People move through life without considering the difficulty of carrying out everyday mundane activities such as running, walking, and even standing. However, the problem is all too true for the 4% to 7% of the general population experiencing heel pains.
In reality, about 80% of these heel pains are attributed to Plantar Fasciitis. Plantar Fasciitis is a disorder affecting the connective tissue that supports the foot’s arch, resulting in pain at the foot and heel’s bottom. Moreover, this pain usually is severest during the first steps after a period of rest or in the morning as one takes the first steps.
The disorder is commonly caused due to biomechanical imbalances that result in undue tension being exerted on the plantar fascia. These excessive tensions typically result due to:
- Obesity
- Running on hard surfaces.
- High arch or flat feet
- Subjecting the heel bone to stress
- Diabetes
- Improper footwear
A professional health care provider typically diagnoses the disorder after an individual’s medical history, risk factors, and even clinical examinations based on the disorder’s ultrasound and symptoms. Though the condition typically improves within a year of treatment, conservative treatment, a treatment type that avoids surgeries, is the most preferred and takes about six months.
What Types of Slippers Are Best For Plantar Fasciitis?
However, since studies have indicated that improper footwear is a major contributing factor to the disorder, individuals suffering from the condition can find appropriate footwear to alleviate their pains.
This poses the question, how can one choose the best slippers for plantar fasciitis?
For individuals suffering from plantar fasciitis, plantar fasciitis slippers, which are orthopedic footwear designed to relieve plantar fasciitis pain and provide comfort, are the best solution.
While choosing slippers, individuals should consider the following:
1. A slipper whose toe box is round and wide:
The forefoot of any slippers for a plantar fasciitis patient ought to be round and wide. This prevents the toes from overlapping over other digits by giving the toes sufficient space to align appropriately.
The Vionic Men’s Dewey provides the wearer with plenty of toe room, enhancing comfort and, most importantly, prevents bunions and hammertoes.
2. The slipper’s sole should be ergonomic:
Ergonomic soles, besides reducing the force exerted on the heel during heel strikes, limit motion at the ankles and midfoot. This makes walking far much more comfortable.
The Capri moccasins avail these comforts by completely enveloping the patients’ feet, providing heel motion control. Moreover, Capri moccasins have durable rubber soles that enable more extended use and comfort in various environments, both indoors and outdoors.
3. The slippers should have a cushioned footbed:
The footbed of a proper plantar fasciitis slipper should have various layers of a flexible material such as foams, gels, and carbons that can disperse the forces exerted on the heels and toes. If the slipper is designed using foam that can mimic the patient’s foot’s shape, the better as it will offer customized support.
The Charlotte Slippers are a good example. The slippers incorporate sole exemplary sole design and use of state of the art materials that have shock-absorbing properties enabling the heel to be protected, thus providing long relief from plantar fasciitis pain.
4. The slipper’s upper material should be flexible:
The slipper’s upper material should be in a position to protect the foot and still avail motion control. Flexible materials such as soft leathers will be the best for plantar fasciitis slippers as they will offer the foot the most support.
Orthopedic slippers such as the Women’s Louise Stretchable slippers have their fabric uppers infused with elastic materials enabling the slipper to gradually conform to the wearer’s feet shape and size, consequently minimizing pressure exerted on the toes.
5. The Slippers should have adequate depth:
For a slipper to best offer a comfortable and pressure-free environment, it must be of good depth. Moreover, the extra depth will enable an individual to fit custom orthotics to help treat other problems.
The Charlotte slippers provide the wearer with sufficient depth in addition to other features such as cushioned footbeds. This allows the slipper’s wearer to stay comfortable and, at the same time, be in a position to treat other problems he or she might have by fitting custom orthotics.
6. The slippers should have moisture-wicking linings:
Considering that a plantar fasciitis patient will likely wear orthopedic footwear for long durations, the lining should not allow moisture to build up in the slippers to prevent odor and bacteria build-up by keeping the patient’s feet dry and cool.
Haflinger Women’s AS Soft Sole is a good example. The slippers incorporate a double felt insole with the upper made of boiled wool. The slipper assumes the feet’s shape and insulates against the cold during cold seasons. The slipper is also designed to help cool the feet during hot seasons.
7. The Plantar fascia patient’s front and back design considerations:
Though slippers with open forefoot tend to be quite breathable and conducive during hot conditions, the slippers usually tend not to offer as much protection as closed slippers do. As a result, some orthopedic slippers manufacturers provide plantar fascia pain patients with the choice of purchasing either one or both open and closed slippers.
Capri moccasin is a good example. Buyers can either chose the closed or open version of the slippers or even take both to use as per their needs.
Conclusion
Plantar fascia pain tends to limit the extent to which individuals can carry out their daily activities usually. Consequently, running and even walking activities are not actively partook upon by plantar fascia disorder patients. Something that is bound to negatively impact the patients’ social and economic life as they cannot operate as long as they would wish when it comes to physical activities.
To minimize the pain and effects the disorder possesses, patients should carefully consider buying orthopedic slippers following the earlier stipulated criteria and take medications for the pain in instances where the health care practitioner prescribes meds.
