See, you're an idiot for wearing those crazy toe shoes!

I'm still wearing my Vibram FiveFingers and I'm not stopping anytime soon.  Yes, I've seen the articles.  It seems everyone who knows of my VFF obsession has messaged or posted on my Facebook about articles like this one that tell of the lawsuit Vibram is settling.  So here's my take.

There are two stories going around and so I'll address both.

First.  This story came out showing that Vibrams are terrible for you feet.  According to this report, it is harder on your feet to transition to minimalist running shoes than it is to wear shoes with two and a half inches of padding underneath them.  DUH!  Is this a surprise?  Yes, transitioning to Vibrams for running takes time and your feet need to adjust.  This is not news.  But here are some real flaws in this study:

• 19 people were in this study running with VFF's.  That isn't a large enough group to make any real claims.
• Though the claim is that 10 of the 19 were injured, there were only 2 that had actual stress fractures.  (And there was 1 in the control group of 18 running in regular shoes.)  Again, this is not indicative of anything.
• There are no studies of people who use minimalist shoes long term, just transitions.  I wear Vibrams almost exclusively and have for 2 years.  Even when I go a few months without running, I can take off for 3 miles with no pain or injuries.

Second. So some random lady buys a pair of Vibram FiveFingers shoes because they claim that they'll strengthen her feet and decrease injuries.  And they don't magically make her fit and strong; they must be lying.  This kind of litigation drives me insane.  Vibram makes a common sense claim that using your feet the way nature (God) intended will be better for you and are sued because they haven't done years of studies to back up the claim.  It's ridiculous.  I understand why VFF settled the lawsuit and are paying out millions; since they'd probably get worse publicity and spend more defending themselves against such a frivolous suit.  (And don't get me wrong; I don't believe VFF to be a nonprofit who hasn't made a bundle off of these shoes.  They are financially motivated to convince you their toe shoes are a good idea and worth the $100 you can often pay for them.)

But I'm still wearing them.  I got my first pair planning to use them canoeing and fishing in Canada.  The first time I tried running in them, I went way too far and ended up with fist-sized knots in my calves for a week.  (Though no bone injuries.)  But even that first run was easier and less painful than the shin splints and lower back pain I always got running with regular shoes.  After getting used to my VFF's, I didn't want to wear other shoes anymore.  Even my beloved flip flops were a chore to walk around in compared to my toe shoes.  So no I wear them everyday.  I have kangaroo leather ones for the office and even for preaching on Sundays, I have casual ones that look like vintage tennis shoes - with toes, and I have trail runners for harsher grounds.  And I love all of them.  I'll keep wearing them cause I feel good in them, and love how they feel.  (My wife and our boys will continue to wear them too.)  To me, it's simple.  God made our feet to be used a certain way.  Instead, we shove them inside shoes that make us walk and run completely differently, and then we wonder why we have bad backs, knees, and hips.   Maybe someone should sue Nike, Reebok, and Adidas for all the knee replacements and chiropractic appointments from a lifetime of use.