains or as rehab?

January 28, 2024
Natural Footgear

Hi, Louise. Thank you for your excellent question! There are indeed a number of exercises you can do to strengthen and stabilize your ankles as a way to prevent (or recover from) ankle sprains. In our experience, we have found the most helpful exercises to be the ones associated with the BlackBoard Basic, Human Locomotion ToePro, Human Locomotion Two-to-One Ankle Rockboard, and Naboso Kineses Board foot gym tools. These tools are fantastic for improving ankle strength, and they allow you to target foot and ankle function from a variety of angles (and in a variety of ways).

Here are some resources from our site that discuss and demonstrate how you can put the above-mentioned tools to use for the purposes you inquired about:

How to Use the BlackBoard Basic
www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/educational-articles/how-to-use-the-blackboard-basic

How to Use the Human Locomotion ToePro
www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/educational-articles/how-to-use-the-human-locomotion-toepro

How to Use the Human Locomotion Two-to-One Ankle Rockboard
www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/educational-articles/how-to-use-the-human-locomotion-two-to-one-ankle-rockboard

How to Use the Naboso Kinesis Board
www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/educational-articles/how-to-use-the-naboso-kinesis-board

Regarding ankle sprains, another key factor for prevention and rehabilitation is splaying your toes! Functional footwear is a good start because it puts your foot on a flat, stable surface, which is important for ankle stability and for preventing any further pinching or deformation of your toes. Toe spacers, of course, take things to the next level, as they actively promote toe splay, which is essential for stabilizing and strengthening your ankles. Toe spacers also work great in combination with the tools and exercises mentioned above. Performing the Big Toe Stretch (www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/educational-articles/big-toe-stretch) is another simple thing you can do to develop sturdier ankles. Just to say, then, that an aligned first metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) is a strong first MPJ, and a strong first MPJ enables a strong ankle. So, though we’re talking about ankles here, your toes—and how they are aligned—are a key part of the equation.

Of course, we always recommend that you coordinate any post-ankle sprain recovery activities with your musculoskeletal health specialist to ensure that your needs are being met and that you are receiving the most personalized care possible. Stabilizing the foot and ankle is such an important consideration for optimal long-term lower leg health and function, and we wish you all the best in this pursuit. If you have any additional questions about the above, or if you have other questions about natural foot health topics, please don’t hesitate to drop another comment here or reach out to us through our site’s contact form: www.naturalfootgear.com/pages/contact.

Yours in Foot Health,
Drs. Marty & Robyn Hughes

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