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If you’re like me, along with a few million others, you have flat feet and suffer some pain on an almost daily basis. You probably curse your luck, and who’d blame you?. I know l do! I have also made some major faux-pas when shopping and buying shoes that l hope would bring me some modicum of relief.
Needless to say, I have wasted untold amounts of money on shoes that became unbearable after a few days, sometimes even hours. I have been known to abandon shoes worn just once. Make sure to scroll to the latest addition which is a 10/10 sneaker for women with flat feet. These shoes are amazing.
How to pick the best shoes for flat feet:
It took me a while to realize that one needs to put comfort overlooks when it comes to shoes. Picking flat-foot shoes take trial and sometimes costly error. To save you money and time, you can learn from my mistakes and go for the good shoes made for flat feet. This is especially true for someone like me who travels often and enjoys walking.
Here is my ultimate guide to finding and picking the best possible shoes for your flat feet, be it flats for flat feet, heels, etc. The point is there is no need to live with flat feet pain any longer. This post will help you find the best walking sneakers for flat feet, along with other stylish and comfortable shoes that you can wear for hours at a time for any sort of outing.
What is Flat Feet?
Flat feet is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a postural problem where the arches of the feet are non-existent, resulting in the entire sole of the foot being flat with the ground. It is estimated that 20-30% of the population suffers from either one (unilateral) or both (bilateral). That’s a lot of people, so don’t feel bad!
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Shoes for flat feet with good arch support is key. Having an arch in the foot provides a springiness and elasticity between your forefoot and hindfoot. This helps distribute the weight put upon it.
With flat feet, there is pain radiating up from the foot to the calves, thighs and back since there is no arch. End result is a lot of misery. It is entirely possible to have flat feet and not experience any pain. For those lucky ones, they can just go about life as is. I’ve had foot problems since l was a child.
While in primary school, I was playing with my friends. As l was going down the slide, my left leg got caught in one of the side rail openings (in those days, there were side rail openings) and l went down. Needless to say, I’ve forever had hip problems. Combine that with the flat feet, and l find it hard to wear “fashionable” shoes like high heels and certainly not for a long time.
What causes flat feet?
- Family History of flat feet. Sometimes, you’re just screwed in life 🙂
- Nerve damage can also be a root cause of flat feet
- Arthritis and weak arches can end up in flat feet
- Health problems like obesity, diabetes and hypertension. It’s not unusual for pregnant women to develop flat feet due to the increased elastin and other temporary changes of the body.
- Wearing shoes without correct support. I suspect this is especially true of women who put beauty and looking good over comfort. Shoes for flat feet women are now common and you don’t have to hurt your posture.
- Normal aging process! This is my favorite one. A lot of people are so afraid of getting old and will go to crazy lengths like Botox injections, plastic surgery etc, but sometimes age just catches up with you and you just have to deal with it. Flat feet is most common in women over the age of 40! Just one more thing to look forward to in life. Oh Joy!!! 🙂
How do you know if you have flat feet?
You can go to the doctor and have flat feet properly diagnosed or you can do it the old fashioned way. You wet the foot and then stand on something smooth like wet concrete or heavy paper. The more imprint you leave, the flatter the foot. Most medical practitioners are able to diagnose flat feet by simply looking at the patient whilst standing.
What are the available treatments for Flat Feet?
- Arch Support: This is often the most recommended form of treatment of flat feet by podiatrists. For people who show no symptoms, there is obviously no reason to do anything.
For those experiencing pain, podiatrists might suggest rigid inserts.I wore those for over two years as a teenager in Boston and it did absolutely nothing to correct my flat feet. Zip! All it did was give me more pain on my heels. God, I hated those hard orange things.
My older sisters had to check on me daily to make sure l was wearing them. I remember the day after they moved back to Nigeria permanently, I threw those suckers out. I don’t know if they work for others, but for me.. Nope. Just a whole lot of money down the drain. It is also something that one needs to wear forever. Mmm..No!
- Removable corrective Arch Support. I have found plantar fasciitis shoe inserts to be wonderful and highly recommend them if needed. You just slip them into your shoes and get relief. I haven’t had to do that lately because a lot of shoes (at least that l wear) now come with the arch support for flat feet in the form of raised insoles.
- Gymnastics and various forms of exercise designed to reduce pain in the tendons help flat feet.
- In severe cases, surgery might be recommended for flat feet.
There are some people who claim to be able to cure flat feet. I am a bit skeptical about that. Did you know that a long time ago, flat feet were a cause of rejection to serve in the military because of perceived foot stress?
I can understand that for sure. End result is that you need to find the best walking shoes for flat feet and definitely the best shoes that provide arch support for flat feet to make your life so much easier.
Shoes for flat feet: (What to look for when shopping for shoes)
Tips for picking the best shoes for flat feet: Comforting Footwear
- Shop for shoes later during the day. It’s generally known that feet swell as the day passes. This way, you can get the shoes that fit the best for flat feet and give you optimum comfort.
- Makes sure you try the shoe on your larger foot. You can always wear thicker socks, but if the shoe is tight from the get go on the bigger foot, then chuck it and try another size.
- Recognize that not all sizes are uniform. Just like women’s clothing, shoe sizes can vary. Wearing a size 8 Nike for instance doesn’t mean you will be a size 8 Adidas. Even within the same brand, I have noticed differences, so be open minded.
- Wear socks that you intend on wearing with the shoes. If you normally wear thick socks, make sure that’s what you’re wearing when you try shoes on instead of those super thin hosiery the store gives you to avoid a tight fit later on.
- Make sure their is some wiggle space between your big toe and the tip of the shoe for flexibility.
- Wear them around the house to get a feel for them.
- If you have wide feet like l do, make sure to ask if the styles come in “Wide” styles. If not, you might need to go up a size, like with my New Balance for flat feet (excellent wide flat feet shoes design) NB 410 shoes below in the picture which fit perfectly.
Best Type of Shoes for Flat feet:
From this list of shoes, you should be able to find the best arch support shoes for flat feet that will work for you. In the not so distant past, there was little choice. Thankfully, a lot of the companies have stepped and designed nice looking footwear for flat feet. No more looking like Nurse Rachet! 🙂 . I’m sure there are other good shoes for flat feet, but these are some of the best for sure.
Best Running Shoes for Flat Feet: (Best sneakers for flat feet)
The best running shoes for overpronation provide stability with good cushioning and low arch. They provide good motion control for overpronators (flat footers whose feet roll inwards and the arch of the foot flattens). These are my favorite type of shoes for comfortable walking when we travel. Here are some excellent choices of good running shoes for flat feet. I’m no runner, I walk in these.
Get yours on Amazon today.
I have the Nike Sequent 2 and they are terrific, but the new edition is out: *Update* These shoes are extremely comfortable and l still recommend them, but you should know that they feel slightly heavy on the feet which disappoints me just a tad.
Get these now!
Cross Trainers for Flat Feet plantar fasciitis: (Best trainers for flat feet)
Cross trainers are excellent for flat feet. Resistance training sports such as basketball and tennis put weight on all your joints. The arch in the cross trainers should have a mid sole that lifts your arch, making it feel as if the ground rises to your feet. You can’t go wrong with these best workout shoes for flat feet.
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Tennis Shoes for Flat Feet:
For those that prefer tennis shoes for walking in addition to playing their favorite sport. Asics makes a good pair with front and rear support. My mother-in-law swears she has the best work shoes for flat feet since we presented here with a pair. The poor woman is on her feet all day cooking for hundreds in the kitchen and has been super happy with these perfect shoes for flat feet.
Grab this pair on Amazon now
Walking Shoes for flat feet:
These are some of my favorites walking shoes for flat feet when l want to look stylish and comfortable. Sometimes when we’re sightseeing, we might walk five miles or more during the day.
The last thing you want is feet pain. I like the support that these shoes provide and can definitely recommend them highly. You can never go wrong with Ecco as one of the most comfortable shoes for plantar fasciitis.
I have owned many pairs over the years and have yet to be disappointed. I also love my Clarks Wave shoes and they are awesome full day working shoes for flat feet. l won’t bother glossing over it since you can find them on the travel gear recommendations page and the eagle-eyed will definitely recognize them in my pictures from around the world.
Grab your pair here.
Another brand of good shoes for flat feet that makes an excellent choice when it comes to the best walking shoes for flat feet women is Skechers GoGa Max. Since this is a site where we share the good stuff, Suzanne mentioned this particular brand, and even though l was a bit of an unbeliever because I’d tried that brand in the past and did not find that it was good for flat feet, I have changed my mind.
I purchased a pair of the GoGa Max and l have to say that l find them an excellent addition to my good shoes for flat feet collection. They are also lightweight which makes me super happy as space is at a premium since we mostly travel with hand luggage only.
I highly recommend these sneakers for a flat fee for all-day comfort. I used them for months before updating this post so as to see if it was worthy. An excellent choice for all-around best walking sneakers for flat feet.
Grab this pair on Amazon today.
Best high heels for flat feet: (Best shoes for flat feet womens)
As mentioned previously, I don’t wear heels too often. I find stilettos painful for the most part. What works best for flat feet are chunkier heels because l find they provide support. I am also willing to pay a little bit more for that comfort.
My favorite brands when choosing shoes for plant fasciitis flat feet are Clarks and Aerosoles. These two black pairs take me everywhere :-). I feel these are the best shoes for women with flat feet (heels). Clarks desert boots are very comfy work boots too.
Years as a pharmacist standing on my feet all day led me to a lot of experimentation with best shoes for flat feet or plantar fasciitis :-). These are excellent and cool high heels for plantar fasciitis relief.
Find your size on Amazon
Grab yours on Amazon now.
I kick it up a notch (weddings mainly) with these 🙂 :
Grab your pair on Amazon
Best sandals for flat feet :
In addition to my trusty Merrell sandals which are extremely comfortable sandals for flat feet, I have also in the past worn Teva sandals and l loved them to death. One of the advantages of coming from a big family with lots of girls is that l can always pass them on, so l never feel guilty about buying shoes.
I reached out to Anita, our friend, swears by her Chaco sandals. In her exact words “I love Chaco sandals with their terrific built-in arch. I wore those suckers for 2 years daily in Central America and was super-gluing them at the end. I’m on my 3rd pair now.. Haha!” A few others chimed in with the same conclusion.
*Update: the grips on my Merrell sandals are now worn out after over 12 years and so the sandals are slippery. I have replaced them with Skechers sandals which are just perfection in fit, comfort, and looks. I almost purchased the Chaco, but in the end, l liked the Skechers much better
Find it on Amazon here
Shoes for flat feet mens
For great, classic, stylish, and most comfortable shoes for flat feet for both men and women, Federico and l both vote for Clarks’ original desert boots :-). I find them comfortable enough, but even more so with an insert while he loves them as is. So, in our humble opinion, the desert boot wins for best shoes for overpronation!
Get the mens pair on Amazon
Get your pair on here
You can’t go wrong in picking any of these shoes for flat feet. Of course you don’t need to own them all :-). It’s just nice to know that having flat feet doesn’t condemn you to a life of pain. You can find awesome footwear that delivers.
Clarks men shoes for flat feet recommended highly, same for the Clarks women desert boots. Classic and stylish. Most comfortable men’s dress shoes? Easy as said by my husband. Once again, Clarks desert boots. He was a waiter for ten years and his recommendation as to the best work shoes for waiters are the all-black classic Reebok Leather. Awesome shoes with the best arch support.
My picks for best walking sneakers for flat feet:
I have no shame in saying that l have (or rather had) an obscene number of shoes because l really had a hard time finding shoes that offered comfort and looked good to boot and l was susceptible to ads touting just about every shoe as good for what ailed me..that is flat feet. As we have moved, I have donated quite a few pairs to charity because l found them uncomfortable for me.
We walk a lot during our travels and as anyone who reads the blog regularly knows it’s not unusual for us to take eight or more trips per year and we walk miles on a daily basis while we check out a new city. Here are my all-time picks for flat feet shoes.
- My NB 410 as pictured above. I practically live in these shoes. They are so lightweight and look great on jeans or nice dressy pants and l can walk for miles in them. I also wear them to the gym and they feel great for my Zumba classes too. Often times we walk over six miles daily roaming around the city and is my go-to. Definitely the best pair of sneakers for flat feet. Take note that this particular style kind of runs small, so your best fit would be a size more than you usually wear. I rate them 10/10.
2. My Skechers go walk 4 is a very close second. I was skeptical as noted when one of the readers in the comments suggested it but went ahead and bought a pair. I love them, they feel like you are walking on clouds.
*Update* My only pet peeve is that my comfort level is not consistent. Sometimes l can wear it for eight hours, no problem, and then sometimes after six hours or so, l feel like my feet need a little more support, like it’s almost too soft. I know it doesn’t make much sense, but l guess l have become picky due to the high number of offerings. My rating? 9.5/10.
UPDATE: I HAVE FOUND 10/10 IN THE SKECHERS WORLD!
I wanted to wait for a few months before updating this post so l would have a chance to try them on an almost daily basis, and l can say it’s still a total winner. If you don’t have these shoes, you need to get them pronto! They are perfect in every way, comfort, looks, durability, and grip in the rain, something l always think about. They look great with everything and come in several colors. I am buying a second pair of these Bobs memory foam in case they stop making them or can’t find them in my size.
3. When l need to turn it up a notch, you know l head for my Clarks Wave Trek Sneakers. I can not only walk for a very long time comfortably in them, but they look classy also so they are perfect for a night out when traditional sneakers just won’t do. You guys are probably tired of seeing me wearing them in the blog posts. Rating of 9.5/10.
Best sandals for flat feet winner is:
Skechers On-the-go Brilliancy Sandals:
The temptation to purchase another pair of Merrell sandals was huge, what with the familiarity and comfort. In the end though, I ended up buying the Skechers. It was the best decision. While l have no doubt that the Chaco sandals would also be excellent from feedback from other friends with flat feet., the price of the Skechers convinced me to give it a try.
I was already familiar with their sneakers and so it was a no-brainer. Compared to the Merrell and Teva plus the other brands l have worn over the years, they are definitely the best. I absolutely love them and wear them not just with jeans, but with shorts and dresses too. I rate them 10/10 which is kind of weird considering the 9.5 for the sneakers. These feel awesome all the time.
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Do you or anyone you know have flat feet and suffers? Have you tried any of these brands for relief? If not, what is your preferred brand of footwear to alleviate the pain of plantar fasciitis? Do you have any other suggestions for good shoes for flat feet? Please share so everyone can benefit.
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I don’t have flat feet, but sports and age have taken a toll so I am restricted as well. I have spent a lot of time narrowing what works for me. Skechers Go Walk are my “go to shoe” for just about everything. They are light weight, supportive and can be washed, all things that make them perfect for traveling!!! Great post.
Thanks Suzanne. I was actually surprised at the natural part of ageing cause :-). I’ve had a couple of Skechers over the years and didn’t have much luck with them as far as wearing them past a couple of hours. I do have one right now that l rarely wear. I have to check out the Go Walk because it sounds like the Clarks Wave which l love to death. I’m always on the lookout. Thanks for sharing :-).
Great points! So true! I don’t have flat feet, but I learned quickly when traveling, at least how we love to travel, that I HAD to wear comfortable shoes. Vanity got the best of me a time or two. Good shoe talk!
Terri
Yep! One has to forsake good looks for comfort no more! Really, as people who travel (or chase kids :-)) or both, you need to have shoes that can work with you, not against you. Haha! I can picture the times when vanity got the best of you 🙂 :-).
Great pic Kemi! We could have a new career as orthopedic foot wear models. 😁 Seriously though, comfortable shoes are the first rule for traveling and even for chilling around the house. I was surprised to see the estimate of 20-30% of the population diagnosed with one or both feet flat although you always hear of the military disqualifying applicants for flat feet. Even though I’m lucky enough not to have flat feet, I always look for shoes with good arch support and love my Asics for hiking the cliffs around our house. As for high heels – I never quite mastered walking in them. Definitely in the clomper category! Anita
Haha! We could definitely have a new career as shoe models :-). I was also surprised at the high percentage as well and even more so when it said it could happen naturally with aging! As if we didn’t have enough to worry about :-). I rarely wear high heels, only for wedding and really big do’s. If anything, I wear the Aerosole wedgies for a fancy night out. Asics gel shoes are definitely fantastic. Right now, I can’t tell you how much l’m loving the Nike Sequent. Fede laughs because sometimes l’ll just burst out “I’m walking on sunshine”.. Haha! 🙂
My son has flat feet and I had no idea, actually, that there’s so much behind this and he might actually feel uncomfortable. We definitely have to look into options for getting some special shoes for him as well. And I guess that the recommendations you’ve made could easily be a great fit for those who don’t have flat feet. In the end, some extra support never hurts! 🙂
I read that letting kids walk barefoot (can’t remember if it’s on sand or concrete) really helps to correct or strengthen their arch so you might want to just let Baby R. do his thing :-). It can really be painful from first hand experience. Yep! Some extra support always helps, especially for people who walk or run a lot. I’m just glad they’re making them look all nice instead of those horrible looking monstrosities :-).
Ha! Ha! Ha! We must have been sisters from another life as I too have flat feet! I didn’t know that I had flat feet until I had an operation to break the hammer-toe I developed in my younger years, as a result of wearing shoes that were far too small. I have huge feet you see and for someone of my height people are invariably shocked at the size of my feet. I’m a 41/42 or a size 7.5 or 8! I don’t know where it comes from though as both my parents have small feet! Mind you, my brother has huge feet (48), and so does “The Tall Young Gentleman” – 47!
I use medical removeable insoles. I don’t wear flip-flops or “ballet” flats as streetwear, as they hurt my feet. Birkenstocks are gods in my opinion. I also swear by Clarks and prefer ankle boots with a thicker sole or desert boots, as they endure the type of fast hard walk that I put my feet through!
For fancy lifestyle media stuff, I wear my Birkenstocks to the venue, and then switch shoes…!
Haha! Those are pretty big feet for your height :-). We wear the same size!!!! I can believe the Tall Young Gentleman’s feet. Actually, I do believe it. My nephews have huge feet as well and my younger brother who weighs all of like 120 pounds at the most has size 13 feet :-). I remember those removable insoles that were made for me. It was hard as a rock in those days and l can only imagine they feel a lot better now. Then, it was just torture. I remember having a pair of brown Birkenstocks that l wore for over 10 years. Loved it, for work and everything. Yep! I love, love, love Clarks. I laughed at the switching shoes. That’s what they do at home too. Fancy shoes, then switch as soon as you get to the wedding venue for dancing and mixing. Oh, the things women do. Comfort is so important :-).
Thanks for taking your time and writing it out for us. let me try your suggestions as I have flat foot and suffering pain
Thanks for reading. I’m happy it´s of help, 🙂