Can walking around in some strange-looking shoes make your bum shrink by a few inches, or could they cause more problems than they're worth?
They can give you supermodel legs, banish cellulite and improve your posture, so the manufacturers claim. Celebs like Sadie Frost, Cherie Blair and Jodie Kidd apparently love their MBTs, while Pierce Brosnan and Gwyneth Paltrow wear Earth shoes. New shoe on the block Chung Shi, a German product, has Gerry Hall raving. Can these pieces of New Age footwear really do what they say they can, or is it just a load of hype?
MBTs
The Masai barefoot technology (MBT) shoe is Swiss designed and works through a unique patented curved layer sole. With regular use, the body is said to lengthen into a tall, upright posture, therefore releasing pressure in joints and the back, while using neglected muscle groups in the target area of stomach and buttocks.
Do they work? 'Yes,' says Sammy Margo, spokesperson for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists. 'I've been wearing mine for three years and they suit me perfectly. However, they don't work for everyone. For people with hypermobility in their spine, and weak core stability, postural problems could get worse.'
Alex Hazell, a 28-year-old health journalist working in London, agrees that MBTs aren't always the answer. 'I started wearing mine about four years ago,' she says. 'At first I thought they were great, but then my physiotherapist pointed out that I was getting shoulder problems and the shoe was throwing me forward posturally, which wasn't helping. In the end, I ditched them for a properly fitted training shoe.'
Sammy Margo adds: 'You definitely need to be doing a Pilates class or working on your core stability, i.e. strengthening the muscles in your stomach and back to really make the MBTs work for you. You also need to be trained properly in how to wear them, and wearing the shoe has to fit with your lifestyle and overall state of health.'
Research has shown that for most people, wearing MBTs increases the rate their muscles work, and there are plenty of anecdotal case studies of people finding that their joint problems improved dramatically after switching to them. At £129 a pair, however, MBTs aren't a throwaway investment, but their popularity continues to grow.
Chung Shi
This relatively new shoe on the block is from Germany and with fewer consumers to vouch for its claims, it's hard to assess its usefulness. It is similar to an MBT shoe, in that it has an iron bar in the centre of the shoe, to encourage muscles in the legs to work harder at finding a better posture. However, the shoe looks very different; instead of heavy cushioning, the shoe has very little, and virtually no heel, so it looks much harder on the feet.
Lizzie Marshall, a personal trainer who runs L J M Sports, who import the product, says: 'I find people now want to wear Chung Shis after they've tried MBTs out. It does make the legs work even harder. Some recent research we commissioned says that thigh activity is increased by 50 per cent.'
Earth shoes
Earth shoes look more like regular trainers, except the shoe positions your heel lower than the toe, which corrects posture, reduces cellulite and tones the leg, buttock and tummy muscles, according to Glenys Berd, who runs the company Lovethoseshoes. The shoe is light and is easier to wear compared to the much heavier MBT. Perhaps an easy introduction into this new type of shoe?
Ciabasan posture trainers
And if you want to do your foot training indoors, why not try this unisex footwear from Italy? It is a slipper type half-shoe, which only supports half your foot - you literally hang off the end of them. Allegedly, this half-shoe stimulates your reflexology points as well as forcing you to adopt a better posture. They are also said to improve circulation and lymphatic drainage, thus helping to reduce cellulite.
If you do want to try one of these shoes out, then it is important that you go to a good shoe store, preferably a specialist running shoe shop, to get your gait analysed and any foot problems diagnosed. Common foot problems like pronation (when the foot turns outwards or inwards) and low arches, need correcting with orthotic implants into the shoes. For some people, just buying an expensive pair of postural trainers won't work. MBTs can be worn with orthotics, but Chung Shis aren't really suitable, so getting sound advice from an expert is advisable before you invest in a new shoe.
'Personally, I think these shoes are a great addition to the footwear market, as you can now legitimately wear something which is doing your body some good,' says Sammy Margo. 'Looking after your feet is something most of us neglect, and anything that helps with improving posture has to be a good thing.'
Not for the Jimmy Choos fans though: clumpy MBTs just do not look good with a designer outfit...