'Fat-busting' trainers could cause injury, warn physios

They have been nicknamed the 'world's smallest gym' and are said to burn off fat, banish cellulite and help back pain.

The claims helped turn MBT trainers into a multi-million pound worldwide success story.

But now some physiotherapists warn the unusual-looking shoes, which cost around £129 a pair, can do more harm than good.

They say the trainers, which have a pivot inside the sole, could cause long-term posture and mobility problems and increase the risk of injury.

Nicki de Leon, a consultant physiotherapist at a clinic in Harley Street, said: "This footwear fundamentally alters the way someone walks.

"Instead of striking their heel to the floor and transferring their weight forward, they are effectively being rocked forward by their shoe."

The Masai Barefoot Technology trainers - which supposedly mimic the walking stride of the Masai tribe - exercise the superficial muscles in the legs and buttocks.

They were developed to cure back and joint problems. It is claimed they also help strengthen and tone leg, buttock and stomach muscles.

But Miss de Leon said: "When any superficial muscle is overworked, it becomes stiff and rigid, and that is precisely what I have seen happening in people wearing MBTs."

Sammy Margo, of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, said: 2For people who spend a lot of time at a desk, have hypermobility in their spine and weak core stability, MBTs could make their postural problems much worse."

An MBT spokesman said the trainers were recognised as a medical product under EU legislation and had been extensively tested.