There is fabulous footwear for every occasion – so many in fact that they help make dressing decisions easy. Practical, stylish, or sexy, some shoes even give you a bit of added height.
Whether you need your shoes to get you through the workday or to kick off at the beach, we look at shoe tips to ensure comfortable footwear and basic foot health.
Arch support
Some people, particularly runners, add extra arch support if the shoes don’t have this. You’ve got to be careful, though, as you don’t want the arch support to take up all the room in your shoe, so your toes are squashed.
You also don’t want your shoe slipping off the heel. Those with flat feet often pronate more, and if you do research, you find certain arch types and pronation being the biggest cause of injuries related to running. Arch support won’t automatically fix pronation and injuries, but it can help in specific injuries and conditions, more so prescribed custom orthotics.
Healthy footwear
Some foot problems can be improved by purchasing some over-the-counter shoe modifications. However, more complicated problems such as severe flat foot, for instance, or Achilles tendon may well require a specialized assessment. Orthotic Shop provides customers with healthy footwear.
As an orthopedic shoe store, they have a large variety of foot care products such as orthotic insoles and orthopedic shoes that tackle common foot problems, ensuring your feet and body have a solid foundation. They come from top brands such as Orthofeet, Softwalk, Vionic, Olukai and Apex shoes.
The shoe should fit
Wearing the wrong size shoe damages your foot and your footwear. The wrong size can bring other health problems too. Your ankles, knees, and back can all suffer. In a health shoe-store, there’s always the Brannock Device – a gadget that measures the length, width and depth of your feet.
You can measure your own feet. Measure them in the evening when they’re fully expanded, bearing in mind that one foot is larger than the other. There’s a test you can do to size your shoe for the ideal fit. Slide your index finger between your heel and the heel of your shoes and make sure your finger has a snug fit so your shoes won’t rub or chafe.
Work shoes
If you’re working all day and on your feet most of that time, you want shoes with non-slip soles. A firm sole supports the foot and also distributes weight evenly. To avoid sore, tired feet, use footwear with shock-absorbing soles and inlay soles with arch support that fit well.
Comfort requires a work shoe that cradles your foot in all directions. You can find stylish, sleek shoes that provide all-day comfort with built-in arch support and memory foam that cradles the foot. If your shoe feels too large and loose, invest in quality insoles to fill that gap. Loose shoes cause one part of the heel to become angled, which leads to pain in the legs or back.
General shoe ideas
Fashion magazines may tell you that classy and sassy high heels are the way to go to look sophisticated and dressy. To look the part, they make no effort to warn you they are totally the wrong shoes for your feet.
Skyscraper heels and pointed heels make it difficult to walk and you could topple right off your shoes. Making these shoes your daily dress code contributes to the shortening of your Achilles tendon and other ailments. These very high heels that you love can lead to bunions, calluses, stress fractures, as well as painful nerve damage.