City girls have the most foot pain, and for good reason. Whether it’s running to catch the train in ill-supported ballet flats, giving a two hour powerpoint presentation in 4″ heels, or wearing exclusively stilettos at night- it’s just hard to keep our tootsies in good health with all the constant running around, standing, and bad shoes. We caught up with Dr. Kelly Geoghan, a podiatrist at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, MD for some quick solutions:
“The worst mistakes women make when choosing shoes is choosing shoes that are too flat. The flat ballerina type of dress shoe which became popular a few years ago makes women more prone to issues like heel pain and tendinitis especially Achilles tendinitis. The lack of support in this type of shoe creates a slightly negative heel which is not anatomically correct and causes the structures in the foot and back of the foot to work harder. These flat shoes also offer no arch support.”
So what to wear when walking around town to or running between trains? Try a comfy, but chic walking shoe like the hot pink Therafit sneakers that offer posture support and a lot of extra cushion, or these Tsubo wedge boots (super cute with jeans and a v-neck).
“Shoes without the back in them are not encouraged. This type of shoe causes the forefoot to work harder by making the toe grasp to hold the shoe on,” says the doc. Mules be gone! (I never liked them anyway.)
She adds that if you’re prone to swollen, tired feet from sitting at a desk all day you can try getting up every hour or so for a short walk (it’s a good excuse to grab an extra glass of water, too), and doing easy leg exercises at your desk to increase circulation- they key to healthy, happy feet.
