I've been wearing orthotics in my shoes for years and when I started reading about barefoot running and how it can help with all sorts of 'gait' related injuries and pain, I thought I'd give these Merrells a try. Not only are they a ton of fun to run in, they drastically affect the running gait, which has resulted in me being able to run without an orthotic and without low back pain.

I've even started to be able to wear sandals without an orthotic again, without getting the terrible low back and hip pain I used to get. Not sure if this is all down to the Merrell barefoot shoes, but if not, it's a real coincidence. Bottom line, I'll be ordering a pair of the leather barefoot shoes for more casual use and am hoping Merrell release a sandal type barefoot shoe too.