What Are The Benefits of Zero Drop Shoes?

Barefoot shoes are shoes that are foot-shaped, with plenty of room to wiggle your toes, and flexible enough to let your feet do their thing. But part of the secret sauce that makes barefoot shoes so awesome is that they are zero drop.

Say what?!?

Zero drop simply means that the shoe is flat from front to back, with no heel elevation, nada, zero, zilch.

But hold on we hear you cry, unless you're stomping around in power heels, a lot of regular shoes are flat, aren’t they?  Funny you should ask that because we’ve got a little something to share with you. 

Your Shoes Have Been Lying to You.

Conventional shoes have a dirty little secret when it comes to elevation. Most of them come with a subtle (or not-so-subtle) lift at the heel. So, when you slip into those comfy-looking sneakers, loafers, or everyday shoes, you’re likely walking around in low-key heels.

Shocking, right?

The average running shoe has about a 10mm drop from heel to toe. Some everyday shoes? They can sneak in as much as 14 to 24mm heel-to-toe height difference. Meaning your shoes are not as flat as they seem. 

So, unless you’ve been wearing barefoot shoes your whole life you’ve probably been walking around in disguised heels without even knowing it.

The problem with this? The hidden lift messes with your body’s natural mechanics. Your posture gets thrown off, and your body compensates by putting extra pressure on your knees, hips, and lower back.

Zero Drop: The Flat Out Truth.

Shoes that are zero drop have a zero millimeter difference between heel and toe, aka there’s none of that unnecessary lift. This means no compensation is required from your ankles, knees, or hips. So your feet and body move the way nature intended.  

When you slip into a pair of barefoot shoes your feet start behaving as if they were shoeless. 

The Benefits of Zero Drop Shoes

Zero drop shoes help your body work with its natural biomechanics. 

Translation? 

Your posture improves, your stride becomes smoother, and your joints get a much-needed break. Rather than dumping all the impact on your knees (looking at you, conventional shoes), zero drop shoes help distribute the force across your foot and evenly through your joints.

In short, zero drop shoes help you move lighter, smoother, and more efficiently.

Your Arches Will Throw a Party. When you’re walking around in your hidden-heeled shoes, your arches don’t get to fully do their thing. They’re just there, not living up to their potential. Tragic.

Zero drop shoes let your arches come to life. They get to fully engage, which helps your feet get stronger and function effectively. Over time your foot shape becomes more natural, and *drumroll please* you experience less pain!

Zero Drop Shoes = Less Pain.

The major benefit of zero drop shoes is less pain, everywhere! 

As your feet adjust to their new freedom and become the strong foundation they were meant to be you’ll start noticing less discomfort in your ankles, knees, hips, and lower back. 

Your body is finally aligned as it no longer compensates for that sneaky heel lift. Plus, as your foot muscles get stronger, you’ll get the benefit of being more stable and balanced on your feet.

Transitioning to Zero Drop Shoes? Take it Slow!

We get it, everything we’re saying is making you want to throw your zero-drop shoes on immediately and transform yourself into the barefoot, pain-free hero you’re destined to be. 

But if the years of wearing secret heels have taught your feet anything it’s some bad habits. So it’s gonna take a little while for your muscles and tendons to wake up and get with the new program.

Our advice? Start slow. Give your feet time to adjust. Let those dormant muscles build strength gradually, and before you know it, you’ll be reaping all the benefits zero drop shoes have to offer. 

We’ve got you covered with the lowdown making the switch to barefoot, zero drop shoes a sustainable one right HERE

If you’re wondering all of our shoes here at SPLAY are zero drop, which you now know means FREEDOM for your feet.