A 2015 article in Popular Mechanics talked about what that last hole in your sneakers lacing pattern is about. Turns out if you feed your lace back in, you can anchor your lace so that it does not come untied. Sadly though, the article did not discuss many other things that lacing can do for a person trying to wear a shoe.
Shoes are designed to protect your feet. Loggers, to log, should wear logging shoes, not ballet shoes. Translated, we need to all be wearing the shoe that is designed for the job at hand. Running shoes are for running. They are angled to propel one forward. This is good for running but not so good for an elder who already has balance problems.
Shoes are also supposed to fit properly so that the toes (which are supposed to be balancers, not shoe holder-oners) are free, not constrained. For a shoe to work, the heal of the foot needs to be secured to the heal of the shoe. This can be done with a lace, a strap or glue (just kidding). Once the heal is secured then the person wearing the shoe doesn’t actually have to do any fancy footwork to hold the shoe on. This relieves tension and allows the toes to be used for balance. The release of tension improves circulation. For people suffering from neuropathies or illnesses that affect blood flow and circulation, this is huge.
We do a 1 finger test. We developed it literally to help people understand that being forward in their shoes was not good. We then developed a lacing pattern that secures people into the back of their shoes. The result, people feel lighter, more in control and much better balanced because they are now wearing their shoes correctly. Teaching people how to wear their shoes and socks (yes even their flip flops) to maximize the benefit and minimize the damages, in the least expensive way possible, is what we do. Check out our lacing video.
Thanks – Kate