Twice in my road trip travels I've experienced a problem
with heel and toe pain, and in both cases i eventually developed blisters on my
heels and lost my toenails on both of my big toes. The reason was that I was walking up and down inclines that
caused my athletic shoes to rub against my heels and push back against my toes;
in other words, slippage caused the injury.
This week I learned something I have never seen before, and
I am pretty certain that you also are unaware of this method of tying athletic
shoes - sneakers, for those of you in my generation - to prevent slippage of
the kind that caused my injuries. I
came across a video on Youtube that shows how to use those two little extra
holes at the top of your shoe opening to secure your laces in such a way that
your foot is locked into the shoe.
We've all seen those two extra holes in most sneakers that
usually don't have a metal eyelet on them like the other lace holes do. They are placed far enough back that it
would seem silly to try to use them as the top lace hole. So, what the heck are they there for?
The extra holes have a very specific purpose, but she shoe
manufacturers never disclose it, maybe to sell more shoes, since they wear out
faster when used improperly. Whatever
the reason, here is the correct way to tie the laces so that the shoes do not
slip forward and backward as you walk or run.
When you lace up your shoes to the top hole with a metal
eyelet, make sure you insert the lace from inside to outside through that
hole. Then push the lace back through
the small hole to form a loose loop on the outside of the shoe. Do the same on the other side.
Now thread the ends of each opposite lace through the loop
on the other side of the shoe. Next, and
this is important, pull the ends downward against the sides of the shoe so that
the loops are made nice and tight.
Finally, go ahead and tie your shoelace into the familiar looped knot. You now have a perfect lace-lock support
around your ankle. It will keep your
foot from moving back and forth inside the shoe.
If you would like to try a lace-lock tie on your regular
shoes to get firm support, try this.
Lace your shoes from the inside out through each eyelet up
to the second last ones. Then put the ends through the top hole from outside to
inside without crossing them-straight up-leaving a little space so that you can
thread the opposite end through the loop formed between the adjacent
holes. Pull down to tighten the lace
and then tie your knot as you normally would. Here is an online
If you didn't understand the instructions, you can watch this video
demonstrating the technique like I did.
For dress shoes, or any laced shoe without the extra hole, here is a website that will show
what I described in the last paragraph.
And if you doubt the security that the lace-lock provides, try it out
for yourself for a few days and see what you think then. It might amaze you how much more comfortable
the shoes are when tied with the lace-lock method.
Oh, one more thing.
You don't have to perform this every time you tie your shoes. You can untie and leave the laces just like
you threaded them up to the last step.
