Metatarsal injuries are always at the forefront of the news, with some of the most high-profile players on the planet having suffered from fractures to the tiny bones in their feet in the past decade.
And who’s copped the blame for this drastic increase in this type of injury? Football boots!
Despite our best attempts to prove to the contrary, many top managers and experts say that the new, thinner, more lightweight football boots don’t afford the same amount of protection and increase strain on the bones of the foot.
So, some are trying set this right. Concave, for example are offer a damn-near indestructible strikezone that also helps protect this vulnerable area of the foot.
And here’s another brand trying to capitalise: MetaSox.
MetaSox are your average pair of football socks in terms of length and fit, but their key difference is a silicon pod that sits across the top of the foot. This idea, is obviously to help prevent impact injuries to these bones across the top of the foot.
Do they work? Well we set our resident Pro David Hunt of Brentford FC and reviewer Kyle to see how they hold up.
Hunty’s Take:
My first impressions were good, once I put the sock on I thought it felt comfortable and very light, the concept of having padding across the top of the foot is a great idea especially for players wearing Mercurial Vapor Superfly II‘s and adidas F50 adiZeros as the materials are very thin and could do with extra padding.
As protection goes I think its a good design and definitely gives extra padding, the only problem I had was the logos over the sock, I like to wear white socks on match days and having the logo means I can˘€žËt wear them, if this was removed then I would like to try them out in a game.
Our other player (who shall remain unnamed) that wore them had suffered from a broken metatarsal previously, he said the padding was good and gave him an extra confidence to strike the ball properly without thinking of his foot.
Also I have only washed the socks twice and I question how many washes they can withstand before they start wearing away but so far so good.
Kyle’s Take:
First of all – kudos to MetaSox for the positioning of the silicon pad – it’s high enough up the foot so that it doesn’t interfere with the bending of the toes. Once your foot is in your boot, you don’t notice the pad at all.
I also didn’t find the socks interfered with striking the ball at all, as they form to the top of your foot I’d say you get roughly the same contact when striking the ball as without the sock.
Like Hunty, I like wearing the sock in training, but the branding is pretty obvious so I couldn’t wear them in a match – and I hate wearing two pairs of socks when playing so putting another pair of socks over the top isn’t an option. As such, when the season starts I might have to ‘Do a Hunty’ and chop my match socks up to wear with my MetaSox.
I’m in agreement on the concerns about the durability, too. Whilst they’ve had a few washes and have held up perfectly, I worry that the weight of the silicon might pull away from the material of the sock after a few too many washes – but again, as with Hunty, I have had no problems so far.
Oh, one last thing – even if you’re the biggest hypochondriac in the world – don’t try and wear MetaSox with a pair of Concave PT+‘s, your feet just won’t fit!
Conclusion
The MetaSox fill a gap in the market that, in our opinion, needed to be filled. If you’re recovering from a foot injury and are struggling for your match confidence back, then MetaSox are genuinely going to help your road to recovery.
Both of our testers enjoyed the non-intrusiveness of the design, meaning they could get on with their game and not have to worry about the silicon pad.
One thing for you speedsters out there: Whilst they do feel light on your feet when playing, each MetaSox sock weighs in at around 95g – so if it really, really matters that your feet are weightless, bare in mind that these socks will make your Puma v1.10 SL‘s heavier than, say, the Umbro GT Pro – but still nowhere near the weight of an adidas Predator_X.
If you think MetaSox might be for you, check out pricing and designs over at www.metasox.com
i have the impression that it might affect ball touches cos, silicone isnt something that i feel can give a nice feel to the ball on your feet.. but got to give it to them for creativity. if it comes in darker colours and its affordable, i dont mind trying =P
though usually my injury prone areas are my toes, never my metatarsal..lost both big toe nails twice already within a year.
You can also get these in a sport sock which would work perfectly with a cut off football sock. That way hunty can hide the logos
did these effect the fit or feel of your boots at all?
Where is the review of the Mizuno Wave Ignitus? I’ve been waiting for ages… maybe i’ve just missed it but i cant find it on the site 🙁
But the socks sound like a cool idea though 🙂
Hunty,
just cut the bottom of you match socks off, the pull them up so the cover the logo and slip ur gaurd in and tape the bottoms like cristy ronaldo. easy solution and ur not wearing two pairs of socks(for kyles sake).
I wear Lotto Zhero gravitty and this seams like the perfect solution to the lack of protection. where can I get these and what is the cost. I think the hiring of Hunty as anon staff pro to answer questions was the best and most original think thing that Footy-Boots has ever done. He has answered so many questions that I have wanted answered through the years.
Hunty!
Will there be a Ask Hunty Q & A soon?
Silicon doesn’t give a natural feel. lawl.
Any way this seems like a great idea, but the logo is definitely a problem. Maybe they could make just the silicon part and make it sticky so you can apply to your own socks? Or just get rid of the logo.
Hi this is Chris from Metasox. Thanks for Alan, Hunty and Kyle for their feedback. Please note that the branding can (and is) being removed for a range of socks to support match play. It is merely there to provide some affinity to a brand and the products concept.
I myself suffered a metatrsal break and a resultant fusion of the tarsal and metatarsal bones, hence the origins behind the product.
We also sell a ankle socks size version which if you are a player who likes to wear two sock layers (I do), will support that function.
I assure you silicon does feel natural, the product although visually simple in structure has undertook three years of development where the material composition, pad depth and shape where highly scrutinised and evaluated.
Please visit http://www.metasox.com to see our full range of socks and the products history.
P.S keep posting your opinions. We take on board all your feedback whether they’re positive or negative.