When walking down a short aisle, climbing a small flight of stairs, or going for casual stroll becomes a dreadful walking experience, it is time to have a closer look at your foot health. While a lot of foot problems may have more complex reasons, some could be simply due to incorrect footwear. Footwear which is too small or too big, too tight or too flimsy, too hard or too soft, too narrow or too wide and not in congruence to your foot shape, length, and arch, will be categorised as incorrect footwear. Such incorrect or ill-fitting footwear is a recipe to many foot ailments, which catapult into bigger problems if not rectified at the correct stage.
If your shoes are too big, or they're not supportive enough, the muscles on the bottom of your foot tighten with each step in an attempt to keep the shoe from sliding off or slipping out. It can also set the stage for an overuse injury, such as Plantar Fasciitis, where the Plantar Fascia Tendon that runs along the bottom of your foot from toes to heel becomes chronically inflamed. Poorly designed footwear for your type of physical activity, can cause a number of short- and long-term health problems that affect various parts of our bodies. Hence, it is important to choose proper footwear to ‘be well-heeled’.