It's a Trick! A Podiatrist Says These Shoes Are Bad for Your Feet

We're all beyond over the idea that beauty equals pain. Right? As a result, when it comes to footwear, more and more fashion people are favoring shoes that are stylish and comfortable. You've likely noticed or currently partake in this trend yourself, embracing the pain-free life with flatform sandals and forward sneakers.
There's a catch when it comes to the latter specifically. While it's brilliant in theory to bop around in cool sneakers as opposed to stilettos, there's one seemingly comfy on-trend sneaker silhouette that may be the worst for your feet, causing long-term painful effects. We went straight to an expert—Gotham Footcare founder Miguel Cunha—to weigh in.
When chatting about footwear styles that should actually be avoided, he called out sock sneakers. "While they may feel comfortable, snugging the top of your foot, they're not advisable shoes because they provide no support to the top and outside of your foot, which can easily lead to an ankle sprain," he explained. Woof.
But hope is not lost—there are still plenty of other sneaker styles out there that offer more stability and support. On that note, we're showcasing some visual inspiration and a range of these picks below. If you're still all about sock sneakers and want to risk it, just be very, very careful.
While athletic sneakers will always be a better option, chunky sneakers do stabilize the ankle more and feature a wider toe box to prevent other issues like ingrown toenails.
Best sneakers for your feet:
Great news: Nineties style influences are surging because those old-school throwback sneakers are better for your feet than others thanks to the cushioning and nonconstricting toe box.
Super-chunky sneakers can get heavy on the feet and cause pain, but a silhouette that has a slightly thicker sole will have greater traction to reduce injuries.
Athletic sneakers like those from Nike and New Balance will always be your best bet because they're designed for an active lifestyle, providing cushioning and support.
This post was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.

Bobby Schuessler is a fashion editor with over a decade of editorial experience covering shopping, style, and beauty. He's spent 10 years at Who What Wear, currently leading the market team to deliver highly covetable and convertible content. He creates data-driven shopping guides featuring top retailers like Nordstrom, Shopbop, and Net-a-Porter and is at the forefront of Who What Wear's shopping tentpole strategies, including Amazon Prime Day. He also works on branded content initiatives and appears on camera in video and shopping livestream franchises.
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