Photo of Akhona Ndlela

Uncomfortable shoes? The shape of your footwear might be to blame

We all have different kinds of feet, some are broad and some are narrow. Strictly speaking, the latter is mostly accommodated which comes as an inconvenience because forcing your broad feet into narrow-shaped footwear will be uncomfortable and as a result, it may damage your feet.

According to Glenn Shi, Mayo Clinic orthopaedic surgeon, “Opting for style over a good fit can really cause problems.”

The health publication, Healthline adds to the above statement saying that shoes that are too tight can exacerbate the issue. They can cause you to become unsteady when standing, blisters to grow between your toes, deformity to your toes, and worsen structural issues such as bone spurs and hammer toes.

It is also mentioned by the above source that wearing tight shoes can also cause aggravating foot disorders such as bunions, flat feet, numbness, swelling, and discomfort in the heel or ball of the foot can cause long-term cartilage loss in the toe and foot joints.

This is what you can do:

The above health hub suggests finding specialized shoe retailers that sell unique and orthopaedic styles.

“For the best fit, avoid pointy, curved, and irregularly shaped shoes. Look for a roomy toe box,” the above source adds.

Kizik footwear advises individuals to look for the letters W or E, or a combination of those when shopping for wide shoes. While there are several ways to measure breadth, those are the most widely used.

Look for anything that provides you with a respectable cushion, a soft cushioning between your foot and the ground, the above orthopaedic surgeon adds.

Also see: Are you a lover of ASMR? Unpacking the science behind it

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