Foot fractures and light boots: Fact or Fiction?

Much is made in the media about stress fractures and association with 'light boots' but there is little real evidence to associate the two. The soccer slipper to the best of my knowledge appears to include all that is known about the sport plus the clever inclusion of new polymers. Genuine concerns were expressed when players used the cleats to rip and tear at the flesh of opponents but otherwise despite the focus on high profile players suffering from 'generic'stress fractures there is no independent evidence of 'cause and effect.

Fractures of the middle three metatarsals or March Fracture was well named and historically relates to 'square bashing' (British military slan for drill on a barracks square)in military training. From the First World War on wards preparation for disciplined combat involved marching on hard parade grounds. Many new recruits suffered fatigue fractures from endless marching. As military sartoria developed and over the ankle boots were introduced, fatique fractures of the metatarsals were replaced with shin splints. The more enlightened countries realised whilst boots had their place in combat, physical exercise was best achieved wearing less restrictive footwear. There is reference to this in the literature relating to reported injuries in the Israeli and New Zealand recruits.

Over use of elite athletes has the same effect resulting in exhaustion and in those prone, fatigue fractures. Wayne Rooney is certainly a case in point where the man has such a punishing regime to earn his money he is prone to ‘niggling injuries’ which I would suggest have more to do with overall fatigue, serendipity and trauma with the ball (in the case of Jones' fracture) than anything else. The aftermath was pretty obvious at the recent FIFA World Cup with many marquee players distinctly off form after horrendously long playing seasons.

The media are always keen for a good story and have seldom let the truth come between them and a headlining scoop. The recent works on football boots and injuries from Dundee Univ was quickly picked on and sensationalised somewhat. Good copy because of the impending FIFA World Cup but from what I read little more than conjecture.

In similar mode the disdain of ‘old farts’ (Sir Alec being one on this occasion) uncomfortable with the new light boot (in bright colours) brought a tirade of complaint. No better way to criticise than demonise them as injury causing. No need for hard evidence when there are A & E experts were to hand to extrapolate concerns to the wider population of amateur footballers.

Quid pro quo

Whooga Ugg Boots

The official defintion of an ugg boot is a boot made of sheepskin with the wool as the lining and the leather as the outside. In Australia ugg boots and variants like ug, ugh or uggs are used generically. A trademark of UGH-BOOTS was registered in 1971 but was not enforced and generic users of the terms successfully applied for its removal in 2006.

Whooga ugg boots are manufactured with a unique grading of Australian merino fleece which is shipped to the Whooga fashion warehouse for handmade construction in China. Whooga continue to develop manufacturing techniques developed and refined in Australia. Quality and workmanship are to a very high standard and backed by the Whooga warranty.

The Barefoot Bandit is behind bars

Colton Harris-Moore (aka The Barefoot Bandit) has been caught after two years on the run. The Barefoot Bandit is a 19-year-old from Washington state who has spent the better part of his life thieving. Over the last six years he has misappropriated laptops to airplanes (five of them!). The cheeky felon’s appetite has been veracious and gained international noteriety as the barefoot Raffles because he reportedly committed some of his crimes barefoot and once left behind a chalk footprint. He has over 17,000 fans on facebook , has had two songs written about him as well as a lucrative book and movie deal. If Harris Moore is convicted he faces a 12 year year prison sentence but his mother has appointed John Henry Browne to handle her son's criminal defense and entertainment attorney O. Yale Lewis to seek control of his entertainment interests.

Who won the world cup, Adidas or Nike ?

Spain won the 2010 FIFA World Cup > but according to adidas, it was the F50 adizero football boots that scored more goals (41 in total) than any other boot brand during the championship. All very well but main rivals Nike are claiming they made more sales out of the event than the main sponsor, adidas. Sales of the F50 adizero football boots did soar but adidas remain tight lipped by how much. The company have also been silent about the sales of the Jabulani (official ball), which was heavily criticised by players for being too light and unpredictable.

Return of the Granny Shoes

Posh Spice is not alone when it comes to sore feet but many of the foot challenged fashionista, unlike Victoria, are turning to granny sandals for comfort. MIA Shoes have become very popular sellers this season. However it is to Germany and Worishofer we need to look to find the real ‘Belle of the catwalk’ in sensible shoes. Worishofer’s cork wedges and grandma styling has become a must with Maggie Gyllenhaal and Kirsten Dunst already they have been seen around wearing these fabby new ‘ortho’ shoes. Guaranteed to give a comfortable perambulate to those celebrities prone to ‘sore feet.’ Apparently the great Danny Kaye was obsessive about comfortable feet and would only wear comfortable sandals to protect his feet. Seems the Hollywood gliteratti is now following in his footsteps.

The Shoe Must Go On! : Morris Museum NJ

'The Shoe Must Go On!," ends on the 29th August at the Morris Museum in Morris Township, New Jersey. The exhibition explores centuries of shoe design and presents shoes from many different "walks" of life. Recently added to the exhibits is a pair of boots worn by Gen. David Petraeus. Also shoes worn by George Martin (formerly of New York Giants . George walked over 3,000 miles using 27 pairs of shoes to raise $2 million for medical care for the first responders to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He walked from New York City's George Washington Bridge to San Diego. There too is the art quilt “Fancy Footwork” by Madeleine Appell. The quilt represents a range of shoe styles that the artist has found aesthetic, unique, and well-designed.

Celebrity On- line Auction: Mag

The latest on-line celebrity shoe auction is set to help raise money for a landmine clearance charity. More than 60 celebrities in sport, pop, music, comedy and film have donated their footwear to help the life-saving work worldwide of the Mines Advisory Group (Mag). Heel fanatics can bid for the shoes of Katy Perry, Little Boots , Pink or Nelly Furtado. Strictly Come Dancing (BBC) fans can step in time in Bruno Tonioli's boots. Also up for auction are Michael Palin’s and Eric Idle’s shoes , not to forget Joanna ‘Patsy’ Lumley's wellies. Elbow have signed a pair of classic Converse and Johnny Marr ( ex-The Smiths) has donated a one-off pair of Nike trainers which he decorated himself. Bidders might step into the shoes of Coronation ‘Coro’ Street characters with Becky McDonald (Katherine Kelly), Carla Connor (Alison King) and Gail McIntyre (Helen Worth ) footgear. Sporting lumnaries, Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker have also kicked in their football boots. More imformation at here and the auction will launch on eBay at 6pm, with the last bids being taken 10 days later on Sunday August 1.

Treadway Mobility: Lightweight Personal Transport

Have you noticed more people are cycling, skating or skateboarding?. Many are commuters wheeling themselves to their local bus stop or train station in an effort to keep fit and save themselves the expense of using their car. Seems the trend is catching on and developers are keen to see more lightweight personal transport in use. Treadway Mobility is designed to be worn over outside footwear converting them into wearable motorized shoes. The prototype was developed by Peter Treadway

Women with smaller feet have prettier faces

According to evolutionary psychologists at the University at Albany, New York women with smaller feet have prettier faces. So too do women with longer thigh bones and narrower hips, as well as women who are taller overall. The researchers measured hand length, foot length, thigh length and hip width on 60 white females, then adjusted each measurement to account for individual differences in overall height. For each of 16 body-part measurements, they selected the eight women with the shortest lengths and the eight with the longest, and constructed morphs of their faces. These morphs were then rated for attractiveness by 77 heterosexual males. Men were three-and-a-half times more likely to pick the short-footed morph as more attractive, and almost 10 times as likely to say it was more feminine. Further they were more than 11 times as likely to pick the narrow-hipped morph as more attractive, and eight times as likely to choose the long-thighed morph. The researchers believe the reason why these features were attractive relates to markers of a healthy childhood. Biologists know that stress and poor nutrition during foetal development and puberty can affect sex hormone levels and cause earlier puberty. Women with a benign childhood continue to grow for longer, and display a more slender and stereotypically feminine face and body, which most men find more attractive. Sixty seven (67) men were also morphed and when 82 heterosexual women were asked to rate the attractiveness and masculinity of morphs of eight male faces te results were less clear-cut than they had been for women. Female viewers chose morphs of men with long torsos as being more attractive, but they also thought men with small wrists were more attractive. Women were twice as likely to rate the large-wristed morph as more open to sex without love, and by the same margin opted for the small-wristed morph as a better candidate for a long-term relationship.

Interesting work and may go at least in part to help explain the sexual allure of small shoes. The dsplacement theory (from genitalia to head and feet) would see the female face generally get longer with hats etc but female feet were more likely to be hidden or covered. The work 'shoe' means to cover furtively.

Reference
Holmes B. 2010 Why men are attracted to women with small feet New Scientist.

Red shoes and Sumptuary Laws

Banning the burka and hoodies maybe topical but attempts to control what people wear goes back to antiquity but according to Poitiers (1910) has had no effect on deviant behaviours.

"History has proved that all sumptuary laws have been everywhere, after a brief time, abolished, evaded or ignored. Vanity will always invent more ways of distinguishing itself than the laws are able to forbid."

In antiquity, efforts to control personal regulation were related to the general mode of living rather than of dress. The Greeks had some laws relating to clothing, such as; women could only wear three garments at a time. This may account for why most women went barefoot. The amount of money to be spent of clothing was also regulated by the wealth of the family. Sumptuary laws in Rome included the Lex Orchia which was passed in 187 BC. This related to the number of invited people who might attend a feast. The Lex Fannia was passed in 161 BC and regulated, the cost of entertainment. According to Brundage, 1987) the Roman Lex Oppia, was adopted in 215 BC and later repealed 195 BC with the Lex Valria Fundiana. He described the action of Marcus Porcius Cato who argued lifting restrictions of women's dress would invite moral decadence and social upheaval. He was right and both followed in quick pursuit. Colour and material were very important as a means of depicting rank in Roman time.. Laws were passed restricting peasants (plebs) to one colour; officers could wear two colours; commanders three; and members of the royal household up to seven colours. The colour purple was always reserved for the royal family. Scarlet could be worn only by royal family members and high noblemen.

During the reign of Claudius I (AD 41-54), his marines were ordered to go barefoot after some demanded compensation from the emperor for the marching shoes the marines had wore out. As a result the entire fleet were forbidden from wearing shoes. At the time of Emperor Aurelian, (Lucius Claudius Domitius Aurelianus (AD 270 - 275) the colours yellow, white, red or green were reserved exclusively for women. The only exception to this was he reserved the right to wear red or purple for himself and his sons. He banned his wife from buying purpura-dyed silk garments because it cost its weight in gold. Only ambassadors to foreign lands might wear gold rings, and men were strictly forbidden from wearing silk garments of any sort.

When Roman soldiers returned victorious to Rome they frequently celebrated by substituting the bronze nails in their caligae (war sandals) with gold and silver tacks. The fashion caught on and patricians began to wear ornamentation on their shoes with gold and jewels. Such alarm was raised with the fashion for shoe bling Emperor Heliogabalus (AD 218-222) banned the practice. Heliogabalus had his own shoes decorated with diamonds and other precious stones, engraved by the finest artists. During the more luxurious days of the Roman Empire, thongs were decorated with gold and precious stones. Sumptuary laws and price controls were later imposed by Gaius Valerius Diocletianus (AD 245-313), in AD 301.

During Roman times footwear came in many styles and colours each reflecting class distinctions. Only male citizens were entitled to wear the toga and the calceus (a shoe or short boot). The colour of the calceus always indicated social standing. The reason for this had much to do with the cost of dying materials which was very expensive. Red was, at first, the colour for high magistrates (in the service of Edile); but later became the Emperor's prerogative.

Reference
Brundage JA 1987 Sumptuary laws and prostitution in late Medieval Italy Journal of Medieval History 13:4 343-355.

International Tartan Day

To celebrate the repeal of the Act of Proscription (1747) which made it an offence to wear tartan amongst other things, Scots everywhere wear tartan today. The repeal proclamation came on 1st July, 1782. After this date highland dress became a preoccupation of the landed aristocracy who donned the kilt as a form of parlour fancy dress. Prior to this wearing the kilt was considered uncouth but distinctly manly. The reason for the original ban was the fear Prince Charles Edward Stuart (1720 – 1788) would raise an army to take the English throne. The English Government decided to eradicate the clan families and destroy highland culture. After the Battle of Culloden (1746), the broken Jacobite cause saw Charles Stuart on the run. To avoid detection he dressed as a woman. The irony was the Young Chevalier was effete and prone to wear the refinery of an aristocratic fop or dandy, so he would have fitted well into women’s clothes. Flora McDonald spirited him passed the government troops as her companion Bette Burke.

Men cross dressing is a common subterfuge during hostilities either to escape or penetrate enemy territory. There are countless examples from history but the most famous would be the cross dressers of Missouri during the American Civil War (1961-65). The James Brothers i.e. Frank and Jesse, were confederate guerrillas who lived rough in the hilly terrain of Missouri. During the civil war they would secretly find enemy locations and kill their opposition. Often to gain close access to country brothels where union troops were being entertained Jesse would disguise himself as a young wench. Jesse was baby faced and passed for a good looking young girl. There is no indication Jesse was a cross dresser other than through necessity and would always keep his boots on for a quick exit.