Call me old-timey but a honking good tip for preventing and reducing back pain can be found in the simple shoe horn. This article goes out to my last shoe horn that just broke... RIP (Recycled in pieces).
Now, you may be the kind of person that unties their shoes every time they take them off. You may even be the kind of person that only wears slip ons or velcro footwear. Or you may be like me, and wear running shoes for most occasions. Whatever type of shoe wearer you are, using a shoe horn can help save your spine, and the spine of your shoes.
Although I couldn’t find any official dates for when shoe horns came into circulation, the National Smithosian museum has a “shoe horn and jack” dating back to its patent in 1883 (1). Wikipedia states that they’ve been used since the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods and were only used by the upper class. Whatever the case, shoe horns have been around for hundreds of years helping boot wears and shoe wearers alike.
Originally, a shoe horn was a short, spoon-like device that helped the foot get into tight shoes. This shape hasn’t changed much over its time helping heels but footwear has changed dramatically. A shoe horn saves your descending foot from crushing and folding the heel of the shoe. This heel (also called heel counter) helps keep the back of your foot seated in the shoe without slippage. If the shoe’s heel is broken, your foot has a higher likelihood of having pressure points and slipping out as you walk or run. In today’s day and age, a shoe horn can be picked up in a variety of materials, lengths and prices. A majority of the time this tool is small, plastic, and free or only a few dollars. Longer wooden or metal shoe horns can be found from 16 to 31 inches and around $20 to $35.
I will be honest and say, it may make you look a million years older but reducing your need to bend while you put on your footwear will keep the spine young and healthy.
Happy shoes, happy back,
Dr. Cole Maranger DC
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