How about that for the title of an article?
We geeky feet types (no, that is not similar or even close to foot fetish types) find some things about feet very interesting, and one of those things is how the solutions for many of our foot problems are just the opposite of what we think they are. Thus, counterintuitive.
Here are some examples:
- When our heels hurt, we look for a gel heel pad or other such soft landing for our heel. The real cure is to put a semi-rigid support in the arch of our foot.
- When our feet hurt all over and are very tender, we want light, soft shoes. What we really need can be light, but the shoe should be firm and solid. That doesn’t mean clunky, just firm and supportive enough to do the work that the foot is rebelling against.
- When our feet hurt all over and are very tender, we wear flip flops or Crocs. Actually, flip flops should only be worn when there is no foot pain or tenderness, not as a method of feeling better, and then only at the beach or the pool! Crocs should only be worn in the house as a bedroom shoe, not even for a few hours a day.
- Some people who work on their feet believe that they are hard on shoes and buy the cheapest shoes they can find because…….. they have to buy them so often! They will argue with you if you suggest that if they get better quality shoes (in the right shape for their foot), that they will spend less on an annual basis – and have healthier feet.
- After most surgery, modern protocols call for getting out of the bed within the first day to start walking and moving, even though it is often very painful. Not so with foot surgery. Strict non-weight bearing for several weeks brings the earliest and best results.
- Some women feel better in heels than in flats. When they wear flats their forefoot, heel or Achilles tendon bothers them. That is because wearing heels causes damage to the forefoot, heel and over time shortens the Achilles tendon.
- “These are the only shoes that don’t hurt my feet” always means that the shoes are soft, not the right size and non-supportive. This is the same logic used by those whose feet feel better when they wear heels than when wearing flat shoes.