If your knees are shaking, it is not fear. It is cushioning.

Today's topic is about knees that don't work, insects and experimentation. All together, all in the same place.

Because what matters is what YOU experience, what YOU feel.

Not what the salesman on the corner tells you or what you read in the newspaper.

Feeling and experiencing overcome the words.

It all started in a cabin.

One in a tree.

The idea of sleeping in a cabin was always a childhood dream, but I never imagined the dream would turn into a nightmare.

One that Stephen King could have written.

As soon as we arrived we saw an earwig on the bed.

That elongated black insect with scissor-shaped tweezers on its ass. If it catches you with them it hurts, not much, but it is very unpleasant.

The owner of the cabin told us that these bugs only come out twice a year. Once in autumn and once in spring, and it coincides with the first day of rain.

Bad luck. That Saturday was the first day of rain in Prado Negro, in the Sierra de Huetor.

In spite of that, he told us that we didn't have to worry, that he had sucked up all the bugs.

The suction takes place just like that, with a device that looks like a GhostBuster's machine.

With this in mind, we settled in and it started to rain for real. It had been just a drizzle before.

And of course, the bugs (also some spiders) start to come out. More like entering the cabin.

There are hundreds, maybe thousands, especially on the ceiling. And the worst thing is that from time to time they fall and land on our heads.

Although we complain, the owners don't quite believe it.

They think that since we are from Seville we are probably exaggerated, they think.

They also blame it on the radiator in the cabin. They tell us not to put it on, that the heat attracts the bugs.

But when they enter the cabin, they hold their hands up to their heads. They apologise and offer to reimburse us for the money paid.

We are in the middle of the Sierra, it is night and to make matters worse I have a fever.

Mari Carmen doesn't want to stay, she's terrified of bugs, but when she looks at me she knows I can't drive.

There's nothing left to do but put up with it. An anti-shock therapy, anti-bugs rather.

The night was another nightmare. Every now and then I woke up, sometimes because of Mari Carmen screams, sometimes to pee (I counted 5 times, probably because of the fever) and sometimes to get some earwig off me.

And there were more. It wasn't even 5 a.m. when the first rooster began to crow, and the very %?!...rooster had come to our tree.

My head felt like it was going to explode. God, what a night!!!!

Well. Sleeping with insects is unpleasant and a nuisance, but getting sore knees when you run is also a nuisance.

That's what Frederic (the owner of the cabin) told me after he helped me to pull my car out of a muddy spot (the weekend had a bit of everything).

He used to love running, but he doesn't do it any more because of his knees. They hurt and swell up when he does it.

I didn't want to bring it up, but I was feeling better from my cold and was relaxed after getting the car out of the mud, so I told him about all the problems modern shoes cause for his knees.

Frederic looked at me with attention, but he didn't quite believe what I was telling him.

At one point in the conversation I asked him to show me his foot.

His big toe is bent inwards and he has the beginnings of a bunion.

With gestures I explain the problems for the knee if the big toe is not able to stop the rotational movement of the foot when it lands on the ground.

Also the problems of the heel (drop) in the shoes, which shorten the ankle's path and make the knee have to move to one side so that the body can move forward.

And finally, I let him try my shoes.

When he tries them on he said:

'If it feels like I'm wearing nothing, how comfortable they are! And I can wiggle my toes!'

Only then does it become clear to him.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, feeling it in YOUR own body is priceless.

That's what happened to Frederic. He understood what I was telling him, but when he tried on the shoes he felt it, and that sensation surpasses any other.

About the knees.

When they hurt you are usually advised to wear shoes with cushioning. But your knees need just the opposite.

Cushioning confuses your senses. It makes you think you're on a soft surface, when you're on hard asphalt. This makes your stride more damaging because your body seeks the stability that the ground offers and the cushioning in your shoes offers the opposite, a soft, unstable surface.


Cushioning makes your knees move worse. The movement is not fluid.

It's similar to what happens when you get on a elastic bed. In order not to fall, you tense up and this tension is transmitted to your joints.


Also, if you have a problem or your knees hurt, keep in mind:

• If your shoe is narrow and tilts the big toe inwards, you are taking strength, circulation and stability away from your feet and knees.

• The more room your toes have in your shoes, the more they can open up, so you will have more base and your knees will be more stable.

• The less sole your shoes have, the closer you are to the ground, the less risk of spraining your ankle and the more stable your knees will be.

There is plenty of footwear to do this at ZaMi, but if you're also looking for protection from the cold and rain, boots are definitely the best option:

• Respectful boots for Women

• Respectful boots for Men

Health starts with your feet.  

-Antonio Caballo


P.S. The more cushioning the shoe has, the less protection it offers.