What to Look for When Shopping for Walking Sandals
The key issue with sandals is that they aren’t built for walking long distances, says Dr.Laurino. Often, your feet have to work overtime in order to keep the sandal on and in place.
“This recruits muscles you don’t normally use, shortens your stride into a shuffle and causes fatigue to travel up to the arch, Achilles, knees and lower back,” he explains.
According to Dr. Laurino, “A comfortable walking sandal solves this problem by holding your foot so your foot can stop doing the shoes job.”
Here are a 5 expert-approved tips to keep in mind when shopping for comfortable and supportive sandals.
- “A contoured footbed with arch support is essential. Not a flat slab. A flat footbed is barely better than walking barefoot. You can test a sandal in the store by folding it in half. It should bend at the ball of the foot only. If it folds in the middle like a wallet, it doesn’t have support and your foot will be working overtime.“
- “A deep heel cup helps center the pad under the heel bone and keeps your foot from sliding around. This is where a lot of “my feet are killing me” walking pain comes from.”
- “Cushioning should be firm, not mushy. You want shock absorption without losing stability. If the sole compresses flat under your thumb or collapses when you step it’ll bottom out on a walk.”
- “Secure multi-point straps are crucial. Thick straps that anchor your foot in more than one place. Across the toes over the midfoot and ideally around the ankle. Stop the toe-clenching cycle. A secured foot is a less tired foot.”
- “A grippy sole and roomy toe box so your toes can splay naturally rather than being pinched.”
