Are you causing your own foot pain? Probably. Your choice of shoes now can lead to foot pain later, and problems like heel spurs and plantar fasciitis. And if you suffer from foot pain caused by shoes, you are not alone! The numbers are huge!
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Web site, over 43.1 million Americans—or one in every six—have trouble with their feet, mostly from improperly fitting shoes. The Web site calls it a huge public health risk, stating foot problems in the U.S. cost $3.5 billion a year.
There are two things to consider about foot pain based on these startling statistics.
One is how many women wear shoes that are bad for their feet, no doubt causing foot pain either now, or setting themselves up for foot pain in the future. According to an in-depth report on plantar fasciitis on the New York Times Web site, most foot pain and foot problems suffered by women are caused by high heel shoes. The report states that high heel shoes aren’t that different from foot binding in China, because high heel shoes can constrict the foot by up to an inch! Ouch!
To avoid foot pain and plantar fasciitis, the report recommends that if you are going to wear high heel shoes, you make sure to get shoes with a lot of toe room, heels that are relatively wide and sturdy (to protect your ankles from twisting, I bet) and cushioned insoles.
And if you are going to insist on wearing high heel shoes, which many of us women are at some point when an occasion calls for it, that you limit the amount of time you spend in those shoes.
The other thing is the lack of thought that we put into buying shoes. I suspect we Americans—especially women—are drawn to the next shiny new thing, meaning we see how “cute” shoes are and buy them without thinking through the future foot pain ramifications of wearing those shoes. You know it’s not just Imelda Marcos who enjoyed a closet full of shoes!! (Did she have heel spurs or plantar fasciitis I wonder?)
For the non-high heel shoe occasions, including puttering around the house, you can make up for the foot pain caused by making sure you wear shoes and slippers with arch support and plenty of heel cushioning. This is especially important if you suffer from flat feet, heels spurs or plantar fasciitis.
In any of those cases, be sure you are buying slippers or shoes for flat feet, heel spurs, or plantar fasciitis, depending on the cause of your foot pain, or other pains caused by your feet (keeping in mind that flat feet don’t necessarily hurt, but they cause other pains in the body by throwing off your body’s alignment).
By making smart choices when buying shoes, especially women’s shoes, you can avoid being one of the statistics suffering from foot pain!
