Can summer shoes cause foot pain?

fashion-2013-07-summer-shoes-1-main.jpg

During the summer months, people tend to change their footwear and gravitate towards lighter alternatives such as sandals and flip flops. Although these options may seem great, they typically do lead to long-term foot and heel issues due to their lack of arch support.

The arch contains our tarsal and metatarsal bones, as well as ligaments and tendons that provide support. The metatarsal bones allow us to stand, walk, and run by distributing our weight for balance. Our posterior tibialis tendon muscle runs from behind our shin bones to the inside of our ankle and to many of the tarsal bones to keep our arches healthy and strong.

These areas can sustain injury or weaken from too much activity or normal wear and tear of aging leading to arch pain. As our arches age, it can be difficult to stabilize our bodies, absorb stress or adjust to uneven surfaces. A lack of arch support can increase pressure on your heels which can lead to painful conditions such as:

  • Flat feet

  • Bunions

  • Morton’s Neuroma

  • Foot and leg aches

  • Loss of the protective padding on the bottom of the foot

  • Pain in the ball of the foot

  • Shin Splints

  • Achilles Tendonitis

  • Knee pain

  • Lower back pain

  • Hip pain

  • Hammertoes

  • Stress fractures

To address arch pain, we recommend the following:

  1. Orthotics: provides support to your arch, stability for your heel, and relieves some of your overall foot and body stress.

  2. Specialized arch supports: custom to your specific arch type (which can change over time) and body alignment

  3. Comfortable shoes

The American Podiatric Association reports that sandals such as flats and slides can cause foot pain. Other summer shoe styles such as espadrilles, peep-toe sandals, gladiator and strappy sandals can also increase the risk of sprained or twisted ankles, increased pressure on the toes, bunions and hammer toes.

To avoid pain, we recommend the following:

  • wearing sandals only for short periods of time

  • use cushioned inserts that can absorb shock

  • use soles that do not compromise their support

In case you have any questions or concerns, our podiatrists are available for consultation. Click here to set up an appointment with our team at River Podiatry.  

Jungwoo Han