| |
Special Topics
Best Foot Forward
Recommended Shoes
Suddenly it's July and everyone is talking about holidays, I often get asked for advice about what bed to buy, how to adjust car seats and how to minimise the effects of working all day at a computer. I hardly ever get asked "what shoes should I buy?" and that's a shame because between us, Sue, my wife who is a chiropodist and podiatrist, and foot pain specialist and I have quite a lot of experience when it comes to footwear. Have a look at her recommended shoe section.
You probably spend more time walking when on holiday than any other time of year. However if you spend your holidays horizontal on a sunbed reading or sleeping you can probably stop reading here!
As an osteopath, naturally I am interested in keeping my patients free of pain and for a lot of people this starts with your feet: I won't get too technical here, the basics are all we need to get started:
- If you have hard skin anywhere on your foot or you have foot or leg pain the chances are that your feet are twisting too much when you walk. Choose a shoe that will hold your foot firmly. Our favourites for off road and long walks, and the ones that we wear most often, are Ecco performance walking shoes. If you want to take them abroad on holiday the best thing is to wear them on the plane otherwise they take up a lot of luggage space.
- For work you need good quality supportive shoes.
- Hiking boots are good on rough ground especially in wet weather but some people prefer something lighter such as wellies or trainers. If you wear wellies then make sure they are good quality wellies, not just the regular "cheaper" variety, and make sure you wear orthotics inside them.
- In reasonable weather when you are gardening you might consider Crocs if you don't want to pay too much.
- For the beach I recommend FitFlops, Crocs or Birkenstocks which have reasonable arch support.
My Walking Shoes
"I like my Ecco performance walking shoes because I can just put them on and walk. If they get muddy the mud will brush off later, the soles grip well and they are flexible enough to move easily. Mostly I walk on pavement or tarmac but sometimes I go slightly off-road and they have never let me down, the laces stay tied and I don't even think about them, this is how shoes should be. I walk a lot and rarely go out of the house wearing anything else."
|
|
|
Contact Bill Ferguson
Osteopath Tenterden
Book an osteopathy appointment now
Tel: 01580 762754
|
| |
|