Advice on Foot Care

In the wintertime it’s easy to enter the house and kick off your wet, snow or mud covered shoes and slip into some nice, soft, comfy slippers. After being on your feet all day, nothing feels better, right? Not so fast. For those with foot problems, especially those with heel pain, this could spell trouble.

In the winter, the days are shorter and most people spend all evening indoors. The amount of time spent walking around the house is much greater. It’s easy to walk 2000 steps or more each evening, which adds up to a couple of miles of walking each week - in your own house! Can you imagine walking a few miles in your slippers? Those soft, fuzzy slippers which feel so good when you first slip your feet in them, will start to cause some serious foot problems after walking a few miles in them.

Test your slippers. If you can take your slipper and fold it into a ball, this slipper is WAY to flexible and may contribute to the development and worsening of tendonitis, plantar fasciitis and metatarsalgia. To avoid worsening foot problems during the winter, buy a pair of house shoes. They can be soft and fuzzy on the inside, but make sure they are firm and supportive. This means that the sole of the shoe should be rigid and should not flex much at the midsole area. Think of your house shoe more like a shoe and less like a slipper. Try to find a pair which you can easily slip into, but still have a small heel counter, to support your heel. A small heel is also a good idea because this will help take stress off of the achilles tendon, heel, arch, plantar fascia and the ball of the foot.

More information & images on how to choose shoes.

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