Tips for Picking Out New Sneakers

Often patients come to me when starting a new workout regimen asking about appropriate shoes, whether it's walking, running, biking, cycling, or a fitness class. It’s difficult for me to tell them a specific brand or this specific shoe because it depends on the patient's foot structure and how it fits their foot.

Tips For Shoe Shopping

1. You want to make sure you actually try the shoe on in the store and actually walk around in it to make sure that it fits your foot appropriately.
2. Many times patients come in and they are not wearing a shoe that's wide enough. So you want to make sure you put your foot in it and stand in it to make sure it’s not pressing on the sides of your foot.
3. You also want to make sure that it's has solid structure and actually twist the back of the shoe to make sure it's not too flexible.
4. I also recommend putting the shoe on and breaking it in meaning I would wear it only a few hours at a time until you really start walking or running in it to make sure that it doesn't cause blisters or other types of foot pain.

If you find a type of shoe and that particular brand and model really works well for you, I recommend sticking with it through the years.

When to Buy New Sneakers

When it comes to when you should change your shoes, usually it's between every 400 to 500 miles, which usually adds up pretty quickly if you're wearing that shoe quite a bit, so typically every 6 months to 8 months I recommend obtaining new shoe gear if you're wearing it all the time while you're working out.

If you try different shoes and continue to have foot pain, it may be time to see a foot and ankle specialist.