I get asked daily about footwear for plantar fasciitis and I have experimented with different types for different applications.
The important thing to remember is that with plantar fasciitis you need to alter how you stand and walk to alter the pressure on your foot. This change will reduce the damage been done to your fascia. Then with a heel toe walking style with short strides to reduce pressure on foot you need to practice.
Initially I assess everybody in bare feet for standing and walking. I also encourage people to walk and move at home in bare feet as it helps heal your fascia quicker, and strengthens your small foot muscles. I know this is the opposite of the mainstream but it works extremely well and have 1000s of successful patients to show it works.
So the initial concept of footwear was to protect our feet from the environment, cold and surface primarily. Now footwear is linked to activity and fashion. So trainers were designed for running we use for walking, wellingtons to keep our feet dry we use for walking, and fashion shoes formal or heels we use for walking.
We do need footwear to protect our feet from the hard surfaces for cars and infrastructure, but walking on a sandy beach is lovely.
So when I started testing Barefoot shoes I thought I had cracked it !
A shoe for all surfaces that helped your foot develop strength.
They are excellent for helping you to recover from plantar fasciitis as they promote the barefoot experience. Great for using around the house and short walks…..
However, Not good for doing sport in as cushioning and support is needed, not good for long distance walking or walking over undulating or rocky ground. I realise the advertising is the opposite to this but, you should wear as much as possible the right shoes for the environment and task.
They make excellent slippers and the sole on my new pair gives Spiderman grip.
I explain more about Barefoot shoes in the video below
So I wholeheartedly recommend barefoot shoes to aid in the recovery of plantar fasciitis as long as you follow a treatment and rehabilitation plan. If you just buy them without changing anything else they will have limited effect. So if you have plantar fasciitis and are after a solution barefoot shoes and my plantar fasciitis Rehabilitation Programme are excellent.
There are many on the market and I recommend Vivo Barefoot CLICK HERE
If you would like to have treatment with me directly please book a 1:1 Treatment and Assessment below at my Clinic in Stratford Upon Avon.
