Unsure what to look for in a good shoe?

Footwear for Heel Pain

Heel pain is miserable.  Plantarfasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain, for which there are many treatment modalities which can help.  However, simply wearing well supportive footwear can be enough to help resolve heel pain and reduce the risk of further injury, not just to the foot but to the entire lower limb and back.

Wearing the wrong footwear during long periods of standing and walking can result in pain, injury and misery, therefore it would worthwhile knowing what to look for from a good, well supportive shoe.

Supportive footwear can help with many injuries, such as:

• Plantarfasciitis
• Mortons Neuroma
• Shin Splits
• Tendinopathies
• Knee Injuries
• Hip and Back Strains

Structure of a Shoe

Supportive Footwear, what to look for;

1. Heel Height

The heel height of the shoe can be described as the pitch of the shoe.  Ideally, most of us should be wearing a heel height of 10-12mm.

The image below is labelled 1 and 2;

1 = the measurement of the sole directly under the heel

2 = the measurement of the sole directly under the ball of the foot

The Heel Height/Pitch = 1 – 2

2. Cushioned Sole

Don’t confuse cushioning with stiffness.  Cushioning refers to the ‘softness’ of the sole’s material.  The sole of the shoe shouldn’t be too hard, i.e. that of a solid leather heel.  With your hands you should be able to compress the soles material a little.

3. Stiff Sole

The stiffness of the sole of the shoe is the degree to which it flexes when you bend it. Try holding the heel of the shoe with one hand, and push up under the ball of the foot with your other hand. You should notice the shoe does not bend too easily. The video below displays this well.

4. Deep and Wide Toe Box

The toes should have enough space within the toe box.  Not too much wriggle room but just enough to prevent the toes being cramped within the toe box. A trick to measuring the length and width of the shoe against your foot is to remove the shoe inlay and position your foot over the top of it. Does your foot over-hang the side of the inlay? If so it’s time to change to a wider fitting pair of shoes.

Shoes which are too tight across the ball of the foot can contribute to injury, such as the following;

• Capsulitis
• Mortons Neuroma
• Plantar Plate Tears
• Toe Joint Deformities such as hammer toes and bunions

5. Lace Fastening

Review the image at the top of this page for understanding of the structure points of a shoe.  You want the measurement of the following to be fairly snug;

• Instep
• Short Heel and Long Heel

The foot’s instep is the circumference around the midpoint of the foots arch. A lace up shoe fastening would be the best option to ensure a snug circumference around the instep.

6. Good Heel Cup

The heel cup of the shoe should encase the heel and prevent slipping of the heel out the back of the shoe.  If you have foot orthotics then you’d definitely benefit from a shoe with a good heel cup to help hold the heel in place.

7.  Stiff Upper

The upper is the material of the shoe which encases the foot.  A supportive shoe would have an upper which is fairly sturdy, not too flexible or too soft.

Shoes for Arthritic Feet

Arthritis of the big toe joint and the midfoot is fairly commonly treated at our clinic.  For these injuries we advise patients to pay particular attention to ensure the following:

• A good heel height. Minimum of 12mm.
• Stiff soles
• Rocker Soles

A rocker sole is a “curve” built into the sole of the shoe which helps to propel the body forward over the foot when walking.  To assess a shoe for a rocker, position the shoe on a desk and look for a gap under the forefoot.  See the image below;

If you are struggling with unresolved heel, lower leg or back pain then get in touch with us! Or download one of our FREE TREATMENT GUIDE TO INJURY BROCHURES.