Your Shoe Choices Should Not Sacrifice Your Feet

Posted on 01.24.20 | Yuko Miyazaki, DPM |

What is the first thing you consider when selecting a new pair of shoes? Be honest.

You might feel like we’d admonish you somehow if you said “style,” but let’s be realistic. We are not the Podiatry Police. Why would anyone ever want to buy a pair of shoes they don’t actually enjoy wearing?

Style is important, but style also consists of many elements. Some of these elements you might consider quite fetching or within the current fashion trends can have very uncomfortable consequences over time.

The choice of what you wear on your feet is ultimately up to you, of course. Our job is to recommend the best qualities in footwear to help maintain your overall foot health, reduce pain, and prevent chronic problems from cropping up. “Style” will not always rail against these recommendations, but choosing something a bit more reasonable to your foot health can make a huge difference whenever a choice arises.

When looking for your next pair of footwear, keep the following qualities in mind:

Woman trying different trail shoes for mountain hiking in the sports shop, close-up view with no face

A Roomy Toe Box

While open-toed shoes do not have so much to worry about in this regard, closed-toed shoes should always have enough room for your toes to wiggle and lie flat.

They should not be crammed together sardines, nor should they be forced into a pointy front. External stresses placed on the toes this way can contribute to a variety of problems, including corns, calluses, ingrown toenails, and even the progression of existing bunions or hammertoes.

Low Heels

This might be a quality that will see a great deal of contention in many shoe aficionados, but high heels can cause plenty of damage to your feet over time.

First, they force the feet into a position that places significant pressure against the forefoot. This can contribute to the conditions mentioned above, as well as painful neuromas (growths of tissue around nerves).

High heels also tend to throw off your posture, forcing muscles up your legs and back to shift to accommodate. The higher the heels, the more severe the effects and the more likely you’re to end up aching.

If you must have heels, opt for styles that are two inches or lower. And instead of stilettos, go for a wider heel shape. This will provide you better posture and stability—not to mention much more comfort during a long day!

A Sturdy Construction

If heels are bad, then a pair of ballet flats would be ideal, right? Unfortunately, not really. While extreme heels can wreak havoc on your feet, so can not having enough support.

There are some people who can go throughout their whole lives barefoot without any problems, but they have done so through years and years of conditioning. The rest of us should have shoes that provide proper support for our arches and heels.

How do you tell if a shoe is supportive? It should bend relatively easily in the toe area, but not so much in the arch. The backs should not collapse when pinched and be high enough to cradle the heel without allowing it to slip off.

A Proper Fit at Any Time of Day

No matter what style of shoe you have, it can cause problems if it doesn’t properly fit your foot.

Shoes that are too tight and constraining can cause friction-related problems as well as circulation-related ones. Shoes that are too loose can cause your foot to slide around within the shoe, also causing friction-related problems and potentially toenail trauma from your toes repeatedly slamming against the front of your shoes.

To ensure you’re getting the best fit, try to do your shoe shopping during the later part of a day. By this point, you have been standing and walking all day, and your feet are naturally larger due to bearing this weight.

Also, make sure you are using the same types of socks or stockings you would regularly have on while wearing the shoes. Making sure these conditions are right can help ensure the best fit.

And remember: if the shoe initially feels too tight or not “right” in any way, then it is not the right shoe for you. Do not “give it time” or “break it in.” If it doesn’t fit on the first try, then it simply doesn’t fit, period!

Additional Factors for Fit

Depending on certain personal circumstances, you might wish to consider some additional matters.

If you use custom orthotics, for example, you will want to find shoes that have removable and replaceable insoles. Otherwise, the shoes likely won’t fit well when you try to insert your gear.

Other existing conditions you might have, such as toe deformities or heel pain, might also have more influence on what type of footwear would be best for you. So may the activities and sports you enjoy doing most.

When it comes to making the best footwear choices for your long-term health, we are more than happy to discuss what would make the most sense for you. Schedule an appointment with our Berkeley office by calling (510) 647-3744. Or, if you prefer to contact us electronically, fill out our online contact form and a member of our staff will respond during our standard office hours.

Don’t Fall into the Wrong Pair of Shoes

Posted on 09.19.18 | Yuko Miyazaki, DPM |

A change of seasons often comes with a change in wardrobe, and we won’t disagree with that!

When it comes to your footwear, a quarterly check-up is never a bad thing. If any of your shoes are wearing out, it’s best to invest in something new.

(By the way, one of the easiest ways to tell whether your shoes need to be replaced is looking at the heel. If it has become angled through wear, it’s no longer providing the support and stability you need. Or maybe you just don’t like them anymore! Not everything has to be podiatric science.)

When you do search for your newest shoes, you want to make sure they’re suited for your feet. The right choices can make the difference between cruising comfortably through your day and running into miserable, painful problems.

So, if you’re looking for some new footwear for autumn walks, winter relaxing, or really any point in the year, here are some things to keep in mind.

Examining a Shoe from the Outside

You don’t need to stick your foot inside a shoe to start learning a few important things about its makeup.

The materials that make a shoe are important factors when it comes to comfort and “breathability.” Canvas, cotton, leather, and similar natural materials are good at not trapping moisture so much, reducing risks of problems with odor or fungal infections. You will want to look at shoes made from these items if your feet sweat heavily or if you will be wearing your shoes for the majority of your day.

Synthetic materials such as vinyl and rubber are more likely to trap moisture and make things uncomfortable.

Handling the shoe can also tell you a few things right off the bat—namely, where it should be flexible and where it shouldn’t.

Flex the front of the shoe where your toes would bend- there should be some give here. The shoe should also be a little flexible when you grab it from both ends and try to twist it.

Where a shoe should not be very flexible is the heel. You should not be able to easily shift the shoe side to side over this area in the back.

Getting Measured

When is the last time you’ve measured your feet? You might feel your shoe size has found its permanent number since you’ve become an adult, but you’d be surprised that are feet can still change as we age!

A knowledgeable associate at any standard shoe store should be happy to take a measurement for you. The best time to measure is later in the afternoon, when feet tend to be their biggest size due to a day under the pressures of gravity.

Also, don’t feel sheepish getting both feet measured. Feet do not always end up the same size! You will want to opt for shoe sizes more accommodating to your larger foot.

Once you have your shoe size in mind, however, note that not every shoe in the store marked with that number is going to be your perfect match. Just as with other articles of clothing a certain size in one brand is not going to always equal the same in another. Your shoe size is a good starting point.

Finding the Best Fit

When you have some good candidates, they should pass the fit test in important areas.

Toe space is very important. Stand in the shoes and make sure there is about a half-inch of space between the end of your longest toe and the end of the shoe. It should be about the width of your finger. A lack of space here can increase the risk of toe pain and nail damage.

Is the toe box also deep enough to fit your toes comfortably without cramming or constriction? This is especially important if you have a condition such as bunions or hammertoes that might result in the shoe rubbing against these areas. The more room you have, the easier it will be to prevent sores from developing.

Once ready, take your shoes for a quick test walk around the store. The sole of your foot should fit comfortably within the widest section, and the heel should only slip very minimally, if at all.

A shoe that feels too tight or rubs anywhere is not a good fit, period. Shoes should not be “broken in.” Don’t even think about it, no matter how much you want that shoe. (You can probably find the size you need online, anyway.)

Different Needs Require Different Shoes!

All the above advice makes sense for general shoe buying, but a general shoe is not always what you’re looking for.

When it comes to athletic shoes, your activity will pose different needs to keep your foot protected and supported. Always use shoes that are specifically made for your sport or pastime, and head to a committed sport or running store when possible. The associates there will have plenty of good advice toward fitting a shoe to your play style.

There may also be qualities about your foot itself that may require additional attention when shoe shopping. Having high arches or flat feet can make a significant difference toward your needs as far as cushioning and stability are concerned.

In some cases, the best route for finding optimal comfort for arch and other related conditions might not lie in shoes themselves, but custom orthotic inserts placed within them. We would be more than happy to help you determine whether simple shoe changes would suffice, or if additional support is needed.

If you have any questions about how shoes should fit your foot care needs or have any other foot and ankle problems in need of addressing, never hesitate to give our office a call at (510) 647-3744. Dr. Miyazaki and our staff are always accepting new patients.

7 Things to Consider if You Have Flat Feet

Posted on 02.07.17 | Yuko Miyazaki, DPM |

If you walk on a pool deck with wet feet and the footprints you leave behind are the entire width of your feet—instead of the front and back parts being connected with a strip about half that width—then you probably have flat feet. Now, this condition is technically considered “abnormal,” but it isn’t all that uncommon. In fact, it is estimated that up to 30% of the general population have flat feet.

There are certain things you should keep in mind and know if you have a flatfoot condition, including the knowledge that there are many people out there who have the same issue. Here are 7 more things to consider:

Your feet move a little differently. It’s entirely possible you’ve never noticed, but your feet undergo a rolling motion during the ground portion of every step you take. This biomechanical process starts when your heel strikes the ground, continues through the final push of your toes, and is called pronation. The inward rolling motion is supposed to be around 15%. Most people with flat feet have an excessive roll called overpronation.
Your shoes have an interesting wear pattern. As noted earlier, you can tell whether or not you have flat feet by the footprints you leave when taking a normal step. Another way is by looking at the soles of your footwear. Due to overpronation, the bottoms of your shoes will be worn more heavily on the inner edges than the outer ones.
There’s a way to control overpronation. We can prescribe custom orthotics to prevent overpronation (which can be the source of pain in the feet, ankles, knees, hips, and even lower back). These medical devices are customized to work with your unique feet and restrict the excessive motion.
Shoe choices matter. If you are a runner with flat feet, you should pay close attention to the running shoes you buy. A good rule of thumb is to pick up your footwear in a store that caters to runners. The associates in these places are usually experts in pairing runners with the shoes that will work best for their running styles. If you are picking some out on your own, though, stick to models that are labeled as being “stability” or “motion control” running shoes.
Recognizing flatfoot symptoms is important for getting help. Knowing and recognizing symptoms like foot pain, fatigue (especially during and after physical activity), and swelling along the inside of the ankle will allow you to know when to contact our Berkeley office for treatment.
You might not have noticeable symptoms. Whereas there are many men and women who experience difficulty and pain from flat feet, this is not always the case. It is important to know that even though there are no current symptoms, issues can still arise. With this in mind, you need to pay attention to how your feet (especially your arch and heel areas) are feeling. If problems develop, come see us.
Conservative treatment is often effective. One of the good things about a flatfoot condition is the fact we can usually address symptoms and problems without needing to use surgery. Rest, ice, medication, stretches, and orthotic devices are all options we may include in your treatment plan.

Something to consider even if you don’t currently have flat feet is that you can still develop a case of acquired adult flatfoot deformity. This particular condition develops as your posterior tibial tendons—which play a major role in supporting your foot arches—begin to weaken.

If you would like more information on flat feet or need professional treatment, we are here to help. Call our Berkeley, CA podiatrist office at (510) 647-3744 or send us a message online right now!