Are Your Shoes Too Tight?
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM
It is often taught that tight or snug shoes are needed for "support." However, tight shoes are not healthy for many reasons, or even needed. Tight or supportive shoes are a common source of tightness of the toes, foot, and Achilles tendon, and pain of the toes, feet, ankle, and knees. The posts Arch Support Is Not From Shoes and Which Shoes Help Exercise, Fall Prevention, and Ankles? explain more about the myth that support is from shoes.
Shoes worn snugly "for support" cause frequent problems. If your toes fit together like puzzle pieces or do not face straight ahead, as in the photo at left, it is likely that you frequently wear shoes that are too tight.
There should be space between each toe, and each toe should face straight forward, not turned toward either side (photo below right).
If you need toe separators (a soft foam device for separating toes) to paint your toenails, your toes are too tight and bunched together. Toes that are bunched together need regular stretching to separate them. Take your toes in your hands and gently pull them apart. Some of my patients use those toe separators to wear to bed. That is all right to start, but instead of only treating the result of a tightness problem, it is best to correct the problem with simple stretching before deformity progresses to the point where it is difficult to fix:
- Pull your toes away from each other with your hands.
- Straighten each toe gently.
- Make sure all toes separate and can wiggle.
- Practice wiggling your toes.
- Don't wear shoes that push your toes together or keep them from moving.
- Avoid tight socks and stockings - "tight" is anything that presses your toes together.
- When standing, don't tighten or clench your toes against the floor or each other. Don't press toes into the ground to balance so much that they buckle and bend. Keep your weight distributed over your entire foot, including your heel. Notice if you rock forward to the ball of your foot when standing.
- Take off shoes and all hosiery every day and let toes get sunlight and air.
- When you exercise and walk, make sure you do not walk "toe-out." Turning the feet outward, sometimes called "duck-foot" used to be thought the normal direction of the fibers and muscles. Now it is known that both feet should be able to comfortably face straight ahead.
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Limited Class space for personal feedback. Top students may earn certification through DrBookspan.com/Academy. More fun in Dr. Bookspan's Books.
Read success stories and send your own.
See if your answers are already here - click Fitness Fixer labels, links, archives, and Index.
For personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions.
Limited Class space for personal feedback. Top students may earn certification through DrBookspan.com/Academy. More fun in Dr. Bookspan's Books.
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Photo 1 of tight toes by Estef from piesdemujer_com
Photo2 of healthy straight toes copyright by Jolie Bookspan from the book Fix Your Own Pain Without Drugs or Surgery.
Photo2 of healthy straight toes copyright by Jolie Bookspan from the book Fix Your Own Pain Without Drugs or Surgery.
Labels: feet, fix pain, gait, injury, shoes, stretch, sunlight, toes
2 Comments:
At Saturday, October 20, 2007 1:58:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
Yeah well sure i do try to make my feet face forward wen i walk but there is something wrong with my joints in that my feet point outward naturally. If i point my feet forward, my knees point in in the same ways yours would if u point ur feet 45 degrees in. does anyone know if wat i hav is just natural or if there is something rly wrong? I hav been told to just not worry about it but i think it could affect my health in the future.
At Friday, November 30, 2007 6:36:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Hello Anonymous, make sure not to force your feet in any direction. The alignment comes from the whole leg.
Some people walk with feet turned out because of tight Achilles tendon or a big toe that doesn't bend, or a tight outside hip, which makes straight walking too tight. I think from your description, you are involving the knee?
There are two long bones in the lower leg allowing a certain amount of swivel, just like your lower arm. We want to see if you are letting the knee twist to an unhealthful degree. When you point your feet forward, see if you let the knees sag inward, toward each other. Sometimes it is just a matter of it happening because you allow them to fold under your weight. One way that we check, of several, is looking at the knee with the leg straight and no weight on the leg. Often it is facing straight in line with the toes until you put weight on it. Sometimes the bad positioning continues until it becomes tight and "stuck" and the bones wear new grooves making it difficult to straighten out. Can you send photos? Come to a workshop and I can take a look and show you some things to make it comfortable and healthful.
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