Definition of a Healthy Shoe (2024)

Greetings, Doug,

Thank you for your message. And thank you for sharing a bit about your own foot health considerations. In our experience, we’ve found that the products and info we offer on our site are helpful for most people, most of the time. Of course, everyone is unique in terms of their foot health history and needs, and we’re not able to offer you any additional thoughts or advice without the benefit of a full health history interview and physical examination. Our general thought, though, is that if you’ve found an approach that’s working for you, it’s probably best to stick with it.

Kind regards,
Marty Hughes, DC

Hi, Jane,

Thank you for your comment. Yes! I have the perfect thing for you. It’s the Ahinsa Ananda Ballerina:

www.naturalfootgear.com/products/ahinsa-ananda-ballerina-black

Please give it a look and let me know if you have any questions. I’m happy to help out however I can!

Kind regards,
Marty Hughes, DC

Greetings, Ben,

Thank you for your comment. I can certainly appreciate how frustrating it must be to try to find footwear that conforms to your wide foot. I wonder, have you tried Vibram FiveFingers? The upper of these toe shoes is rather expansile, and I have seen them work well for other wide-footed folks in the past. Just a thought! Otherwise, you might consider wearing foot-healthy sandals as much as possible during the warm weather months. In terms of closed-toe options, Altra (at least at the time of writing this comment) now offers some knit upper options that are rather forgiving to those with relatively wide feet. If anything else comes to mind, I will certainly let you know!

All the best,
Robyn Hughes, ND

Hi, David,

Thank you for your comment. This article is intended to provide a high-level overview of what constitutes a foot-healthy shoe. For an article that goes into greater depth about the beneficial features to look for in footwear, I recommend that you check out this one:

www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/educational-articles/how-to-shop-for-shoes

For an article that focuses more closely on conventional footwear flaws, you might want to check out this one:

www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/educational-articles/problematic-shoe-design-features

To your point about minimalist footwear and minimalist shoemakers gaining traction in the market, I would say that there is already plenty of traction there! Your point about different manufacturers favoring or emphasizing certain aspects of minimalist shoes is duly noted, though I do believe that most companies producing minimalist footwear would generally agree that a minimalist shoe ought to be lightweight, have a low stack height and relatively little cushioning, and be sufficiently flexible in the sole (while not including any “motion control” elements). The companies that also realize the importance of incorporating an anatomical toe box are the ones that produce pure magic—and these are the companies that we are happy to promote and support.

If you have any follow-up thoughts or comments, please do send them our way!

All the best,
Robyn Hughes, ND

Hi, Louis. Thank you for your question. What you’re describing sounds like a remarkable experience! Are you hiking the Appalachian Trail or tackling some other such long walk? A lot of long-distance walkers find that, with sufficient time and training, they are able to tolerate the thin, flexible soles of minimalist footwear for long durations, though it’s certainly not something to jump into full-speed. Indeed, it’s important to first build a sufficient base (aka foot resiliency) by slowly ramping up your minimalist shoe wear-time to allow key foot adaptations to occur (many folks find that using foot gym tools is also helpful for this purpose). This helps reduce strain on foot tissues and structures, and it helps you avoid overuse injuries.

If need be, you might consider adding two helpful and unobtrusive foot pads within your healthy-foot-shaped shoes: Tuli’s heel cups and Pedag metatarsal pads. These pads serve different functions, but they both help to enhance foot comfort, which is so crucial on long walks like the one you’re describing. In terms of specific shoes for the kind of endeavor you’ve described, we personally would have no qualms using any of the athletic shoe models we feature in the men’s and women’s shoe collections on our site, though it sounds like you might appreciate a little more material between the sole of your foot and the ground. In that case, more transitional-like models such as the Lems Primal Pursuit or the Lems Boulder Boot Grip might be the ticket for you.

We hope this info helps, Louis! Please let us know if you have any follow-up questions, and please keep us updated on your grand adventures!

Yours in Foot Health,
Drs. Marty & Robyn Hughes

Hi, Oliver. Thank you for your excellent question! We’re sorry to hear that you’re experiencing metatarsalgia. We’ll do what we can here to share thoughts and resources that might be helpful. Of course, it’s always important to get evaluated by a foot care professional who can perform the necessary tests and make recommendations that are perfectly tailored to you and your particular situation. First things first, though, the term “metatarsalgia” is a general, or umbrella, term for any cause of pain or discomfort in the ball of the foot. Possible causes of metatarsalgia include neuromas, sesamoiditis, capsulitis, gout, and metatarsal fractures, to name a few among many. Determining the precise cause of the ball of foot pain is important in deciding how to address it.

In a lot of cases, restoring the foot’s natural alignment and position can be very helpful in reducing the pain and inflammation associated with metatarsalgia and addressing the underlying cause of the problem, which, for most people, is the long-term use of conventional footwear. Footwear that offers slightly more padding beneath the foot can be helpful in the acute phase of recovery, but ultimately, the foot will benefit most from an in-shoe environment that permits it to function naturally. Footwear that is flat, wide, and flexible provides the foot with just such an environment and creates a situation in which the foot’s various structures and tissues—including the hugely important forefoot fat pad—can contribute to the process of shock absorption and better distribute body weight throughout the foot, instead of the majority of body weight being routed through the ball of the foot (which is what happens when wearing conventional shoes).

In addition to men’s (www.naturalfootgear.com/collections/mens-shoes) and women’s (www.naturalfootgear.com/collections/womens-shoes) foot-healthy footwear, other natural footgear that has, in our experience, proven helpful for addressing or preventing ball of foot pain includes Correct Toes toe spacers (www.naturalfootgear.com/collections/correct-toes), Injinji toe socks (www.naturalfootgear.com/collections/toe-socks), and Pedag metatarsal pads (www.naturalfootgear.com/products/pedag-metatarsal-pads). These items work in concert to strengthen and balance the foot, and they promote optimal foot function. They help position the toes and other important foot structures in an advantageous alignment, offloading force from the affected area, protecting vulnerable tissues, and improving blood flow to and from the sole of the foot. This, in turn, gives inflamed tissues the chance to heal and the foot an opportunity to grow more robust and resilient. Here are some additional resources from our site that dive deeper into a few of the conditions associated with ball of foot pain:

Neuromas: Conventional vs. Natural Approaches
www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/educational-articles/neuromas-conventional-vs-natural-approaches

Sesamoiditis: Conventional vs. Natural Approaches
www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/educational-articles/sesamoiditis-conventional-vs-natural-approaches

Ball of Foot Pain: Conventional vs. Natural Approaches
www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/educational-articles/ball-of-foot-pain-conventional-vs-natural-approaches

You can also learn more about these (and other common) foot problems by signing up for our free e-courses here: www.naturalfootgear.com/pages/newsletter-courses. We hope this info helps! If you have any additional questions, please let us know by dropping another comment here or by using our online contact form (www.naturalfootgear.com/pages/contact).

All the best,
Drs. Marty & Robyn Hughes