MORE: 6 Ways To Ease Your Foot Pain While Watching TV While you may have been able to ignore any discomfort these shoes caused you in the past, age-related foot changes can make the pain less tolerable now. “When you’re in your 40s, the fat pads in your feet gradually start to get thinner, so you have less natural cushioning than you once did,” Sutera explains. While this loss is inevitable, making better footwear choices can help minimize aches and pains.
Sole-saving tips:
Get your feet measured. “If you’ve had kids, your feet may now be a half or full size bigger,” says Grace Torres-Hodges, a spokesperson for the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA). That’s because the weight you gain during pregnancy increases the pressure on your feet; this flattens your arches slightly, which lengthens your feet. Squeezing your feet into too-tight shoes may make you more likely to develop bone and joint deformities, so make sure you’re buying the right size. (Give these pain-fighting tricks for flat feet a try.) Not sure your arch type? Try this simple test: Don’t live in high heels. Wearing them daily can cause the Achilles tendon to shrink, which increases your risk of injury while doing activities in flat shoes. “Moderation is key,” Torres-Hodges says. “If you wear shoes with 2-inch heels or lower most of the time, you can afford to wear higher ones occasionally.” Another smart move: shopping for healthier heels from brands such as Vionic, Naturalizer, and Sofft. They’re designed with proper cushioning and support but still look stylish. (Here are 8 shoes that are as comfy as sneakers, but way cuter.) Choose flats wisely. ozgurkeser/Getty Images It’s not just skyscraper stilettos that can damage your feet—wearing flats with inadequate cushioning and arch support can lead to heel and arch pain. Before you buy a pair of flats, try to bend them to gauge their support, suggests Torres-Hodges: “Shoes should only bend at the ball of the foot, never in the middle.” Shopping for flip-flops? Look for sturdy, cushioned ones with foot beds from companies such as FitFlop, Dansko, and Merrell. Just don’t wear them for long periods of time, warns Torres-Hodges: “Flip-flops—even high-quality ones—were never intended to be ‘walking around’ shoes.”
