Your feet have a challenging enough job carrying you through life, so you want to support their enormous daily efforts. Unfortunately, many of us are doing the opposite by wearing shoes that don’t provide support and cause harm to our feet.
While our team at Neuhaus Foot and Ankle isn’t trying to police your fashion, we’re trying to protect your feet so they can carry you happily into the future. And by happily, we’re referring to avoiding some foot conditions associated with improper footwear.
Let’s take a look at five.
One of the most common foot abnormalities is bunions, which are far more prevalent in women than men, mainly due to footwear. Bunions are the result of a shift in your first metatarsal bone. As this bone moves sideways, your big toe begins to point inward, and a bony protrusion forms on the inside of the joint.
While age and weak connective tissues can lead to bunions, the bigger culprits are tight shoes that don’t allow your toes to spread evenly. Even worse are heels with pointy toes that force your toes into the crowded space.
Another foot abnormality that counts ill-fitting shoes as its most significant risk factor is hammertoes. This issue typically develops in your second, third, or fourth toes, leading to a permanent bend in the middle joint of your toe, creating a hammer-like appearance.
When we say ill-fitting footwear, we’re referring to shoes with toes again that don’t allow enough space between your toes or allow them to rest flat on the floor.
For the more than 38 million Americans who have diabetes, peripheral neuropathy is a clear and present danger — it affects up to half of people with diabetes.
This nerve damage typically targets your feet, which makes paying close attention to footwear paramount. Don’t wear shoes that cause friction in your feet, as any open sore can lead to an infection thanks to the neuropathy.
On the list of shoe-related foot conditions are corns and calluses. These foot problems are more of a nuisance but ones you can avoid if you wear shoes that fit your feet snugly and properly.
Ingrown toenails — a condition in which your big toenail digs into the flesh — can develop for many reasons, and shoes with pointy toes make the list. If your big toes don’t have room in your shoes, it can force toenails to grow into your flesh rather than up and over.
We hope we’ve presented a compelling case for wearing shoes that support your feet rather than harm them. If you’d like more guidance on wearing shoes that fit, please contact one of our 13 locations in Tennessee to schedule an appointment with one of our podiatry specialists.
