Plantar fasciitis can be debilitating, as anyone who has experienced it knows. It’s caused by the swelling of the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue that connects your heel to your toes.
It can make walking and exercise nearly impossible and what’s more, wearing the wrong kinds of shoes can make it even worse. Bad shoes can put undue stress on the plantar fascia and lead to flareups.
So if you want to avoid them, you need to be wearing the right shoes. Yet what are good plantar fasciitis shoes? Read on and learn more!
1. Look for Shoes With Good Arch and Heel Support
One of the most important parts of a good shoe for a plantar fasciitis sufferer is the arch and heel support. A good level of support means that your plantar fascia is less likely to get inflamed, which means less pain.
A rigidity in the sole of the shoe, especially in the middle of the shoe (when combined with cushioning), means that your foot won’t have to stretch too much. Good heel support also minimizes stretching, so you should look for plantar fasciitis shoes with strong heel sections.
There are also insoles for plantar fasciitis that improve the arch and heel support and relieve the pain.
2. Plantar Fasciitis Shoes Should Impact the Ground Softly
Good plantar fasciitis shoes should impact the ground softly. If every step you take hits the ground hard you risk making an attack of plantar fasciitis worse. They should have adequate padding that you can walk without being in too much pain.
3. Look for a Larger Toebox
When you have plantar fasciitis, moving your toes or scrunching them into unnatural positions can lead to severe pain. To prevent this, you should look for shoes that have a large toebox so that your toes can slide into the shoes naturally, without you having to contort them too much.
4. They Should Hold Your Foot in Place
Shoes that give your foot too much space to move can exacerbate an attack of plantar fasciitis. Shoes that are good for plantar fasciitis should hold your foot in place with a design that’s fitted to your foot, so that your feet do not move too much and cause pain.
5. They Should Prevent Excess Pronation
Pronation is the term for how much your feet roll when you take a step. If they roll too much, this is excess pronation, and it can make plantar fasciitis problems worse.
A great shoe for plantar fasciitis needs to be able to correct your pronation. Its structure should prevent your foot from rolling as much when you take a step. Excess pronation is also a big problem for runners, so if you like to run, you should see whether you can get running shoes that will counter it too.
Reducing Pain With Better Shoes
Using the right plantar fasciitis shoes can make the pain of a flare-up that much less severe. We would recommend that you have a conversation with a healthcare professional so that they can recommend some specific shoes that will help you.
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