On average, a person walks 245-292km (152-181 miles) in a year. It is therefore crucial that you wear a pair of shoes which won’t damage your feet, since our feet are responsible for carrying all of our weight around, and are already subject to enormous pressure on a daily basis. However, we often don’t realize this, wearing all kinds of footwear that make it hard for our feet to do their job. Let’s take a look at six types of shoes that while they may be fashionable, will cause harm to your feet.
1. Pointed shoes may be too tight
If you have wide feet, you may want to reconsider wearing pointed shoes. These types of shoes are too tight and will put a lot of pressure on your toes, causing nerve pain and blisters. If you keep insisting on these shoes, they may cause lasting nerve damage. So before buying such a pair of shoes, check to see whether your feet feel comfortable while wearing them first. Maybe get a pair that is bigger than you need and stuff the end so you don’t have to squeeze your toes.
2. Flip flops cause misalignment in your ankles
While flip flops are great for summer, as such, they’re not all that comfortable. Flip flops rub between your toes causing skin damage and wearing them can lead to misalignment in your ankles and knees because your feet are not supported properly. The soles of your feet rarely get good support from flip-flops and the different walking technique used with flip flops will often make your back pain worse.
3. High heels can cause nerve damage
Most women do love to wear high heels, and while they look great and make you feel attractive, they can cause a lot of damage to your feet. Wearing high heels leads to sprains, ingrown toenails, nerve damage, and lower back pain. To get rid of these problems, it is advised that you make sure your everyday heels are no higher than 3 inches.
4. Flat shoes put pressure on the ligaments
While it may be surprising, flat shoes can damage your legs. This happens because they don’t have any arch support, thus putting pressure on the plantar fascia – the ligament that connects your heel bone to your toes. Consequently, you will experience pain in your knees and back.
5. Running shoes that are too light and soft and may cause trauma
Running shoes should only be worn when running. If you wear them every day, because they seem comfortable and light, they may actually damage your feet on impact because they are too flexible and soft. In other words, if you bump your foot while running you may injure yourself quite severely. Athletic shoes with a harder sole are much safer when accidentally slipping or bumping into something with your foot.
6. Platform shoes ruin the mechanism of walking
Platform shoes are flexible and have rigid footbeds. Our feet need more forgiving shoes. The shoes we opt for should repeat and reinforce the movement of the feet and these actually do the opposite, going completely against the mechanism of walking. It is, therefore, better to not wear platforms on a regular basis but only on rare occasions such as special events.