Foot Pain Prevention - Your Shoes
By Jeff Foster

Aches and pains in any part of your body certainly aren’t any fun, but when it’s your feet that hurt, your entire body seems to hurt.

Common foot pain can result from a myriad of different causes. The pain itself can range from mildly annoying all the way to debilitating. The pain can be fleeting or chronic. But no matter the reason, relief is the goal. The vast majority of foot pain these days is caused by footwear; either improperly fitted, poorly designed or just plain worn out. The good news is that this means that the vast majority of foot pain is also easily eradicated. With footwear, the biggest offender of feet is the shoes with pointed toes or high heels… or quite often… both. These types of shoes put your feet in a physically compromised position by cramping your toes and pushing the forward into this cramped area. If high heels and pointy toes are a fashion must for you… at the very least you should consider only wearing this type of shoe for special occasions and not for extended lengths of time. Be mindful that your ‘old’ favorite pair of shoes may also be doing more damage than good and have you going down a path to sore ‘footsville’. Sure, in their younger days the support they offered your foot was second to none; but today they are long in the tooth and the support for your foot is no longer there.

The shoes you wear should support and pad both your heel and your arch and have enough room for all your toes with putting a squeeze on them. If your shoes don’t offer this, you may not notice any pain right away, but the effects may be just ahead.

If you have a ways to walk before you have to put on your stiffer dress shoes, consider using a comfortable pair of athletic shoes for the walk before you have to put on those stiffer more stylish shoes. This becomes even more important if you are already feeling the early stages of foot pain.

Try to wear shoes that have a good level of breath ability and offer good flexibility by avoiding shoes made of vinyl or plastic. And when it comes to trying on and purchasing shoes keep a couple points in mind. First, do your shoe shopping later in the afternoon after you have been up and around and on your feet for awhile. Your feet are actually smaller in the morning before they have had a chance to puff up a bit due to your daily activities. Secondly, measure both of your feet. It is not at all uncommon to have two different sizes of feet.

By following just a few simple guidelines you can prevent, and/or relieve many of the most common causes of foot pain.

Don’t be a slave to fashion at the expense of your feet.