About 80 percent of adults suffer from back pain, most often in the lower back, at some time in their lives. Although chronic conditions such as arthritis, rheumatism, bone disease, and abnormal curvature of the spine cause back pain, it is known that most cases of back pain have a psychological origin, very often a deep-seated emotional or stress-related problem. Poor posture and walking habits, improper lifting, slouching when sitting, and sleeping on a mattress that is too soft also trigger back pain.
Another, lesser-known cause of back pain, is the wearing of conventional shoes which stabilize the body in such a way that the body’s supporting muscle system is neglected, resulting in joint and back pain. We take around 10,000 steps each day and if we walk badly that amounts to 10,000 shocks to our spine and joints.
During a stay in Korea, a Swiss engineer, Karl Muller discovered a remedy for his chronic back pain. Whenever he suffered from back pain, he wandered barefoot across paddy fields and the pain always went away. While trying to understand this puzzling observation, Muller stumbled across the secret of the Masai: the simple fact that walking barefoot on soft, natural ground means that they have to balance their bodies with each and every step. Joint and back pain are practically unknown among them, they enjoy stable health and remarkable athletic ability.
After his return to Switzerland, Karl Muller worked on developing a footwear that would make the natural instability of soft surfaces accessible to people forced to move on hard ground. After many years of research, a footwear that would continuously stimulate the muscles of the whole body, was discovered and called “Masai Barefoot Technology” or MBT.
“We used radical measures to dramatize the corrosive effect on our health from wearing traditional shoes and radical thinking to engineer and design a new kind of footwear that was different from anything else on the market. We named our footwear MBT, and refused to call it a shoe because MBT is totally different. Its sole is curved, not flat; it is unstable, not stable and it has a positive effect on the entire body, not just the feet. In other words, it is the antithesis of a shoe. We still believe that every shoe box should be required to display the warning: ‘Shoes are harmful to your health’” explains a company spokesman.
MBT’s uniquely-designed, multi-layered sole is designed to stimulate walking in sand which creates a natural, uneven walking surface and forces the body to use all the major muscles, thus training the whole body to move correctly.
Physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors and Pilates instructors have recommended this revolutionary footwear which activates neglected muscles, improves posture and gait, tones and shapes the body, reduces stress on knee and hip joints and finally helps reduce back, hip, leg, and foot problems.
Worn by celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Gwenyth Paltrow, Madonna, Teri Hatcher and Jemima Khan, a growing number of women are also discovering that wearing MBT’s will help beat cellulite with their feet.
While walking, you burn up to 5 times more calories than wearing normal trainers and it has been proven that these special trainers strengthen and tone leg and torso muscles even by standing still in them. The shoes are like a gym on your feet, a piece of training equipment, because the curved soles give your whole body a workout, even when you are just standing around or even sitting.
The first physiological footwear which has a positive effect on the whole body, is selling like hot cakes in Europe, in the United States and Australia. One-and-a-half million pairs have been sold globally but this revolutionary footwear has yet to be introduced into the Middle East. Originally designed for Olympic athletes in training, MBT’s sales are increasing worldwide; the growth is expected to continue with a special children’s line due to be launched this year in Australia.
