Forget surgery. Buy a new pair of shoes and kick foot, back, knee and spinal pain out of your life. Niamh Hooper reports
The hitherto gods of footwear, Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo, have competition. If you haven't yet heard of the MBT, you will.
Coming with the promise of improved posture, reduced joint pain, the toning of muscles and the banishment of cellulite, these clunky, unconventional runners, sandals, boots and casual shoes are this season's most sought-after footwear.
But far from being a fashion fad, they are classified as a medical device endorsed by doctors, physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors and are sold accordingly with an instructional video after you are specially fitted for a pair.
Designed by Swiss engineer, Karl Muller, who was plagued with chronic back, knee and Achilles tendon problems, they were inspired by the graceful Masai warriors who walked barefoot on uneven ground over long distances pain-free. The Masai Barefoot Technology is now available in Ireland, coming in 11 different styles and range in price from €179 to €207.
"The key to their success is the 12-layered curved sole that forces the muscles of the foot, leg, lower back, buttocks and stomach to work to stay balanced," says nurse, therapist and stockist Marian McKenna, who owns the La Crème Boutiques in Gorey, Co Wexford and Co Carlow.
"The human body wasn't designed to walk constantly on even ground and with the MBT everyday surfaces feel soft and uneven. The rolling element in the heel forces us to balance and to walk upright which means muscles are working instead of overloading the joints and thus the whole body works more efficiently."
And what's more they are a dream to elegantly bounce along in - after the inevitable bouts at first of lurching and wobbling. Through word of mouth, McKenna is fitting up to 100 people per week and the number is rising.
John Doran, an 18 stone 5lb former fireman, swears by them. In fact, he is so taken by them that within two days of buying a pair he cancelled his appointment with a specialist in the Blackrock Clinic to put himself on a waiting list for knee surgery.
"I've worked hard all my life and in the last year my knees were giving me fierce trouble. I had no quality of life. And then I heard about the MBTs from a local man who had MS and thought they were good. I went in and they only had a white pair left in stock in my size. I said I'd even wear a pink pair - I'm not stylish - as long as they work."
They did.
He is now 99 per cent better than this time last year, he says.
"I wore them 24/7," says Doran, from Carnew, Co Wicklow. "I'd only take them off to go to bed so my first pair lasted me just four months, which is the only complaint I'd have about them.
"You can't be rough with them and treat them like Wellingtons like I did. At €190 a pair, they're a bit dear for an ordinary man like myself working in the fields but that being said I'm back to how I was 15 years ago - I feel like I did when I was 45."
For Ann Wadding, 45, from Arklow, Co Wexford, the problem was her feet.
After running five marathons, the Mini Marathon in 2000 was the final straw.
"My feet gave up completely. I had plantar fasciitis, a condition in which the ligaments and tendons tighten up from the constant pounding of the pavement.
"I could no longer press the pedals in the car or walk as far as the clothes line, the pain was so bad. I waited two years for an appointment to see a doctor in Cappagh Hospital and he recommended Orthotics insoles.
"Then I heard about MBTs and I tried them. They were brilliant. Within 10 days I was back walking and I'm now back playing badminton too. I have a new lease of life with the MBTs. I'd recommend them to anyone - I have two pairs: one for walking, the other for exercising."
When 54-year-old Lucy Maguire from Wexford got a pair she could barely speak with pain. Following a serious fall on a farm as a child, she had done the rounds of bonesetters, massage therapists and an osteopath when she heard about this new medical shoe.
"In the first two days of wearing them every pain I've ever had revisited me but having watched the video, read the leaflets and being informed about what was happening I knew that this was because the muscles were beginning to work.
"The pain was so bad I took Nurofen Plus for another two days but then thought I can't keep going on painkillers so I stopped. And when I did there was no pain," she says.
"It used to take me five to 10 minutes to get out of bed - now I'm out of bed before I know it."
She now walks eight miles a day and only takes her MBTs off to swap them for a pair of high heels at night.
Nurse Joanna Kavanagh, 34, from Blackrock, Co Dublin has suffered from both back pain since a sailing accident 10 years ago in which she got twisted whiplash and an unstable sacroiliac joint following the birth of her first child.
Faced with orthopaedic surgery, she opted for relief through osteopathy, hydrotherapy, acupuncture, physiotherapy and Rolfing. And it was her Rolfer who advised her of the need to re-educate her body's movement.
"I'm a real barefoot person but now I'm always in my MBTS - if I don't wear them walking around the house I get sore. When you consider I paid €3,000 on bills for my back last year, I don't think they are expensive for the relief they give.
"My back pain hasn't gone completely but they are amazing for posture and have definitely helped the way I'm walking."
In addition to being recommended by specialists, two scientific studies were published in June on the MBT.
The Sheffield Hallam University study found they "alter certain gait characteristics and that with frequent use may reduce the incidence of some musculoskeletal problems". But mostly significantly the University of Calgary study discovered they take 27 per cent of the pressure off the knee and hip joint while walking.
Stockists available from MBT Ireland at tel: 021 4821106 or www.mbt-ireland.com.