Here’s Why Wide, Box Toe Shoes Are Good for You

At the end of a busy day, one of the first things you want to do is take off your shoes and let your toes run free. Most conventional shoes have a narrow toe box. Your toes spend the entire day pressed together. Day after day, you can imagine, or maybe you are feeling, what effect that has on your toes.
Over time, you may develop a variety of foot problems including hammer toes, bunions or other problems. These can be avoided when your toes are allowed to work in a natural position, which is what a wide toe box provides.

Healthy Feet Need Room

A wide toe box allows your toes to have space to splay naturally. Your foot gets to stay in its natural shape rather than being bound by the confines of a narrow toe box shoe. When you have a wide toe box shoe, your foot can move the way it was meant to move. Societies that do not wear shoes like we do have a much lower rate of foot problems.

There is scientific evidence that the design of the foot is intentional. Studies of the biomechanics of the human foot reveal that the feet are designed to be close to the ground with toes splayed to provide a wide base. This base supports a naturally aligned spine.

Fewer Foot Problems

A well-designed shoe with a wide toe box can minimize or eliminate many foot issues including:

• Bunions
• Hammer toes
• Neuromas
• Plantar fasciitis
• Shin splints
• Tendinitis

When you think about the blisters that arise from your feet being shoved into narrow shoes or the fatigue they feel when you have to stand in line, it makes sense to have shoes that allow your toes room to do what they do naturally.

Not only will you experience fewer foot problems with a wide toe box, but when your feet get to live a natural life without being squeezed all day, your entire body will reap the benefits. Your body will be in better alignment. Also, you will not experience the pain or discomfort from ill-fitting shoes and have better balance and mobility.

Take good care of your feet, and they will take you exciting places. When those times come that you do have unrelenting foot or ankle pain, make an appointment with Dr. Stuart Mogul. We will identify the problem and create an effective treatment plan.