Invest A Little In Your Summer Shoes, It Can Pay Off Big!

Now that the sun is shining, you may be eager to spend more time outdoors and shed the excess clothing and heavy footwear. Just spend a little bit of time people watching and see how many have given up shoes and socks and are now baring all (well, at least all of their toes). The winter boots and shoes have been relegated to the basement or back of the closet, and you’ve pulled out the sneakers and sandals. However, before you go shopping for the new summer shoes, get a grip on some shoe standards.

Flat, rubber, plastic and foam flip-flops might be tempting. They are bright, colorful, cheery, and inexpensive, but they do not allow your foot to function as it’s meant to. The foot strikes the ground with the heel and transfers weight through the arch and mid-foot into the big toe where the push off begins. If you examine the bottom of a flip flop, you see it is flat and non-supportive. It forces the foot to do all of the work, and the effort is transferred then to the ankle, lower leg, knee, hip, and lower back, which can lead to fatigue and pain.  All flat-soled sandals are going to have the same effect on the body.  High heeled or platform sandals are just as impractical, maybe more so. The unnatural stance forces all of the weight forward onto the ball of the foot and can lead to neuromas, hammertoes, and bunions.

Well-formed sandals can alleviate pain and help prevent the arthritis that develops in the mid-foot as you age. You should look for sandals that have well-formed arches and a heel cup. This allows for shock absorption in the mid-foot and support in the heel area that prevents the foot from over-pronating. The sandal that provides arch support and appropriately cradles the foot can also help relieve the pain of plantar fasciitis. Sandals similar to flip-flops are available which provide a better made, arch-supportive and heel-formed shoe. For more information concerning the proper selection of sandals, go to:  http://www.kintec.net/kintec_approved.php.

If you need assistance selecting a sandal style appropriate for your foot health, call Dr. Bowman at (713) 467-8886. He can provide you with tips for sandal selection that will help keep your feet in the pink.

References:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lr2aF5Ngo8&feature=related