Your shoes are supposed to protect your feet, but if you’re not careful, they can actually contribute to the onset of foot problems. So what shoe problems are you overlooking that may be contributing to a foot injury? We explore some shoe mistakes to avoid in today’s blog.
Shoe Mistakes To Avoid
Here’s a look at five mistakes you may be making with your shoes, and how to keep your feet healthy in your shoes.
1. You Haven’t Measured Your Feet In Ages – A lot of people think that your feet stop growing and changing once they reach adulthood, but that’s not always the case. Our feet can keep growing, or they can get wider or our arches can fall. If you don’t measure your feet or have shoes professionally fitted, you might not be buying the right size shoe. It a good idea to measure your feet every time you’re buying new shoes.
2. You Ignore Your Arches – We often focus on the size or length of our feet, but oftentimes we ignore shaping our shoes to the arches of our feet. If your high arches or flat feet aren’t adequately accounted for when buying shoes, you may be more prone to conditions like plantar fasciitis or stress fractures.
3. Shoes Aren’t Up To The Task – Far too often we end up choosing shoes based on fashion instead of function. Those red high heels may look great on your feet, but they aren’t something you’re going to want to walk around in for eight hours. When buying shoes, make sure that function is top priority. Whether that involves buying work boots with the right safety protections or a less fashionable but more supportive shoe for a night out, make sure you’re buying the right shoes for the purpose they will serve.
4. You Don’t Break Them In Properly – New shoes are often a little stiff and usually take some time to contour to our feet, and if we don’t break in our shoes over a long enough period of time, we can expose our feet to injuries. If you’re buying new cleats for the upcoming season or new boots for a job, don’t show up on the first day wearing the shoes for the first time. Wear them in the days and weeks leading up to when you’ll need the shoes, slowly increasing how long you wear them each day. If your first time wearing the footwear is for a full practice or an eight hour work day, you may find that your feet are extremely sore when the day is done. Avoid this by breaking in your shoes over time.
5. You Haven’t Bought New Shoes In Years – Just because your shoes are hole-free doesn’t mean that you aren’t due for an upgrade. Even if the shoe appears to be intact, if you’ve had them a long time, they may not be offering your feet the stability, support and protection they deserve. If your shoes are worn, or the soles are uneven in certain parts, you could be leaving yourself susceptible to hip problems and ankle sprains. Keep tabs on the appearance of your shoes, and invest in a new pair before the old pair begins to cause problems.
If you have a question about your shoes or a foot condition, reach out to Dr. Silverman in the contact box below.