Do you feel like putting little pillows on your feet after work? When you get home from work do your thongs just sit there waiting for your feet?

In my practice I see people all the time that say their feet hurt after working all day especially the people who stand at work much of the day or walk a fair amount. The comments most often shared with me are “I look for the most comfortable shoes the ones that feel soft and cushy” and then a few minutes later “ I don’t understand why my feet hurt I wear comfortable shoes” Our brains sense or feel one thing and our skeletons feel another and require something completely different then what we think we feel. Sounds confusing ……

At one time the ground we walked on was much more forgiving and well lets face it softer. Now we live in a concrete world, most of the surfaces we walk on is concrete most buildings have concrete frames and floors under a thin layer of carpet and or other type of flooring, even most homes have concrete now. When you put concrete and bones together concrete wins every time. Our feet have twenty eight bones including the toes and sesmoids(the tiny bones protecting the big joint in our Great toe) and about 33 joints. Our skeletons would be a pile of bones on the floor if we didn’t have all the soft tissue holding our bones together. Tissues like muscle, ligaments and tendons not to mention all the other organs…. Tendons attach muscle to the bone and ligaments attach bones to bones, all joints have ligaments attaching the next bone. There you have it a very reduced anatomy lesson.

The concrete and our bones meet at our first strike with our heel when we walk and move across the ground, if there is something soft between the ground and our feet what do you think happens to the structures holding our bones together?

They have to work very hard to hold everything together and they get tired sometimes even sore trying to hold your weight and your bones up against concrete, guess what! it is just not our feet that it affects, knees and hips, the entire kinetic chain (knees, hips, spine). So what kinda of shoe would be best, “I can’t wear a sport shoe to work”

If a shoe bends in the middle where the arch is, don't waste your money! Firm is best. A steel shank is what you want in your shoe, most retailers will know what that is a rigid plank in the sole of the shoe. Better construction includes heel counters as well, firm sides to the rear of the shoe, and a good fit not short and not narrow, a few brands will be listed at the end of this blog.