Do you have sore feet? Do you know what’s causing them to cause pain? It’s most likely your shoes. over 50% of Canadians confess that they were shoes that hurt their feet. Here are the shoes that seem to cause the most pain:

Wait a minute, isn’t that all the types of shoes out there? What are you supposed to wear then? Shoes don’t have to hurt your feet. There are some ways to prevent your shoes from causing your feet pain:

1.) Make sure your shoes give your toes enough room

Pointy shoes don’t pass this test. The pointy shape squeezes your toes together and do not give them any room for movement. This can lead to ingrown toenails, blisters, bunions and callouses. All of which are not fun. Skip the pointy shoes and go with styles with a generous toe box area such as rounded or square toed styles. If you wear shoes with laces don’t pull them too tight.

2.)Pass on stiff materials

The stiffer the material the more restrictive the shoes will be. Many times shoes are made of synthetic materials to lower the cost and increase the durability. However, synthetic materials are stuff and offer little movement. Try to stick with flexible materials such as leather.

3.)Save the heels for special occasions.

As the heel height increases so does the torque on the joints. Lowering the heel height would reduce force on the rear of the foot. However, don’t go too flat and avoid flip flops. It’s best to have about an inch of heel height.

4.)Get the proper support

The insoles that come with your shoes do not provide any arch support. They are merely there to provide a softer cushion instead of a  hard interior. Getting a custom orthotic will provide the support necessary to anatomically support your bodies from the ground up.

If you need a custom orthotic made or advice on which shoes are best for you please contact us for an appointment.

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in 2015 a University of A Coruña research team conducted a study to determine whether elderly people made wrong footwear choices due to the changes in their foot morphology. In their study 83% of the subjects did not choose the correct size and should have been wearing a different size for each foot. The mean age of the subjects was 80 years old.

Daniel López López, a scientist at the University of A Coruña who led this study, stated: “In this stage of life, there are changes in foot morphology involving increased width and length, as well as changes in pain tolerance linked to age, and the loss of muscle mass and fatty tissue in the feet.” Their results demonstrate that elderly people who use the wrong shoes have a lower quality of life in all areas related to pain, foot function, footwear, food health, general health, physical activity, social capacity and vitality.

Foot problems have increased in prevalence in elderly people and it’s becoming worrisome. Chronic diseases such as obesity, vascular diseases, diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis have increased foot problems by 71 to 87%. The most common disorders are foot bone deformities, bunions, toenail malformations, plantar keratosis and flat feet. These often lead to infections, pain, difficulty walking, anxiety, apathy and loss of balance leading to more falls. These all negatively impact health, independence and well-being.

As people age there are many changes in foot morphology but most people don’t change their shoe size to accommodate these changes. Elderly people should recheck their shoe size periodically and also select proper footwear including wide-fit shoes with velcro or straps, rubber soles to prevent slipping and falling and those that reduce the impact on joints when walking.If you need help selecting shoes, please contact us for an appointment.

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