Shoes We Use for Plantar Fasciitis
I'm not a doctor. I'm a long time sufferer of heel pain caused by plantar fasciitis. Based on what I learned from physicians, research, and my own experience, I know more than I ever wanted to know about this painful foot condition, the idiosyncrasies of my feet, and which shoes help the pain (or make it worse).
This article has detailed suggestions for therapeutic shoes, specific brands and models, tips on what to look for, and general advice for healing.
Also on this page, don't miss my poll on the best plantar fasciitis footwear brands below. It has received over 8,000 responses from readers. Below, you'll also find over a hundred comments from fellow heel pain sufferers who offer their own suggestions, experiences, and advice.
Plantar Fasciitis Footwear: Why Is It Important?As you probably know by now, when you have heel pain in the foot caused by plantar fasciitis, the problem is that the fibrous plantar fascia on the bottom of your foot has gotten inflamed, probably due to a stress injury or sports injury. Pain in the heel occurs along with the inflammation. You may have noticed that the pain is usually worse in the morning and after any period of rest, noticeable as soon as you put your foot down and start to bear weight; heel pain after sitting or sleeping is a common complaint. The pain is much more manageable if you step straight into a pair of anatomical slippers and wear shoes designed to help this injury throughout the day and during exercise. Barefoot equals bad, for the most part.
The right foot support isn't enough, of course. When I have a flare up, I get rid of the pain by doing an assortment of therapies involving exercise, stretching, massage, and hot/cold treatment. But first and foremost, I use specialized inserts and insoles, bandages, arch support, and special shoes for heel pain. (This article is about shoes; for more details about a wide assortment of treatments, read my article about plantar fasciitis treatment options.)
Which Shoes Help Plantar Fasciitis?It's something of a platitude, but it's true: every foot is different. When I started having heel pain many years ago and my doctor told me I had plantar fasciitis, the first thing I did was get new therapeutic footwear new brands, new styles, everything. I still wear the same shoe brands today to prevent flare ups: Birkenstock, Haflinger, Brooks, Lowa, and Chaco. There are a lot more these days, and many are listed below. You may want to do what I do and use different brands for different activities, like running, walking, working, puttering around at home, and such.
Expect it to be a trial and error process. No matter what the hype and sales pitches tell you, there's no single best shoe model for plantar fasciitis. I mean, not only are your feet different from other people's, but your left foot is probably different from your right foot, and your stride and posture are individual, too. The best thing you can do is to talk to your doctor, read the recommendations below, and assess the shoe models yourself.
One more note about my background: remember that I am not a health care practitioner. My expertise comes from having and treating my own plantar fasciitis and obsessively researching the subject each time I bought new shoes.
Plantar Fasciitis: What to Look for in a ShoeWhy worry about shoes? The reason is simply that your feet need proper arch support and good cushioning in order for the injured foot to heal. As I learned years ago, going barefoot or wearing the wrong shoe for the activity can slow down improvement by weeks or months.
When choosing boots, sandals, and shoes, make sure that the shoe Nike Air Max 2016 Mens has a removable footbed (also called an insole or insert) if its inbuilt footbed does not have contoured arch support that matches your foot.
If you run, play tennis, or play racquetball which is the sport that gave me the sports injury that caused my plantar fasciitis (my doctor said the side to side motion twisted the fascia) or if you do any high impact activity, wearing shoes with appropriate arch support as well as flexibility and shock absorption is essential.
The kind of arch support you need depends on.
your foot arch do you have a flat or high arch?
whether your feet supinate as you walk (when the inner foot turns out) or pronate (when the inner foot turns in).
Your podiatrist can tell you whether you're a supinator or an overpronator, as well as whether there is anything irregular about your stride. Your podiatrist might recommend custom orthotics. I, personally, have used the cheaper option heat moldable orthotics. I use the Sole brand (if you're interested, read my related article on footbeds). These inserts have a hard layer of support and a layer of dense cushioning. They fit into shoes after the removable insoles that come with the shoes are removed.
Whether or not you need orthotic inserts, plantar fasciitis is helped by good arch support. The shoes you pick will decide it.
Best Running ShoesI wore the Brooks Adrenaline for athletic walking to help my foot with plantar fasciitis. The American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine recommends that you get the proper shoe for the kind of motion control you need to Nike Air Max 2016 correct overpronation or oversupination and that the shoes has good cushioning to help control trauma to the foot.
Check with a physical therapist or occupational therapist about what kind of motion control you need, as not everyone needs the very stiff motion control of some shoes, and the light motion control of others is insufficient to do the job.