If you have foot pain, hard-to-fit feet, or want to improve your walking performance, where do you go to find the right shoes? Your first stop should be a specialty running shoe store where they can look at you and your feet live and in person and recommend the best shoes for you.How to Find Out What Kind of Shoes to Buy: Start your analysis online. Find a specialty running shoe store in your area.
If you have foot pain and problems, you could waste hundreds of dollars on trying various insoles and pads without expert advice. Why not get real expert advice?
Foot Experts: Podiatrists, Pedorthists, and More: If you're afraid of a big price tag in visiting a podiatrist, you may want to look for a local pedorthist store such as the chain Foot Solutions. These shops have a pedorthist who will consult with you at no charge and recommend the right insoles, pads, shoes, or whether you really need a prescription orthotic.
The least cost and least pain in the long run is to get live, expert advice when you first start having foot pain or problems. If you don't trust the first expert, get a second opinion. Use the internet for preliminary research, but don't use it as a substitute for real help.
Photo © Wendy Bumgardner
Jan. 2, after a 13 mile birding walk, I woke up with a swollen leg and foot. I did not recall any trauma and normally walk/hike 50 miles a week.
I had an X-ray and MRI showing no damage.
My Podiatrist put me in an over the counter in sole. It helped but not enough. Now an orthopedic device is now being made for me.
Perhaps 50 miles a week, week in and week out, is not such a good idea. Perhaps mixing it up would have been a good idea.
Or it may just be bad genetics mixed with over enthusiasm.