Why Minimal Shoes Matter Beyond the Feet: The Foot-Glute-Pelvic Floor Connection (Guys, keep reading, you have a pelvic floor too!)

Minimal shoes aren't just beneficial for foot and ankle health, they can also significantly influence how the rest of the body moves, especially the lumbar spine, hips and pelvis and the supporting core muscles.

A crucial part of this relationship involves the pelvic floor, glutes, and how your body loads during movement.

The pelvic floor is constantly under load, generating tension that tends to pull the sacrum (tailbone) inward toward the pelvis - a position called counternutation. While this inward pull is natural, it needs an equal and opposite pull outwards for pelvic stability. That’s where the glutes come in. Strong glutes help create tension in the opposite direction, offering balance and support that bones and ligaments alone can't provide.

If you have an ‘always-working pelvic floor’ paired with a ‘barely-working butt’, things in the pelvis will be inefficient and dysfunctional, such as a fatigued and weak pelvic floor. 

To generate more effective force in the pelvic floor, you need glutes to act as a stabilizing anchor. Just like the bicep needs a weight or resistance for leverage to produce a strong contraction, the pelvic floor muscles need a stable sacrum to pull on in order to be able to contract powerfully. Weak or underactive glutes reduce this stability, limiting pelvic floor contractions, function and efficiency.

So, where do the feet come into play?

The mechanics of walking link the function of the feet to that of the glutes. For the glutes (specifically the gluteus maximus) to contract during walking, the thigh must extend behind the pelvis. This motion, called hip extension, is crucial for efficient, glute-powered movement.

However, many people have limited hip extension due to either poor joint mobility or a pelvis that’s perpetually tucked under. When the pelvis is tucked, much of the hip’s available motion shifts to the front of the body, shortening the range of effective glute activation - referred to as the "glute zone."

Footwear can make this worse. Shoes with elevated heels, rigid soles, or slip-ons all interfere with natural foot movement. This in turn affects hip and pelvic mechanics by shortening the glute zone and reducing overall walking efficiency.

In essence, minimal shoes help restore natural foot function, which supports better hip mobility and glute engagement. This cascades upward to benefit pelvic floor function and overall movement quality.

Just a word of caution; if you’re new to minimal shoes, don’t ditch your old ones all at once. Transition slowly to let your feet, ankles, and posture adapt safely.

The right footwear doesn’t just protect your feet, they are the foundations for a stable pelvis, stronger glutes, and a more resilient pelvic floor. For osteopaths, addressing what’s on the feet may be the first step in improving what’s happening at the core.

Visit the website for a step-by-step guide on transitioning to minimal shoes, including foot strengthening exercises and a comprehensive list of recommended brands.

Emma Wightman
www.the-sop.com