If you are experiencing the distress of plantar fasciitis or a similar foot condition, finding relief can be as simple as slipping on a pair of supportive sandals. These specially designed shoes are equipped with a variety of features to help alleviate your discomfort. With built-in arch support, extra room in the toe area, and heel or wedge styles, these sandals work to reduce the strain on your feet and provide much-needed relief.
According to the expert advice of podiatrist Jacqueline Sutera, DPM, choosing footwear with firm soles and secure straps is highly recommended for individuals dealing with plantar fasciitis. In a recent interview with POPSUGAR, Dr. Sutera emphasized the importance of these features for a more comfortable and stable fit. This expert insight sheds light on the conditions that can benefit from such shoe qualities and guides individuals towards making informed footwear choices.
1. Arch Support
For individuals dealing with plantar fasciitis, choosing sandals that offer proper arch support can greatly alleviate their symptoms. In addition to providing relief, these shoes and sandals also ensure stability while engaging in various activities such as walking, running, and hiking.
Your arches serve as the main support structure in your feet, bearing weight when standing and walking as well as stabilizing movement, creating balance, and helping adapt to changes in terrain.
If your feet lack strong arches, you could experience foot and back/knee pain that makes everyday activities and essential tasks challenging to complete. These conditions could make life miserable!
2. Wider Toe Box
Wide toe boxes give your feet more freedom of movement, potentially alleviating problems like hammer toes, bunions and other conditions that arise due to conventional footwear’s tight toebox. This may help alleviate issues like hammer toes and bunions which occur from excessive pressure from regular shoes worn regularly.
An expansive toe box also enables your big toe and other toes to spread out and gain strength again, helping prevent overpronation and the risk of Plantar Fasciitis.
Many individuals suffering from Plantar Fasciitis find that wearing shoes with wider toe boxes helps improve their condition. This is due to these shoes allowing a more natural heel-to-toe weight distribution and providing better support, as well as relieving blisters or contact points associated with Plantar Fasciitis pain.
3. Heel or Wedge
Plantar Fasciitis occurs when the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue on the bottom of your foot, becomes overstretched or inflamed from overexposure to standing or sitting, improper shoes, weight gain or other factors.
If you suffer from Plantar Fasciitis, selecting supportive sandals may help alleviate its symptoms quickly and get you back on your feet quickly. When searching for footwear suitable to treat Plantar Fasciitis symptoms quickly, look for shoes which provide support while hugging the heel properly and promote foot alignment in the shoe itself.
Birkenstocks are our go-to shoes for Plantar Fasciitis, featuring thick footbeds designed to support arches while walking. Additionally, their thick heels cushion feet while offering protection as you move.
4. Comfort
Comfort refers to a state in which one feels relaxed and at ease. It can also refer to relief from pain or discomfort and it plays an essential part in finding suitable sandals for Plantar Fasciitis.
Comfortable footwear helps distribute your weight evenly while supporting the heel, relieving pain in the arch of the foot, heel, and Achilles tendon.
Ideal shoes should have a molded footbed with sufficient arch support and a deep heel cup, to reduce pressure on the feet while walking or running.
Now available at most shoe stores are sandals with these features and straps designed to keep feet secure, which may help alleviate stress on feet and reduce tightening in foot tissues related to Plantar Fasciitis.
You might also like to read:
plantar people
Plantar Fasciitis and Arthritis Connection
Plantar Fasciitis and Workplace Standing Mats
