Review on 🏞️ WHITIN Men's Barefoot Inspired Trail Runner with Wide Toe Box - Experience Comfort and Natural Movement by Shane Sanchez

I have been dealing with a long term lower back/hip problem. I recently started seeing a sports Chiropractor / Personal Trainer. As he was doing his preliminary evaluation of me he noticed my ankles and feet were very stiff, also my toes were crunched together. He explained these parts of my body should be mobile and move when my feet hit the ground. He explained to me, when the feet and ankles don't move as they should it can cause other parts of the body that should be immobile to try to move in a way that they should not.such as the SI joint that connects my hip to my sacrum. He explained that shoes with higher lift, too much support or padding actually prevent the foot and ankle from moving like they were intended too. He also said a shoe with tight toe box that squeezes your toes together also keep your foot from flexing the way it should.I had actually heard this before. Several years back I bought some Vibram Five Fingers barefoot shoes to try to get a more natural foot and ankle motion. If you have not seen these shoes, they look almost like a neoprene sock with a thin Vibram sole. I really liked wearing them. Because there is no cushion at all they forces your feet, ankles and toes to flex and move to absorb shock and adjust to the ground under your feet. Because they are thinner you tend not to slam your feet into the ground when walking or running.Anyway.I went home and busted out the old Five Fingers. After doing this I was reminded of their shortcomings. The first thing was the model I have has very thin soles.truly barefoot in feel. You can walk on the sidewalk or street after you learn not to slam your foot down like in regular shoes, which btw is the whole point of wearing them. What you can't do is walk on things like the crushed rock paths we have around my house. The soles are too thin. The second thing is you sort of get tired with folks asking about your crazy shoes. Essentially I wore them to the gym and on walks.My Chiro recommended Altra wide toe box / zero lift (same height at heel and ball of foot) shoes, which go for $140 or so. I decided I would rather find a cheaper experimental pair.enter the WHITIN minimalist wide toe box trail runner.The WHITINs are sort of a wannabe barefoot shoe. In fact, you can pull the thin heel pad out if you want nothing between you foot and the ground but the sole. They are made of a stretchy material and mimic the Five Fingers the way they hug your foot. The sole itself is thicker than the Five Fingers. I am able to walk crushed rock trails with no issues. As I mentioned previously, the Five Fingers look sort of weird. The WHITINs look closer to a regular shoe. I can wear them almost anywhere. These shoes really do what I need them to do.The only reason I dropped a star is the closure system on the shoe. The shoe has stretchy cord laces you tighten then secure with a little plastic push button buckle and then at the top they have a Velcro strap. To me it is a bit of overkill. I think if the laces went to the top they would have done the job. If they broke they would be easy enough to replace. The Velcro on the other hand.when it is done it is done.time to throw out the shoes. That said, I can by three pairs of these for the price of a pair of Altras or Five Fingers. With that in mind, I wholeheartedly recommend these WHITIN minimalist wide toe box shoes if you want your feet and ankles to move like God intended them to.Sizing is spot on. I wear 9.5 in my New Balance Trail Runners and the 9.% WHITINs fit perfectly.