What Kind of Shoes Should I Wear?

To answer this question properly, I’ll start by telling you what you shouldn’t wear.  The answer is probably going to knock you over.  Are you ready ?!

You should not wear shoes with arch supports. I’ll say it again, you should not wear shoes with arch supports.

I’ve been studying this issue for the last seven years.  I can tell you without a doubt that people who wear arch supports have the worst spines.  I’ve seen it over and over again.  The more expensive and exotic the support, the worse the problems are in the spine.  Especially, if the patient has been told to wear the supports every waking moment.

You see, arch supports rob the feet of their ability to compensate for uneven surfaces.  Instead of the feet doing the compensating, the knees, hips and spine do it.  The spine gets extra wear and tear, and you see many extra problems.

This flies in the face of everything that is currently being taught in chiropractic, orthopedics and podiatry.  And, you might think I’m crazy, but a recent study agrees with me.

In 2008, a research paper published in the British Journal of Sports medicine did a comprehensive review of over 35 years of research on footwear.  They concluded that there is not one published study that shows that shoes with arch supports prevent injury.  The author even contacted the major shoes companies and asked for their research and the companies wouldn’t respond.

Arch supports are one of those things doctors have dreamed up that works good on paper, but doesn’t work in the real world.

What should you wear ? If you are walking or running, you should wear flat shoes.  If you are doing a lot of standing, wear shoes with a small heel.  The heel will help you stand up straighter.  A lot of women’s shoes have about an 1 ½ inch heal and this is perfect for someone who stands in one place a lot.

Change your shoes often and walk barefoot whenever possible.  Barefoot walking will help you strengthen your feet.  If you’ve been in arch supports a long time, you will have to do this gradually because your feet are probably very weak.

For more information on how I treat foot pain, log on to www.stopyourfootpain.com.