As a podiatrist, Yvette has many discussions with her patients about the benefits of wearing good footwear and the problems that wearing bad boots or shoes can cause.
These last few months in the UK have been very wet which makes it even harder to make good footwear choices when going out and about.
Wellington boots are often the ‘go to’ footwear when walking our dogs, mucking out horses or just walking in wet, long grass and along muddy, puddly footpaths.
She says: ‘unfortunately our feet can feel like a ‘bag of bones’ in wellies as there is often no rear-foot or indeed mid-foot support hence our feet can move around too freely. This can cause pressure and friction on our toes as well as pain in our heels, ankles, knees, hips and back if worn for too long’.
Her advice is to try and swap your wellies where possible with high lace-up ankle boots made from a waterproof material, or alternatively a rubber ankle boot which has a velcro or lace fastening.
Having a firm heel counter and support around the mid-foot is especially important for those of who wear orthotics as it doesn’t counteract their good work in putting the feet and lower limb in an improved position.
Yvette has also been advising her patients to try out trainers with a ‘rocker’ sole such as those by HOKA (https://www.hoka.com). These are stocked by a local suppler, The Sports Locker in Haslemere who can give you good advice on the appropriate style depending on your activity.
Yvette Mann runs her clinic from Luck’s Yard Clinic every Thursday and Friday and looks forward to seeing you with any of your foot care and bio-mechanical enquiries.
Please call 01483 310298 to make an appointment or discuss your requirements
Photo: Tatiana Syrikov, pexels.com
