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Not only do toe-springs reduce the contact surface area you have with the ground, but they also lead to foot-muscle weakness, making you prone for common foot problems such as plantar fasciitis.  The effects of toe-springs has been poorly researched, until only last year, confirming what we've known for some time through experience.  This is why one of our unconditional requirements for a functional shoe is that the toe-box should be flat, but also wide, foot shaped and flexible enough so that you can use and strengthen your toes! Source: Sichting, Freddy & Holowka, Nicholas & Hansen, Oliver & Lieberman, Daniel....

CONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE FEET OF BAREFOOTED AND SHOE-WEAR­ING PEOPLES.  Ample opportunity for the study of feet of individuals that had never worn footwear was furnished by the Philippine ex­hibit and by the Central African or Pigmy group at the Louisi­ana Purchase Exposition. Such studies were made on one hundred eighty six pairs of feet. Click here for full PDF

Antiaging therapies show promise in model organism research. Translation to humans is needed to address the challenges of an aging global population. Interventions to slow human aging will need to be applied to still-young individuals. However, most human aging research examines older adults, many with chronic disease. As a result, little is known about aging in young humans. We studied aging in 954 young humans, the Dunedin Study birth cohort, tracking multiple biomarkers across three time points spanning their third and fourth decades of life. We developed and validated two methods by which aging can be measured in young adults,...

Kevin A. Kirby, DPM, MS* A new theory of foot function based on the spatial location of the subta- lar joint axis in relation to the weight bearing structures of the plantar foot is proposed. The theory relies on the concept of subtalar joint rotational equilibrium to explain how externally generated forces, such as ground reaction force, and internally generated forces, such as ligamentous and tendon tensile forces and joint compression forces, affect the mechani- cal behavior of the foot and lower extremity. The biomechanical effect of variations among individuals in the spatial location of the subtalar joint axis are explored, along...