New to zero-drop shoes? You’ve likely heard the term before, but may not really understand what it means.

Zero-drop refers to the angle between your heel and your toes. Traditional footwear elevates the heel an average of 14-24mm (0.5″-1.0″), which throws off the alignment of the spine and forces an unnatural heel strike. 

In a zero-drop shoe, your heel and toes are level, which mimics your natural barefoot position on a flat surface.

There are many benefits of wearing zero-drop shoes including:

• Improved ankle mobility
• More natural running gait
• Better posture
• Improved balance
• Better alignment

It’s not uncommon for persistent running injuries to disappear after switching to zero-drop shoes. With your heels and toes in a straight line, the foot stays flat to the ground, which corrects posture and aligns your spine - encouraging a mid-foot strike. 

This means that Lems shoes can help alleviate strain on the lower back, and allows you to walk with a much healthier mid-foot to forefoot strike.

While a good majority of our Lems shoes are zero-drop, it’s important to note that our Mountain-to-Town Series ,Trailhead, has a slightly higher drop of 4mm or about the height of two nickels stacked. 

These are considered minimalist shoes.

The transition from traditional shoes to zero-drop will take a bit of time and we recommend easing into your new shoes. The muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your feet will also likely be weak after long term use of conventional shoes, so strengthening the muscles will help facilitate the transition.

Have we piqued your interest yet? Here’s some further reading to determine if zero-drop shoes are right for you!