Tight shoes can cause circulatory problems, ingrown nails, or bent fingers.
Often we buy shoes, guided only by its appearance. It is important for us how attractive and fashionable the shoes look. But the choice of shoes must be approached with all seriousness: your health depends on what you wear on your feet.
Choosing shoes
Poor-quality or simply unsuitable shoes can overshadow life with small, but annoying troubles, for example, corns. In addition, much more serious problems can arise - diseases of the veins, joints, muscles and even the spine. Therefore, the two main rules for choosing shoes are very simple: 1) it is better not to save and 2) refuse beautiful, but uncomfortable shoes.
You should not buy new shoes in the morning: in the evening the legs tend to swell slightly, and shoes purchased in the morning may seem cramped. Make sure that the shoes are perfect in size - fits the foot tightly, but does not squeeze it. Tight shoes can cause circulatory problems, ingrown nails, or bent fingers. Do not buy shoes that are too tight in the hope that they will spread over time - you should not force yourself to walk in uncomfortable shoes for a long time. However, you should not wear very loose shoes, in which the leg "hangs". Because of such shoes, corns can also appear, and the leg muscles are constantly in tension.
“When trying on, always wear both boots,” experts recommend. - Be sure to walk around the fitting room. While walking, you should lightly feel the toe of the shoes with your fingers, but not rest against it. Swipe your hand over the surface of the material and make sure that your toes do not protrude on it with tubercles. ”
Choose shoes with soft, flexible soles. Bend the shoes in your hands. In high-quality shoes, the sole bends easily, and the top of the shoe does not deform too much. On a very thin sole it is convenient to walk only on a flat floor, walking in such shoes on asphalt can hardly be called pleasant - every pebble will feel the foot.
For every day, it is best to prefer shoes with a small wide heel. Passion for high heels can affect your health.
“A high heel is harmful not only for the forefoot, but also for the middle and hindfoot,” says orthopedic surgeon Andrei Kardanov. - The problem is that in the position of the foot on tiptoe the load is distributed absolutely physiologically - some sections of the foot are overloaded, others, on the contrary, are too unloaded. In addition, a high heel completely “turns off” the spring function of the foot. Ideally, at each step, the foot should “spring”, softening the load. And when wearing high heels, every step responds with a blow to the spine. As a result, osteochondrosis, a hernia of the intervertebral discs, which appear at first glance to causeless back pain.
So, a heel above 2-4 centimeters is not recommended. Of course, if necessary, you can wear shoes with a 12-centimeter heel, but such shoes should not be everyday. It is best that each pair of casual shoes has arch support (built-in or glued), that is, an insole or half-insole. The insole fully matches the shape of the sole, and the half insole is located only under the heel. The task of the insole (and half insole) is to maintain normal (or already lowering) arches of the feet. This will avoid flat feet. If after several days of wearing new shoes you feel that your legs are uncomfortable, either change your shoes or contact the orthopedic salon to select the appropriate arch support or insoles.”
In the heat and in the cold
The best choice for any season is shoes made of natural material, which will allow the skin of the legs to breathe and will not interfere with natural heat transfer. Shoes made of genuine leather, nubuck, suede, textiles are recommended. Leatherette shoes can be dangerous to health, especially for summer shoes: under the influence of temperature, various chemical components of this material begin to interact with the skin of the legs. In addition, leatherette shoes do not allow air to reach your feet. As a result, you can "earn" diaper rash or fungal diseases.
If you still buy shoes made of artificial materials, make sure that at least the lining of the shoe was made of genuine leather or textile - for health, first of all, the material with which the foot is in direct contact is important. You should also pay attention to the material from which the insole is made. Ideally, it should absorb unpleasant odors, remove moisture, kill bacteria - fine if the insole is saturated with a special antibacterial composition.
Do not forget that natural materials, unlike artificial ones, wear out and take the form of a foot over time. By the way, in hot weather your legs swell a bit, keep this in mind if you buy summer shoes.
In summer, it is not recommended to wear patent leather shoes that do not allow moisture and air to pass through well. In patent leather shoes you can go to any celebration, and for every day it is better to have open sandals or shoes made of natural materials.
For spring and autumn, it is important that the shoes do not let water in and at the same time allow the foot to “breathe”. If the demi-season boots or boots are fastened with a zipper, it should not start too close to the sole, otherwise the feet will get wet if you enter even into a shallow puddle. Unlike summer shoes, boots should not rest close to the foot (you will not wear them on bare feet) - you need to try them on with a tight toe.
In winter boots or boots, the sole thing is the sole. It should be thick enough, with a special tread that prevents slipping. It is most safe to wear boots with a varied tread pattern in ice - for example, one part in the form of stripes, the other - rounded protrusions. The shoe heel should also have a tread and be rubber, not plastic, otherwise the foot will slip.
Leather shoes with lining made of natural fur, such as sheep or tsigeyki, and a fur insole are best kept warm. Choosing the right winter shoes, you can not be afraid of the harsh cold and slippery sidewalks.
Fashion victims
Undoubtedly, any woman wants to look fashionable and elegant. The shoe industry offers many ways to make legs visually slimmer and longer. Stilettos, narrow toes of shoes, platforms - it's hard to argue that such shoes are more feminine than coarse shoes with thick soles. But how safe are these fashionable delights?
The dangers of high heels have already been said. But you should not abuse shoes on the platform either. Firstly, a high platform (like a stiletto heel) does not exclude injuries: it is easy to tuck a leg on it. Secondly, when walking on the platform, the ligaments and muscles of the foot are left without “work” and flat feet can develop. If you still buy these shoes, choose a wide enough, and therefore more stable platform. Remember that neither the stud nor the platform are completely suitable for driving a car. The heel can cling to the mat, making it difficult to rearrange the foot from one pedal to another, and a thick platform does not allow you to feel the force of the foot pressure on the pedal.
Another fashionable detail beloved by many - a pointed toe - is also not harmless. These shoes squeeze fingers, bringing them closer to each other. In this case, the thumb and little finger fall, and the rest - rise. All this threatens with deformation of the fingers, the formation of painful corns and "bumps". Since the weight of the body presses the foot into the wedge-shaped space (especially if, in addition to the sharp nose of the shoe, the heel is 5-6 cm high or more), the entire load is transferred to the bones of the middle toes. Because of this, transverse flatfoot occurs, and painful corns form on the sole.
Children's shoes
Probably only the well-being of the child can be more important than their own health. Wrongly chosen shoes are dangerous not only because of the inconvenience to the child: the baby begins to act up, and parents sometimes do not even realize that the whole thing is in the wrong shoes. While the children's foot is in the formation stage, it is very important that the shoes do not interfere with this process and do not provoke problems such as flat feet.
What should be children's shoes? “A child should by no means wear shoes“ outgrowing ”, but it should not be cramped either,” says Mikhail Trunev, pediatric orthopedic traumatologist. - A stiff, moderately ribbed sole and a stiff upper are desirable. Demi-season and winter shoes should fit the ankle joint, that is, be high. ”
Experts advise to buy shoes for children from natural material on a small heel, with a fixed heel and soft back, orthopedic insole and wide toe. Children's orthopedic shoes are necessary for the prevention of foot deformities and its proper development, so many doctors recommend buying these shoes for children under 4-5 years old.
In move
Everyone involved in sports knows how much appropriately selected clothes for training and, of course, shoes mean. Sneakers should be very comfortable so that the feeling of discomfort does not distract you from classes. It is important that they are suitable for your chosen sport and reliably protect your foot from injuries - protect from "twisting" of the foot, ensure fixation of the ankle and foot stability. When buying sneakers, pay attention not only to the design, but to a greater extent to how comfortable it is for you to move in a particular model. Flexible outsole, stiff heel, lightness are the hallmarks of quality sports shoes.
It’s best to train in leather or gor-tex sneakers that provide normal air exchange, with an insole that can be pulled out and dried. When choosing sports shoes, keep in mind that during training, the foot may increase slightly in size, and also remember that there should be a small space between the fingers and toe of the sneaker. In addition to universal sneakers suitable for all kinds of sports, there are special shoes for certain trainings, which the seller-consultant of a sports store will help you choose.
Aerobics and shaping shoes protect against injuries with special inserts in the sole area. These sneakers can be taller than shoes for other sports. This allows you to fix the lower leg and prevent damage to the ankle joint. Since aerobics is very dynamic, you will need flexible and lightweight sneakers to make it easy and comfortable to move. The wide toe and narrow heel of the sneakers provide better grip on the floor.
Very lightweight sneakers that fit perfectly on the leg are best suited for running. If the foot glides inside, you run the risk of getting corns and scuffs, and the risk of ankle injury will increase. A flexible toe is needed to allow better repulsion from the ground, and a reinforced heel. It is important that running shoes have the ability to cushion impact when in contact with the ground. Therefore, running shoes are suitable for running with air pockets - air-filled cavities inside the sole.
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