Sandals get a bad rap as a footgear you cannot wear to help with Plantar Fasciitis. Why is that? A lot of that reason eminates from the myth that you cannot wear orthotics with sandals, which is categorically untrue. I actually have written an article about orthotic friendly sandals if you are interested:
However, one of the great things about sandals is that some of them are actually capable of functioning as orthotics. What do you look for in Sandals when you have Plantar Fasciitis??
I think one trait that is important is the sandal has to support the arch. That will help take strain off the plantar fascial ligament from where most of the pain comes from. This trait is not present in many of the cheap and inexpensive flip flops that are on the market, so avoid those.
Now where a lot of Sandals fall off the map when it comes to being quality for Plantar Fasciitis is in stress reduction on the plantar fascia. One of the problems with sandals is they tend to have a less thick footbed which leads to increase stress on the plantar fascia. You need a footbed that can absorb the shock from weight bering that will reduce stress on the plantar fascia and thus help treat plantar fasciitis.
Vionic with Orthaheel shell– Now rememember with Vionic sandals you have to realize these sandals are being created by Podiatrists. Fashion is not the number one goal of this line of sandals. Most of these sandals’ footbeds function as orthotics. These sandals feature an EVA footbed. EVA is the material that is found in a large percentage of orthotics on the planet. What EVA does is mold and conform to the individual shape of your foot and provide support based on the shape of your foot. Additionally, EVA is a quality shock absorber as well. One of the reasons I like this paticualr pair of sandals for Plantar Fasciitis is the orthaheel shell which will help stabilize the heel and preven unneccesary movement.
Spenco Yumi Orthotic Sandals– Here we go, Spenco is actually an orthotic company. And one of the traits their brand of orthotics are known for is shock absorption. And that is the same that can be said of their sandals. These sandals are great at shock abosrption and reducing stress on the heel.
Birkenstocks Arizona EVA– You are probably thinking ,great, to cure my plantar fasciitis I basically have to avoid all the known brands of sandals and go with sandals that double as orthotics. That is not true. As you can see here Birkenstocks make a Sandal which utilizes an EVA footbed similar to the two sandals above. While I would not call these sandals as orthopedic minded as the other sandals they are still very effective as an orthpedic sandal.