Wearing the right footwear after 60 can save you from injury and serious discomfort. Staying active is important in your 60s and beyond, so it’s crucial not to undermine your exercise routine by wearing shoes that make working out—and even just walking—a challenge. “Exercise provides a protective effect against a host of chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, diabetes, obesity, and hypertension,” says the National Council on Aging. “If you already have a chronic condition, physical activity can minimize symptoms. It can even help reduce cognitive decline.” Here are 6 shoes you should never wear for long walks if you’re over 60.
RELATED: The 7 Best Walking Shoe Brands.
1. Pointed-Toe Shoes
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Any type of pointed-toe shoe that squeezes your toes together can cause harm to your feet. “These can aggravate an existing bunion, which is a hard lump on the joint of your big toe,” says Piedmont Health. “The awkward positioning of your toes can also cause them to contract and eventually curl under permanently, a condition known as hammertoe. Hammertoe requires medical intervention to correct. “
2. Slippers
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Do no’t take long walks wearing slippers. “Seniors often think they’re doing themselves a favor by wearing slippers, but slippers are basically the same as walking barefoot,” podiatric surgeon Marlene Reid, DPM, tells Silver Sneakers. “Podiatrists across the country have been seeing a ton more heel pain during the coronavirus pandemic because people have been home and walking around the house in slippers or no shoes at all.”
3. Flip-Flops
ShutterstockFlip-flops should be worn by the pool or at the beach—not on long walks. “Lack of proper foot support is a leading cause of plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis,” says Piedmont Health. “Plantar fasciitis is caused by the excessive pull of the plantar fascia, an arch-supporting ligament, causing pain and inflammation at the heel. Achilles tendinitis is caused by poor mechanics of the foot, leading to overstretching of the tendon.”
4. Rocker-Bottom Shoes
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Avoid stiff rocker-bottom shoes. “I had a 62-year-old patient who came in with heel pain caused by plantar fasciitis, which means the ligament that runs along the bottom of the foot from the toes to the heel, called the plantar fascia, was inflamed,” Dr. Reid says. “Her physical therapist recommended a brand of shoes that allowed no motion whatsoever. But unless you have arthritis, you need a shoe with some flexibility that allows the plantar fascia to stretch. So the more she wore these shoes, the tighter the fascia got and the worse her heel pain became.”
RELATED: 26 Health Benefits of Walking.
Ballet Flats
Senyuk Mykola / ShutterstockYes, they look pretty, but save the ballet flats for brief periods when you want to dress up a little. “Ballet flats are equally as bad for your feet as flip flops because they, too, provide little support,” says Piedmont Health. “There is no arch system to help absorb the brunt of the pressure the feet endure every day.”
Leather Shoes
ShutterstockPick stretch shoe material over leather for long walks. “It’s better to have mesh that can stretch a little than to wear an all-leather shoe that might irritate bony prominences,” Dr. Ashley Lee, a foot and ankle reconstructive surgeon in Illinois, tells TODAY.
