How an Epidemic of Equinus Created a Successful Retail Pedorthic Business
In 2010, I met Christopher McDougall, author
of Born to Run. It was his signature book about
the Tarahumara Indian tribe of distance runners
in Mexico that started the barefoot/minimal
running craze. That year I had the opportunity to
speak with Micah True. Micah was the character
known as “El Cabello Blanco” in McDougall’s
book who befriended the Tarahumara and was
responsible for bringing them to the attention of
the running world¹. While the book is credited
with promoting barefoot and minimally shod
running, my takeaway was quite different.
McDougall blames Nike® for the dramatic rise
in injuries since the introduction of the modern
running shoe which was designed to facilitate
a heel-strike running style¹. The shoes were
created with an elevated heel which was supposed
to provide additional shock absorption for the
calcaneus. No sooner did they elevate the heel of
the shoe than there was a sudden rise in rotational
injuries like shin splints, IT Band, and hip pain.
The running shoe industry response was to make
“motion control” shoes, since the obvious cause
was that 70% of the population overpronates. I
don't agree. I believe that to a large extent, the
cause of the overpronation is the elevated heel
causing a premature heel strike that crashes the
forefoot to the ground in a lever arm effect.
It was armed with this knowledge, that I discovered
a running shoe brand that did not have an elevated
heel, but was not flimsy or minimal footwear.
I decided to try trail running and hiking in their
shoes. Since there were no dealers in our market
area, I ordered eight pairs and put seven of them
into stock. As I began to have my patients try this
new radical, “zero drop” shoe I kept getting the
same reaction, “Wow!” Patients started buying the
shoes for wellness and got better quickly—some
"McDougall blames Nike® for the
dramatic rise in injuries since the
introduction of the modern running
shoe which was designed to facilitate
a heel-strike running style."
22
Pedorthic Footcare Association www.pedorthics.org