Modern shoes can reduce sensory feedback and influence athletic performance
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The Silent Injury Epidemic
It’s a topic many people are reluctant to discuss, but concerns about injury rates, severity, and how early both athletes and the wider population experience musculoskeletal issues are becoming harder to ignore. This sits uncomfortably alongside the assumption that modern life and progress automatically make us more resilient.
There was a time when serious injuries like ACL or Achilles ruptures in young athletes were regarded as highly unusual. Today, they are more commonly accepted as part of the sporting landscape.
One factor often discussed in relation to declining resilience is the widespread use of modern cushioned sneakers. They are commonly recommended for professional athletes, reinforced by fashion trends that favour increasing levels of cushioning, and even promoted for protecting babies’ feet from birth.
This can reduce exposure to natural variation in movement and loading, with potential implications for long-term athletic capacity, wellbeing, and injury risk.
four problemswith modernshoes
Narrow Toe-box
Many modern shoes taper at the forefoot, limiting natural toe spread and altering how load is distributed across the front of the foot. Over time, this can influence toe mobility, overall foot shape, and movement mechanics, and is often discussed in relation to issues such as bunions, plantar fasciitis, and stress-related injuries.
Arch Support
The idea of “use it or lose it” is often raised in discussions about foot function. Many modern shoes include varying levels of arch support, which can change how the intrinsic muscles and connective tissues of the foot are engaged during walking and running. Over time, this may influence gait patterns and how forces are absorbed through the foot
A shoe with a flatter insole allows the foot to move and load with fewer constraints. When foot function is limited, prioritising strength, mobility, and movement capacity is often considered more constructive than defaulting to arch support or custom orthotics alone..
Heel Raise
Most modern sneakers include some degree of heel-to-toe drop, describing the height difference between the heel and the forefoot. Lower or zero-drop designs may allow the foot and ankle to operate with fewer positional constraints. Consistently wearing shoes with a raised heel can influence strike patterns and loading strategies, as cushioning and geometry shape how the body chooses to move.
Un-Grounded
Last but not least.
Being barefoot on natural surfaces places the body in direct electrical contact with the ground. Modern footwear, with insulating soles, interrupts this contact.
Why Bahé
I’ve been wearing barefoot-style shoes for over 10 years following a non-contact double foot fracture, and over that time I’ve tried a wide range of brands. Working with Bahé felt different, because there was a shared focus on natural movement, considered design, and creating footwear that balances function with aesthetics.
I was drawn to the opportunity to collaborate with a team willing to question conventions and explore design choices within barefoot-informed footwear, including how grounding technology might be incorporated as part of the overall design. Bahé’s approach to innovation and their ability to move quickly made the collaboration feel like a natural fit, and I’m excited to continue working together on footwear designed with athletes in mind.
Grounded
Foot Shape
0mm
Your Choice
how to benefit
Nature Walks
Stay grounded while in nature without needing to take your shoes off
Casual Use
Fashionable, functional, and flexible, perfect for allowing your feet to move more naturally
Running
The perfect shoe to let your feet function properly while exercising
The Power of Ultraviolet
For this shoe, we chose to incorporate my purple brand colour as an accent, reflecting the interconnected nature of the human body and the thinking behind Football Entangled. Purple is commonly used to represent ultraviolet light, a natural part of sunlight that sits just beyond the visible spectrum, which felt like a fitting design reference.
The intention was to bring a distinctive visual identity to the shoe while tying the colour choice back to themes of connection, movement, and the natural environment.
I hope you enjoy.
Taylor Davidson
This limited edition collaboration has now sold out.
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