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Best Shoes for Massage Therapy
I am looking for shoes. Any suggestions from the uber-massage therapists out there??
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Amy Dininger on
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I'm new to this website so this is my first post :)
I personally have worked in Spas where I am suppose to wear nice flats, I have also massaged barefoot. I own my own practice right now and I currently wear good supportive tennis shoes. My reasoning for this is that my feet, hips, legs, knees glutes and lower back were ALL were getting sore when I wasn't wearing the right shoes. It is SOOOOO important to have good support because that is what helps make the massages possible. My boyfriend is a personal trainer as well and his input is that not wearing the proper shoes is the number one reason for low back and hip pain. And we all know how much we use our hips for leverage in massage. A side note: my chiropracter also told me that if I ever come back in wearing flip flops or flats again he will send me away lol of course he was joking but you get the point. Wear shoes that are going to support your body if you plan on being able to give massages for a long time :)
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Permalink Reply by Jason Wright on
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So many different opinions and paradigms of understanding! I've found that among the bodyworkers that I know or have made acquaintances with most of them feel very strongly one way or the other on the subject of shoes and foot function.
Amy, have you heard about the idea of balancing and strengthening the leg and foot myofascia to reform (or reinforce) the arches? Or have you heard ideas of the potential dangers of shoes with arch and other supports, raised heels, and orthotics?
Jason
Amy Dininger said:I'm new to this website so this is my first post :)
I personally have worked in Spas where I am suppose to wear nice flats, I have also massaged barefoot. I own my own practice right now and I currently wear good supportive tennis shoes. My reasoning for this is that my feet, hips, legs, knees glutes and lower back were ALL were getting sore when I wasn't wearing the right shoes. It is SOOOOO important to have good support because that is what helps make the massages possible. My boyfriend is a personal trainer as well and his input is that not wearing the proper shoes is the number one reason for low back and hip pain. And we all know how much we use our hips for leverage in massage. A side note: my chiropracter also told me that if I ever come back in wearing flip flops or flats again he will send me away lol of course he was joking but you get the point. Wear shoes that are going to support your body if you plan on being able to give massages for a long time :)
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Permalink Reply by Sandy Fritz on
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A shoe is a piece of your equipment and therfore falls under the catagory of ergonomics. The ability to transmit force, what we tend to call pressure, is dependent on traction at the foot. Therefore, you need a comfortable shoe that fully evelopes the foot and has a non slip sole. Some sort of athletic shoe tends to work best.
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Sandy I'm very interested in what you wrote about the ability to transmit force being dependent on the traction at the foot. Can you elaborate? Are you of the opinion that we can better transmit forces through shoes to the ground than through the bare foot?
Jason
Sandy Fritz said:A shoe is a piece of your equipment and therfore falls under the catagory of ergonomics. The ability to transmit force, what we tend to call pressure, is dependent on traction at the foot. Therefore, you need a comfortable shoe that fully evelopes the foot and has a non slip sole. Some sort of athletic shoe tends to work best.
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No I haven't heard much about that. I just know what has worked for me but I definitely agree that different things work better for different people. The other issue I ran into with being barefoot in a spa I worked at was my feet were getting black because the carpets weren't clean enough and it was gross! lol So after that I am opposed to walking barefoot in public places. I would definitely like to know more about strengthening your foot through myofascial work though. That sounds very interesting :)
Jason Allen Wright said:So many different opinions and paradigms of understanding! I've found that among the bodyworkers that I know or have made acquaintances with most of them feel very strongly one way or the other on the subject of shoes and foot function.
Amy, have you heard about the idea of balancing and strengthening the leg and foot myofascia to reform (or reinforce) the arches? Or have you heard ideas of the potential dangers of shoes with arch and other supports, raised heels, and orthotics?
Jason
Amy Dininger said:I'm new to this website so this is my first post :)
I personally have worked in Spas where I am suppose to wear nice flats, I have also massaged barefoot. I own my own practice right now and I currently wear good supportive tennis shoes. My reasoning for this is that my feet, hips, legs, knees glutes and lower back were ALL were getting sore when I wasn't wearing the right shoes. It is SOOOOO important to have good support because that is what helps make the massages possible. My boyfriend is a personal trainer as well and his input is that not wearing the proper shoes is the number one reason for low back and hip pain. And we all know how much we use our hips for leverage in massage. A side note: my chiropracter also told me that if I ever come back in wearing flip flops or flats again he will send me away lol of course he was joking but you get the point. Wear shoes that are going to support your body if you plan on being able to give massages for a long time :)
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Permalink Reply by Vivian on
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My Quarks have arrived and I have tried them out. They are very comfortable and easy to slip on and off. They are not quiet though, they started off with a tiny squeak that wasn't to bad. But these soft rubbery shoes do not breath, so as the day wears on moisture begins to accumulate and then the squeak get louder and louder and louder.
So I have to give these babies a thumbs down.
The search continues.
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Permalink Reply by Julie Castell on
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vivian,
that's a bummer. Thanks for the tip.
Vivian Murray said:My Quarks have arrived and I have tried them out. They are very comfortable and easy to slip on and off. They are not quiet though, they started off with a tiny squeak that wasn't to bad. But these soft rubbery shoes do not breath, so as the day wears on moisture begins to accumulate and then the squeak get louder and louder and louder.
So I have to give these babies a thumbs down.
The search continues.
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Hi Jodi.
I got the traditional clog type style, I think they call it the "quarky" now I see that there are many styles with side vents so apparently this is a common problem. If there was some way i could neatly punch a few holes in the sides, I think they would work out just fine. A paper hole punch would work but it wont reach far enough, I've been trying to think of something. I like the shoe except for the squeeky/moisture thing, so I think I might try quarks again, but only the vented kind.
Regards
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Permalink Reply by rebecca harris on
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I find using Le-Crocs is the most comffy for my feet.
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Permalink Reply by Cynthia A Sedor on
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I wear clogs, mainly Dansko in the Fall/ winter as they are easy to slip off!!
I can't work in shoes for the entire session.
This summer I found a pair of Birkenstocks which are really comfortable as well. Again, easy to slip on and off!!
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Permalink Reply by Lynn Johnson on
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I like the negative heel shoe and the style and look of the image in july/august 2010 massage & bodywork magazine on pg 81. I'm did not find them online and that is what led me to sign up on this forum. Can anyone direct me to them?
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thank you, the write up on them is nice. looks like a good shoe.
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