What Makes a Good Shoe? A Conversation That's Lost it's Sole
You love your shoes. That boost of confidence, the perfect cushioning, the stylish look. But what if your favourite shoes are secretly undermining your foot health?
Take a moment to look at your shoe rack. How many pairs truly support normal function rather than slowly undermine it? The uncomfortable answer is: not many, if any.
Modern shoes are typically designed to feel and look good, not to "be" good for the long-term function of your body. They're packed with supportive features that - on the surface, make sense, but may ultimately sabotage your lower leg function with every step.
For the record, this isn't just an opinion; it's a perspective built on understanding how the body functions best AND how it's forced to adapt to modern footwear.
Let's dismantle the myths and uncover what truly makes a good shoe.
The Anatomy of a Modern Shoe: Why Popular Doesn't Mean Optimal
A quick Google Trends search highlights that the most searched shoes at the time of writing are the ASICS Novablast 5.
While they all look great, they share a common, problematic blueprint:
- Arch Support
- Thick, Cushioned Sole
- Elevated Heel
- Narrow, Tapered Toe Box
- Rigid, Structured Design
These features do, however, exist for a reason: they do try to provide immediate comfort, protection, and follow tradional aesthetic values. But by doing this, they ask something different of our feet and legs over time. It's like putting your foot in a comfortable cast—it might feel safe, but at what long-term cost?
Interestingly, we are born with technology far more sophisticated than any shoe: our bare feet. They are designed to feel the ground, absorb shock, adapt to terrain, and provide stability. Modern shoes tend to desensitise and destabilise this incredible built-in system over time.
"But They Make Me Feel Good!" The Difference Between a Crutch and a Cure
As a Physiotherapist, I see this often. There's a critical difference between what helps you feel better today and what is truly optimal for your body long-term.
There is nothing wrong with wearing supportive shoes to get through the day pain-free. But understand this: you are using technology to compensate for something you're missing—your body's natural strength, mobility, and function.
Let's break down the two biggest culprits:
1. The Arch Support Conundrum
The Promise: Arch support props up a fallen arch, alleviating pain from conditions like plantar fasciitis.
The Reality: It's a symptomatic fix, not a cure. The support tries to prevent an arch from collapsing in the shoe, but does nothing to address why it wants to collapse in the first place.
Flat feet aren't a foot problem; they're a leg problem. Hidden dysfunction like ankle restricitons, weaker hips, and lower back dysfunction can cause your entire leg to collapse inward, dropping the arch as a results. You can test this right now:
- Stand up.
- Keep your feet straight and big toes on the ground and rotate your knees outward.
- Watch your arches magically lift.
- More importantly, try the same thing again, but leet your knees rotate inward. You'll see your arches collapse.
Arch support can be helpful - without questions. But it needs to thought of as a band-aid, because it can't be anything more.
2. The Heeled Shoe Effect
The Promise: A raised heel cushions impact and adds comfort.
The Reality: The height of the heel is the exact amount of ankle range of motion you won't have acccess to, leaving the door ajar to lose it over time.
Clinically, prolonged use of heeled shoes is a one way ticket to stiff, restricted ankles. And these restrictions may contribute to the onset of a number of different issues: Achilles tendonitis, calf tightness, knee pain, and even back problems. Unfortunately, if look for lists of "Best Running Shoes" you'll notice almost every single one has an elevated heel and a curved toe. This design supports the often contentious "heel-strike" running pattern.
Even crazier still, a large percentage of leisure shoes, business shoes, and unfortunately, kids shoes, are now more likely that not to have an elevated heel at the back.
Further to this, try sprinting or walking on concrete barefoot. You naturally land on your midfoot. Heeled shoes allow us to move differently - potentially to our detriment over time.
So, What Actually Makes a Good Shoe? (Less Could Genuinely Be More)
An ideal shoe gets out of the way and lets your foot function as nature intended. Here’s a simple checklist:
- Zero Drop (Flat): The heel and forefoot are at the same height, preserving ankle mobility.
- Wide Toe Box: Your toes should be able to splay and move freely, not be crammed into a point.
- Flexible & Thin Sole: It should bend and twist easily, allowing your foot to feel the ground and react naturally.
- No Arch Support: Allows your foot's intrinsic muscles and broader leg mechanics to support the arch themselves, cultivating strength and function.
- Lightweight & Secure: The foot shouldn't have to fight the shoe to stay on; it should feel like a second skin.
It's worth mentioning that it's unreasonable to expect a person to be barefoot 100% of the time in today's modern world. We do still need a shoe that offers protection, but one that doesn't compromise long-term function.
The Rise of Barefoot Shoes
Thankfully, the general public's acceptance of minimalist/barefoot shoes is growing. Brands like VivoBarefoot, Xero Shoes, and even "toed" options like Vibram FiveFingers are leading the charge. And in a world where aesthetics matter perhaps just as much as the price and the feel, they're not ugly anymore
These shoes aren't just a trend or a fad; they're a tool. One that aims to allow your foot to do it's thing, but also offer protection from the elements and poor hygeine.
My Personal Experience: Over the last 10-15years, I've switched entirely to minimalist shoes for my clinical work, running, and everyday life. The transition certainly helped me understand where my restrictions and weaknesses were, ultimately leading to stronger, more resilient feet.
My current work shoes: Leather Barefoot Shoes
My current leisure shoes: Whitin Barefoot Shoes
My current running shoes: Merrell Barefoot Shoes
Why Do Barefoot Shoes Hurt at First? (It's NOT the Shoe's Fault)
If you put on a pair of minimalist shoes, walk around for day, and feel some sort of pain, discomfort, tightness, or dysfunction in your feet, calves, or shins, etc., no one can argue with that. But technically, this is not the shoe's fault. It's just exposed a bunch of hidden dysfunction that was bubbling away under the surface.
The discomfort means you may have years of stiffness, weakness, and sub-optimal mechanics to undo.
This is a good thing. It shows you exactly what you need to work on. By all means transition slowly when trying barefoot shoes for the first time. Wear them intermittently to begin with while working on your strength, flexibilty and overall leg mechanics. Your body will adapt down a positive path eventually.
And while all this hopefully does make some intuitive sense, the reality is that years of wearing built-up tradional footwear, may have slowly robbed you of your ability to thrive without it. So epect things to take time, and be pleasantly surprised if your tolerance changes quickly.
FAQ: What Makes a Good Shoe?
Q: What are the best shoes for my feet?
A: The best long-term goal is a minimalist shoe. However, if you have significant pain, the best shoe right now is one that supports your current limitations while you work on fixing the root cause (ankle mobility, hip strength, etc).
Q: What shoes help with foot pain?
A: Shoes with arch support and cushioning can alleviate pain from plantar fasciitis, etc. Use them as a temporary tool, not a permanent solution. Pair them with a targeted exercise program that helps your symptoms and, again, it's root cause.
Q: Is arch support important?
A: It's may be important for managing symptoms associated with various aches and pains, but ultimately arches are not supposed to be weightbearing surfaces. It's a (helpful) crutch, but unfortunately not a cure.
Q: Are heels bad?
A: Potentially. Any elevated heel, no matter how small, has the capacity to reduce your ankle range of motion over time and alter your entire body mechanics. Having said that, you should still be able to wear heeled footwear when you chose to, but perhaps reconsider if they've become a staple of your footwear diet.
Q: Why do minimalist shoes hurt my feet?
A: Minimalist shoes don't create a new issue, they're just good at exposing things you didn't know you had. By definition, minimalist shoes test your basic range of motion, strength, and mechanics - things easily lost when wearing built-up modern shoes. It's ok for minimalist shoes to make you feel uncomfortable initially. But the goal is to make sure you can tolerate them at some stage. This will mean you're slowly regaining any basic mobility, strength and function previously lost.
Q: What are the best shoes for being on your feet all day?
A: The best shoes for being on your feet all day are the ones that best support any mechanical deficiencies you may have. If standing all day on a hard surface, a shoe with more cushioning makes sense. If you have to walk a lot, a shoe with arch support and a slight heel may work best if your feet and ankles are a little stiff. However, as this article suggests, if you work hard on improving the mobility of your feet and ankles and spend a bit more time barefoot, any minimalist shoe should be the end goal eventually.
Conclusion: It's Time to Go Back to Basics
The truth is, modern shoes have the very real potential to slowly degrade your natural foot and leg function. The more we expose ourselves to an unnatural environment, the more our body will adapt towards it.
I completly understand that the traditional shoe debate has two sides. If you just need to get through the day without pain, then sure - a "good shoe" is one that props you up and softens any current issues. But just know it’s likely to be a buffer, not a fix.
If you try a minimalist shoe and it feels terrible, see it as a win. You’ve just uncovered an issue you didn’t know you had - and that’s something you can go away and work on, if you can be bothered.
Don’t rush it. You can’t jump from a max-support shoe to barefoot overnight. Just make your next pair slightly less supportive than your last. Take it slow.
And if nothing else, just try being barefoot more. It might feel weird at first, but there's rarely something more natural for us as humans. But eventually, you’ll see that the best shoe isn't one that does the work for your foot… it’s one that finally lets your foot do what it's supposed to do.
What do you think? Are you ready to challenge everything you thought you knew about footwear? Share your thoughts or questions in the comments below!
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