Fixing Common Foot Problems
Your feet are made up of many different working parts that can twist, break, or tear. Joints, muscles, bones, and tendons control the way you walk. To fix your common foot problems, you need to choose shoes that aren’t constrictive, which can cause problems, or make existing ones worse. Therefore, it is smart to consider what is best for your feet when shopping around for your next pair of shoes.
What Makes a Bad Shoe
Modern shoes are very constrictive, as they make it difficult for your feet to express their anatomy. Most feet have three arches; however, many people have been reduced to only one as the muscles haven’t been to maintain strength in modern shoes.
Although shoes do provide support, many do so when your body doesn’t need them to. Whilst they do protect from the ground with a dampening effect, they can lead to long term problems with your feet.
Many people think they need more support, when in fact, they need less.
Finding Better Shoes
A good shoe has minimal heel lift, a wide toe box, pliable bottom and something to attach to the ankle. Why?
Heels place your leg muscles in an unnatural position leading your ankle’s mobility to suffer. Having a small heel, or no heel at all, will help improve your problem or prevent one from occurring.
A wide toe box is necessary to allow your toes to spread when your feet touches the ground. This is impossible to do when wearing narrow shoes like high heels. A narrow toe box can lead to muscles and bones repositioning themselves, resulting in painful and disfigured feet.
A pliable bottom to your shoe allows your toes to bend the full ninety degrees of flexion as you step. Constrictive shoes prevent your feet from moving as well and soft tissues become weaker. You can also lose the ability to use the joint in your big toe due to a decrease in its use.
By choosing a shoe with a strap to attach to your ankle you allow your toes to grab onto the shoe. This prevents a shift in the amount of force on each individual bone, with some bones pushing up and others down, if there wasn’t a strap.
Save Your Feet
To fix your foot problem you first need to assess how bad the shoes are that you wear. It doesn’t matter if your journey will be a long or short one, but rather about getting stronger and healthier feet.
You want to start your journey immediately. Don’t hang onto those tight constricting heels because they look great on a night out. You need to let them go and realise the long-term effects they have. You want to start improving the strength and mobility of your feet from the beginning, working gently and slowly through a variety of foot exercises you can find all over the internet.
Transitioning to a Better Shoe
The decision to fix your foot problem, and the exercises you take on are only half of the solution. You also need to transition to better shoes. Some ways to gradually do this is by wearing shoes less around the house. Set your feet free! By removing your constructive shoes, you allow your feet to take a step towards the road of success.
You need to consider what makes a shoe good and supportive. Take into consideration the reasons mentioned above when shopping for shoes, using it as a checklist as you go. Think: straps for sandals, less restrictive but still fashionable shoes for nights out and wider and bendy trainers.
But remember – go slow. Although you want to improve your feet, results won’t come overnight. Don’t push yourself too hard as rushing exercises can lead to further injury. Slowly build up strength and flexibility by wearing less supportive and restrictive shoes over time and wearing them less at home. If you follow this guide you can help improve the health of your feet, leading to less pain and greater mobility.
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About the Writer:
Rhiannon Birch is passionate about all aspects of writing and has a passion for all things shoes. With two young children and three dogs, Rhiannon spends her (very little) spare time exploring new places and window shopping.