So we all know that high heels aren’t exactly the number one pick on our podiatrists approved list of footwear, but we still wear them anyway.
But it turns out that if you’re wearing flats thinking you’re giving your tootsies a well deserved break, you’d be wrong.
According to Refinery29, who have ranked all of our favourite shoes on a scale of 1 to 10, the worst shoes are, unsurprisingly, stilettos higher than two inches, but it’s not good news after that.
“A heel will lead to stress on the outside of the knee,” Miguel Cunha, DPM, at Gotham Footcare tells the website. “The higher the heel, the greater amount of pressure, and that will lead to issues in the bones.”
As we head into summer, second place hits us hard a lot, with thongs (or flip flops as they call them) which offer no arch support and force your toes to curl up in order to hold on to them.
“They’re the worst,” says podiatrist Hillary Brenner, DPM.
And yep, third place is going to sting too. Ballet flats (you can go ahead and group loafers and mules into that category too – although slightly better if they have a wider toe) might be your daily go-to, but apparently they can be just as bad for you as wearing heels.
“When you’re wearing pointy or narrow shoes and not much support, the bones rub together,” says Dr. Brenner.
But it’s not just your fancy flats, those white sneakers you love? If they’re completely flat on the inside, they’re not doing you any favours either.
While you don’t have to give up your beloved footwear (because let’s face it, we’re not), just try not to wear them for too long at a time and always make sure you have proper support when running, exercising or walking long distances.
