According to Swiss engineer Karl Muller, much of the pain we experience in our bodies could be corrected if we constantly walked barefoot on soft ground. He’s backed up by a study he sponsored at the University of Calgary. But alas, things like cities and snow make this impossible. So Muller created MBT sneakers and shoes ––which are hitting a tipping point in popularity.

Short for Masai Barefoot Technology (the Masai, who walk sole-to-earth, have few back problems), the shoes aim to re-create the “natural instability” our bodies experience while barefoot. The corrections our body then innately makes relieve stress and pressure all over, ensuring “that neglected muscle groups automatically make the balancing movements that nature intended,” according to the MBT website. Thus, claims Muller, “Every step taken with MBT physiological footwear acts like a tiny fitness exercise.”

Regular sneakers “stabilize the body in an unnatural way,” leading to a loss in optimal muscle function, says MBT. But these shoes’ central technology, the “Masai Sensor,” creates a “pleasant feeling reminiscent of walking on a sandy beach or on soft moss.” It also feels (and looks) a little bit like walking with rocking chairs strapped to your feet, but plenty of people swear by their ability to strengthen and balance the body just by going for a walk. They––and the MBT people––also say the shoes improve posture, and by absorbing shock with multiple layers of padding and structure, “can help with back, hip, leg and foot problems,” and “joint, muscle, ligament and tendon injuries.”

To check out the slightly platform sneakers––which run about $250––visit: mbt-uk.com