What Makes a Healthy Shoe?
It might sound counterintuitive, but a lot of what makes a shoe healthy is what the shoe doesn’t have, not the trendy features it does have.
1. No Heel Elevation
Most shoes have some amount of heel elevation. A complete lack of heel elevation will:
- Reduce the impact on your joints, especially your knees, helping to prevent knee arthritis. Even a moderate heel elevation of 1.5 inches, which can easily be found in clogs or boots, has been found to significantly increase the forces in the knee when walking.
- Increase your foot and ankle flexibility, optimizing your balance, helping to prevent falls
- Stabilize your ankle joints, helping to prevent breaking or spraining your ankle
2. A Flat Sole, Side-to-Side
Most shoes have a curvature running side to side in the sole that cradles your foot. A sole that is perfectly flat in the side-to-side direction will:
- Reduce impact on your joints.
- Reduce pressure on the balls of your feet, helping to prevent problems like metatarsalgia and Morton’s Neuroma
3. No Unnecessary Built-In Arch Support
Most shoes have some amount of arch support. A lack of arch support will:
- Reduce impact on your joints. Arch support orthotic insoles have been shown to increase knee torques.
- Improve circulation to the bottom of your foot by not compressing blood vessels running under your foot
- Improve sensation and muscle function by not compressing nerves running under your foot
4. A Shape that Fits the Foot’s Natural Anatomy
Shoes are typically designed to squeeze the foot to make it look narrower than it actually is. A shoe that provides adequate room for the foot will:
- Help prevent foot deformities such as bunions and hammertoes
- Reduce pressure on the sides of the forefoot helping to prevent problems like metatarsalgia and Morton’s Neuroma
- Allow for better balance and stability
5. A Springy Sole, Not Temporary Cushioning
Typical shoe cushioning in athletic shoes works more like “memory foam” creating contours under your foot. Foam cushioning feels good at first, but quickly deforms, no longer providing a flat surface. A shoe with a truly springy sole will:
- Reduce impact on your joints
- Improve circulation to the bottom of your foot
- Improve sensation and muscle function
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