These five shoes are poison for healthy feet

the essentials in brief

There are always trends in shoe fashion that make orthopedic surgeons throw up their hands.

These are the five most harmful shoes - which are not only worn by fashion-conscious women:

high heels

As is well known, the number one sinner is high heels. The higher the stiletto heels, the more pressure is exerted on the ball of the foot.

The unnatural posture also puts a strain on the calf muscles (which cramp) and the spine (which bends).

Constantly wearing high heels can permanently deform your feet. Hallux valgus, a misalignment of the toes, is particularly well known.

Hammer toes, where the toes arch upwards, are also not uncommon.

Flip flops and other flat shoes

In the summer months, both sexes like to wear very flat flip-flops and other open sandals. However, these offer very little support to the foot.

The ankle can tilt inwards or outwards. This can result in incorrect posture. This in turn promotes complaints in the knee and hip joints and in the spine.

Very flat soles also offer no support for the natural arch of the foot.

If you want to wear open, light shoes in summer, go for models with a soft, padded footbed.

Running shoes with lots of cushioning

Conversely, too much of a good thing can be. After sports shoe manufacturers had outbid each other for years with better and better cushioning to protect the knee joints, it turned out that too much cushioning puts additional strain on the muscles.

This can lead to strain and pain, the University of Oregon found. It is therefore better to wear less cushioned shoes when jogging.

cowboy boots

Cowboy boots are always trendy. However, the extremely pointed boots are poison for the feet.

It takes a long time to break in high-quality hard leather cowboy boots so that they adapt to the shape of your foot.

If you really want to be in fashion, look out for models made of soft, supple leather.

sock sneaker

One of the strangest trends in recent years has been the so-called sock sneaker: a type of sock with a rubber sole. These actually look very comfortable, but offer little support for the feet.

Skip the trend and grab a pair of high-quality sneakers made of stable, breathable textiles.