Change shoes regularly

For healthy feet wear shoes alternately

01/10/2013

Our feet are exposed to high loads. To support them optimally, the wearing of good footwear is essential. In addition, the shoes should be changed regularly to give the feet different stimuli and shoes time to air. The Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege (BGW) in Hamburg advises against this.

Shoes should protect the feet and give them support
„The human feet each consist of 26 bones, which are movably connected via joints and numerous tendons and muscles“, explains Ilka Graupner from the BGW. „Shoes have great influence on these complex structures. And how we walk and stand affects the entire body.“ That is why it is important to pay attention to good footwear. Shoes should, according to BGW „protect the feet, give them support and support the musculoskeletal system“. In order to expose the feet to new stimuli and to give the shoes enough time to ventilate, the shoes should be changed regularly. „Since we do not spend most of our everyday lives barefoot, varied footwear plays an important role here“, explains the graduate medical pedagogue. „Anyone traveling from morning to night in the same pair should wear another model the next day.“ This prevents malpositions and thus foot pain.

In addition, the expert advises shoe tensioners. These would, on the one hand, preserve the shape of the shoe and, on the other hand, help to ventilate it. It takes a while for the moisture to completely escape from the material.

What should be considered when buying shoes
When buying a shoe, the right size is the key factor. The toes must have enough space at the front. Also, the shoe width should be considered by the foot of a well-fitting shoe enclosed, but never narrowed. „There is nothing like trying it on“, so Graupner. The best time was for afternoon, since the feet are then a bit thicker than in the morning. This would ensure that you did not accidentally buy too small a pair.

„A healthy foot does not need a preformed footbed. Much better is a soft insole, in which the foot can create his own bed“, explains the expert on the interior design of shoes. There is a slight cushioning in the heel area, joints and muscles are relieved. Flat footwear with a fixed heel cap protects the heel and ankle and provides support. (Ag)

Image: D.Angel