Heel Pain and Footwear - What is the right shoe for your recovery?
Footwear and Heel Pain!
“I have these really cushioned shoes” she says with pride!"
“The guy in the shop says they will be the best thing they are just so comfortable”
“I bought the best ones they had”
“They worked for a while but now it has come back and it feels just as bad if not worse than it did before”
“I am so frustrated I have tried everything”
This is generally how the conversation with many of our patients who first visit us tends to sound like. Why does it sound like you? Because we see “you” …or someone just like you every day.
Heel pain and foot pain can be frustrating. It can stop you from doing the things you love. Some people end up putting off the plans they have had like a hike through the mountains or the streets of Greece on that big overseas trip. Heel pain can be a game changer!
Many people do the very first thing that comes to mind BUY NEW SHOES! From GP’s to nurses to your next door neighbor, people will tell you that new shoes are the way to go and we won’t disagree BUT BE WARNED the choice of shoes is what’s important.
Most very cushioned shoes WILL NOT help you! Our experience of successfully treating thousands of heel pain patients says, a shoe that has a firm shell with a small amount of structured cushioning is what works best.
Footwear for heel pain needs to be more supportive. We have found that cupping the foot with a firm heel counter (The very back part of the shoe). Supporting the foot through the midfoot with a shank, meaning a firm part of the sole, so the shoe doesn’t bend in the middle. When you visit us with your heel pain it’s one of the very first things we as podiatrists look at.
Avoid your trendy Nike footwear with large bulky cushioned air bags. Avoid footwear that are super flexible and bend in the middle. Light weight and footwear like “supasoft” and “gel cushioning”. Our experience says these at first these feel ok but quickly become more of a problem than a solution. Don’t even start us on minimalist shoes and barefoot running – a recipe for disaster.
Footwear is only part of a more detailed solution. When visiting Step Up Podiatry we will develop a detailed treatment plan addressing everything from your footwear to soft tissue rehabilitation through to correcting your poor foot posture. Heel pain is a complex problem that won’t go away by itself (it will if you are happy to wait anywhere between 12 month and 5 years). Sadly unlike other conditions unless you are going to stop walking altogether you are going to have to deal with this problem before it will go away.
The podiatrists at Step Up Podiatry specialize in lower-limb mechanics and sports medicine.They work closely with a number of General practitioners, Orthopaedic surgeons, Sports physicians and Sports physiotherapists to assist in the treatment of many of their difficult patients. They are also the podiatrists that other podiatrists refer to when they need someone to work with their complex patients, especially children.
You can contact Step Up Podiatry on 0800 111 224 to make an appointment at our Pukekohe Clinic today!
