Feet bothering you? Your footwear may to be blame
One in six Americans has some sort of foot disorder, and more than a third find the problem serious enough to see a doctor. You might be surprised to learn one of the major culprits is improper footwear. Many common aches and pains can be prevented or even corrected with a little extra care when shopping.
It’s no secret that wearing poorly fitting shoes or improper footwear for a particular sport can seriously damage your feet, causing painful bunions, corns, calluses, hammertoes, and other distressing maladies. It’s estimated that the cost of foot surgery to correct problems from tight fitting shoes is $2 billion a year or $3.5 billion, if you include time off from work for the surgery and recovery.
Who is at risk?
A woman’s risk of foot injury is a good deal higher than a man’s — and may increase with the heel height and tightness of her shoes. A study conducted by the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society found women are nine times more likely to develop a foot problem because of improperly fitting shoes than men. The report notes that nine out of 10 women wear shoes that are too small for their feet, eight out of 10 women say their shoes are painful, and more than seven out of 10 women have developed a bunion, hammertoe, or other painful foot deformity. Nine out of 10 women attribute their foot deformities to tight shoes, according to research.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends that women do not wear shoes with heels higher than 2 1/4 inches. They also recommend avoiding high-heeled shoes with pointed, narrow toe boxes that crowd the toes and force them into an unnatural,triangular shape. As heel height increases, the weight on the ball of the foot may double, placing greater pressure on the forefoot as it is forced into the pointed toe box.
Those individuals who participate in sports should keep in mind that proper-fitting sports shoes can enhance performance and prevent injuries. Shin splints — pain in the front of the tibia — is one injury typically caused by excess stress from over training, changing to a hard running surface, or wearing poorly fitting athletic shoes. If not taken care of, this injury can progress into a stress fracture, which is a more painful and debilitating injury.
Shoe Shopping Guidelines
There are many things to consider when choosing the best-suited shoes for fit and the circumstance:
- Have both feet measured every time you purchase shoes. Your foot size increases as you get older.
- Try on new shoes at the end of the day. Your feet normally swell and become larger after standing or sitting during the day.
- Make sure your shoes are fitted to your heel and your toes. Try on both shoes, and make sure there is a half-inch space from the end of your longest toe to the front of each shoe.
- If one of your feet is considerably larger than the other, add an insole to the shoe on the smaller foot.
- When the shoe is on your foot, you should be able to wiggle all toes freely. If the shoes feel too tight, don’t buy them. There is no such thing as a “break-in” period.
- If you participate in a sport three or more times a week, you need a sports- specific shoe.
Follow these fitting suggestions when purchasing athletic shoes:
- Try on athletic shoes after a workout at the end of the day. Your feet will be at their largest.
- Wear the same type of sock you wear for that sport.
- When the shoe is on your foot, you should be able to wiggle all toes freely.
- The shoes should be comfortable as soon as you try them on. Again, there is no break-in period.
- Walk or run a few steps in your shoes. They should be comfortable.
- Always re-lace the shoes you are trying on. Begin at the farthest eyelets and apply even pressure in a crisscross lacing pattern to the top of the shoe.
- If you have foot orthotics, make sure you have them in the shoes you are trying on; they will dramatically alter the fit of your shoe.
Walk the walk
If you’re already experiencing regular foot or ankle pain, your doctor or therapist may recommend any of a variety of effective treatments. Most injuries are initially treated with the RICE method — rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Moderate and severe injuries often require some form of immobilization or protection with either a cast or splint. Strengthening exercises may be recommended in some cases, while other conditions may require surgery.
While there is no sure way to prevent all injuries, risk can significantly be reduced by participating in a conditioning program to build muscle strength (make sure to warm up before taking part in a sport or exercise program), improving agility (exercises that help improve your balance), performing stretching exercises to maintain range of motion specific to your activity, listening to your body (never run if you experience pain in the foot or ankle, for instance), replacing athletic shoes as soon as the tread or heel wears out, and wearing properly fitting athletic, dress, and casual shoes.
