Do Fit flops or 'natural' footwear work?

Kinda trivial question...was just wondering about the claims made by shoes such as Fit Flops (e.g. Jekz shoes - Earth Shoes - Kalso negative heel - Style and comfort naturally ). Are they really good for you in lengthening your muscles, burning calories etc or do they just alter your biomechanics? Has anyone had any experiences with them -positive or negative?

Also what do the physios think about shoes such as **** Five Fingers which are minimalistic and aim to strengthen feet muscles and increase proprioception?

Dear bikelet:

This is a debate that i think no one can answer. If you want the closest to nature, pick some nice beach and walk bare feet.

There will always be theories and someone to sell something.

Best regards,

Neuromuscular

It is difficult to say, but it can be said the foot is naturally adaptable to various surfaces (such as those in nature), similarly people are wearing all sorts and forms of shoes with a rather low incidence of clinical foot problems considering Everyone wears shoes!
Helpful, perhaps, but also consider heel biomechanics is highly difficult to examine, as effects at ankle, affect knee, hip, and lumbar compensation strategies.