6 Benefits of Orthopedic Shoes

While the popular belief is that orthopedic shoes are meant for individuals suffering from specific foot problems, the fact is orthopedic shoes are far more than that and offer numerous health benefits. Among other things they help you maintain proper posture, keep you mobile, comfortable and pain-free. The fact that modern orthopedic shoes can be stylish is an added perk too!

Let us look a little more closely at what orthopedic shoes are and also look at their health benefits in some detail.

What are orthopedic shoes?

Simply put, depending on the structure of your foot, you could be susceptible to developing a number of foot issues over time if your foot isn’t given the necessary support. This is where orthopedic shoes become important. They are designed to support the mechanics and structure of your feet so that your feet remain comfortable.

Here are some of the supportive features that orthopedic shoes offer:

• A cushioned insole that offers a supportive foundation which helps prevent fatigue and pain for long periods of time.
• An ergonomic midsole to provide relief and reduce strain in the various parts of the foot.
• Arch support helps to evenly distribute pressure across your feet.
• Deep heel cup, which helps to stabilize the foot by aligning your feet with the knee, hips, and ankles. The foot alignment, in turn, drastically limits excessive pronation and helps reduce pain in your feet and back.
• The wide toe box, allowing your toes to wiggle while also allowing room for natural swelling, which happens over long periods of standing.
• Different widths ensure that your feet aren’t cramped.

Benefits of Wearing Orthopedic Shoes

The benefits of switching to supportive orthopedic footwear are immense. Here is an overview: 

1. Reduce Foot Pain

First up, they offer you relief from foot pain and discomfort by offering the structural elements of your feet, the support they need to function without any strain. 

2. Provide Support

With orthopedic shoes, your feet are offered the cushioning to absorb the shock of your movements. What that means is that you can undertake more of the activities that you love without worrying about tired feet.

3. Correct foot issues

Orthopedic shoes help correct foot problems by giving your feet an optimal environment. For example, if your feet have low arches they are susceptible to roll inwards. On the other hand, if you have high arches the feet can roll outwards. With orthopedic shoes, your foot is kept stabilized and balanced.

4. Encourage blood flow

Orthopedic shoes offer your feet room to move, as also help align them with the rest of your body. With people suffering from conditions like diabetes where circulation is impaired, the importance of orthopedic shoes cannot be overstated.

5. Improve mobility

With your feet being offered a supportive environment and foot pain and discomfort being kept at bay, the one thing that definitely improves is your overall mobility.

6. Keep the body aligned

Orthopedic shoes help align your feet with the knee, hips and ankles. This alignment further helps to reduce back, knee and joint pain.