Surprising Benefits of Comfort Shoes
Do you buy shoes based upon looks, comfort, or a mix of both?
It’s imperative that footwear choices are made with comfort being the primary focus and looks taking a backseat. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good pair of cute comfort shoes! However, when it boils down to decision time on a new pair of shoes, I’ll sacrifice looks any day for comfort. I only get one set of feet and they’re expected to carry my body every day. My body deserves comfortable shoes! Good shoes are just like putting tires on your car; you wouldn’t put sub-par tires on your car and expect them not cause problems. Why would you put on uncomfortable shoes and expect your feet not to hurt?
Good Shoes Can Alleviate Pain
Shoes have two main roles. 1.) To protect our feet. 2.) To absorb impact as we walk.
Unsupportive shoes (or walking around barefoot) can cause your body to be out of alignment. If the shoes you’re wearing don’t have enough give, cushion, and support, then discomfort is an inevitable side effect.
Shoes with built in arch support help to align the body. Your feet support your body and can have a huge effect on every other body part. If your feet are hurting, then everything hurts. Properly aligned feet help to evenly distribute your body weight. This even distribution helps to alleviate pressure in different parts of your body. The most common areas affected by bad shoes are your ankles, knees, hip joints and lower back. This can eventually cause widespread pain which has the power to limit mobility and make performing daily tasks difficult. The American Podiatric Medical Association (commonly known as the APMA) cites that 77 percent of people report suffering from foot problems as a direct result of uncomfortable footwear choices.
Quality shoes help to avoid long term foot problems
Have you ever noticed how your feet start out more narrow in the morning? Then, gradually throughout the day, they widen? Your feet can swell up to a half size per day due to gravity. If your shoes are too narrow, this can cause pressure and rubbing on your and ultimately may lead to deformities. The best way to combat this is to buy shoes made with high quality materials. These materials help to eliminate friction causes inflammation.
Quality shoes regulate foot moisture
Your feet are inside a poorly ventilated environment all day long. This is why it is important to have shoes that are lined with a breathable material that absorbs humidity, such as leather. An easy way to improve moisture absorption in your shoes is to keep wooden shoe trees in your shoes while they’re not in use. Wood has hygroscopic properties which allow it to regulate the humidity and clean the environment by maintaining optimum moisture levels. Wooden shoe trees also help to decrease the risk of both infection and allergic reactions by limiting the occurrence of mites and bacteria. This can also help to eliminate the occurrence of Athlete’s foot, which is a common fungal infection. Most synthetic materials don’t allow for your foot to breathe inside of the shoe which means it creates a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi – both of which can produce bad odor. By choosing shoes made with quality materials, you’ll eliminate the risk of getting stinky feet…and we all like that!
Quality shoes help you save money
It’s no secret that quality shoes last much longer than shoes of poor quality. Another shoe preservation tip is to keep your shoes clean, hydrated, and protected with various shoe care items. If possible, alternate shoes and don’t wear the same two for consecutive days. By doing this, you’ll extend the life of the shoes. At Englin’s, we recommend always wearing comfortable shoes for any occasion. Feel free to call us, email us, or start a live chat with us and we will be happy to advise you on which pair of shoes will best suit your individual needs!
You can't erase years of wearing uncomfortable shoes, but you can stop the damage from progressing.
How? Start buying and wearing comfort shoes. Wearing uncomfortable shoes over time can cause serious problems to develop. A common foot ailment seen from wearing unsupportive high heels too often is Bunions. Bunions are large and bony and usually appear at the knuckle of the big toe joint. These are painful and disfigure your feet. A lack of arch support can cause them to collapse and result in joint pain. Often times, Hammertoes will form if a person has been wearing a pair of shoes that are too small or their feet slide up against the end of their shoes. Hammertoes are a deformity that cause the toes curl up and bend at the middle and look like tiny hammers. Another ailment commonly seen as a result of not wearing supportive shoes is corns. Corns are thick spots that form either on top of or between the toes from excess shoe pressure. Wearing shoes with crowded toe boxes can also cause ingrown toenails. In this case, toenails start growing into the skin surrounding them. A "pump bump" is caused by wearing high heels and it’s a painful swelling on the back of the heel.
The good news – all of this is preventable with comfortable shoes.