Top 5 Worst Shoes for Your Feet - According to a Podiatrist (2024)

One of the most commonly asked questions that we as podiatrists get asked is “What are the best shoes for my feet?”. Footwear can have a huge impact on foot health and in both causing or alleviating foot pain. We have already covered our Top Tips for Picking Footwear, but here we will go into detail about 5 specific types of shoes that you should try to avoid. It is unreasonable to think that everyone will wear their most supportive footwear 24/7, most people don’t want to wear their comfy runners with their co*cktail attire! However, avoiding long term use of these shoes can help to avoid foot pain.

Wearing shoes that are not right for you can lead to or contribute to a range of problems within your feet. These can include:

• Blisters
• Corns and callus
• Ingrown toenails
• Plantar fasciitis
• Achilles tendinopathy
• Forefoot pain
• Dorsal (top of the foot) pain
• Injury to the muscles within the feet

Footwear is responsible for not only supporting your feet, but for supporting the rest of your body from the ground up. Wearing the wrong shoes can have an affect on your ankles, knees, hips and back. Everyone will have a slightly different foot type and require different features of footwear. However, these are the top types of shoes to avoid:

High heels

This is generally a no brainer in terms of footwear to avoid, however it is often not what most high heel wearers want to hear! In small doses, with the right heels, these can cause minimal issues for your feet. However, long term use in heels that are very high can lead to a range of problems from your feet all the way up to your back. When wearing heels, there is an excessive amount of pressure placed on your feet, particularly at the forefoot and toes. When your heel sits higher than your toes, the pressure needs to move somewhere else. Unfortunately, the forefoot and toes bear the brunt of this force! This can lead to issues such as bursitis, synovitis, Morton’s neuroma, ingrown toenails, corns and callus. The position of the heel can also cause issues for the heels itself and the calf muscles. Think of holding a continuous calf raise – this can place a lot of strain on the calves, particularly if they are weak or injured!

Too flexible

Flexible footwear has its place among a small percentage of the population. For example, it is often recommended for children learning to walk so that their feet remain protected whilst they start to strengthen their legs and feet. Some find it more comfortable to wear something more flexible, rather than something supportive and sturdy. For example, marathon runners or triathletes are not training or competing in big sturdy runners! Rather, they perform better in shoes that are a little more flexible to allow the feet to function more efficiently over their race. However, it takes time for your feet to adjust to this type of footwear and requires hours and hours of strengthening and adjustment! For the general population, these types of shoes are more often than not a cause of pain. In Australia, most of us have grown up wearing shoes – our feet are used to this. We have a lot of patients who state that they feel much better in shoes compared to bare feet, particularly if they are suffering from an injury such as plantar fasciitis.

Let’s think about when most people are concerned about whether they are wearing the right shoes – at work or when exercising. These are the times the the most amount of pressure is placed on the feet, particularly if you work in jobs that require you to spend long periods of time on your feet. Your feet are already working hard to get you through the day. Shoes that are too flexible can cause the soft tissue within the feet to work harder than they should, potentially causing pain or discomfort. Therefore, it is important to avoid flexible shoes that will make your feet work harder than they need to!

Slip on shoes

Through an Australian summer, there are very few people who are comfortable with wearing their comfy runners on a scorching day. We often turn to either thongs or sandals which are easy to slip on and allow our feet to breathe. However, are they doing more harm than good?

Any shoe that does not have adequate fixation forces your feet to claw to keep the shoe on your foot. This recruits all of the small muscles within the toes which are not usually susceptible to this kind of force. Your feet can then become very fatigued and if this occurs long term, it can lead to inflammation and injury. Slip on shoes are appropriate for heading down to the beach or going to the swimming pool, but are not designed to be worn for long periods of time. They have their place, but are not desirable in most circ*mstances!

If you do prefer to wear thongs in the warmer months, come to the clinic and check out the Archies thongs!

Pointed toe box

When we are looking for appropriate shoes, we want shoes that compliment our foot shape and that will fit properly. Our toes are not designed in a pointed shape, so why do we try to squeeze them into pointed shoes?

Pointed shoes may look nice, however they force your forefoot to squeeze into the toebox. The most common complaints we see in those who regularly wear pointed shoes are ingrown toenails, corns and forefoot pain.

Flat sole

Much like flexible shoes, flat shoes do have their place amongst the population. They are the preferred footwear for those in the gym who are lifting weights and require a stable and even platform.

For the general population, they are generally not suitable for most activities. A flat sole often provides little to no support or cushioning and often has a thinner sole. They are fine to wear for short periods of time, however wearing them for a full day or when going for a long walk will likely cause pain and discomfort in your feet! They can be particularly problematic for those who have flat feet or high arches, as there is no support for these foot types.

So what’s the moral of the story? Pick the shoes that will provide your feet with the most supportive for whatever activity you’re doing. This doesn’t mean that you can’t break out your favourite heels or dress shoes for a special occasion! It just means making a conscious effort to support your feet so that they can support you.