“I’m wearing my high heels to work my 12-hour shift” …..said no nurse ever!
Imagine running to a patient’s room to help save a life. Standing, walking, running up and downstairs for 12 hours straight. Helping people heal, assisting in bringing life into the world as well as performing life-saving CPR.
All in a days work for a nurse, plus a thousand other things they do for us.
Now imagine wearing high heels while doing this. Could you imagine?! Well, if you have jumped on the clog band wagon, you all ready are.
“But I love my Danskos!”
Sometime in the past few years the Dansko clog has become very popular among nurses across the country. The reason they are popular is the arch support and that they help repel liquids (or body fluids) the reasons they are bad…are numerous.
When you first slide your foot into the clog shoe, you can immediately feel that glorious and fantastic arch support. That’s it, you have found the pair of shoes that will cure all your foot woes. No more sore, achy feet for you. Until 3 long shifts later, and you now have new and excruciating heel and ankle pain.
So what’s the deal?
What’s Really Clogging Your Shoe?
First, the clog shoe is a slip on shoe with an elevated heel.
While wearing this shoe, your ligaments, tendons and muscles in your feet and calves, are working overtime to keep you supported and upright. Your feet are in there shifting back and forth putting stress on your Achilles tendon.
The elevated heel is putting increased stress on the ball of your foot. Which can lead to a multitude of foot ailments including Morton’s neuroma.
That new arch support that felt wonderful in the shoe store, now feels like a burning golf ball in your shoe. You have now overworked and stressed the plantar fascia band in the bottom of your foot.
So now what do you do?
Go back to the trusty dusty tennis shoe! Yes, the tried and true tennis shoe.
However, not all tennis shoes are created equal.
There are some key points to look for when looking for a tennis shoe. First, you want to look for a supportive stiff soled shoe. For the most part, you don’t want a flexible shoe. Flexible shoes often lack support. You also want to wear a shoe that ties.
Last but not least, you want to think about getting an orthotic in your shoe. An orthotic is a medical device that will help offload the heel, support the arch and help them function the way they were made to function.
So nurses, go easy on your feet and treat them with the same tender loving care that you would your patients! If you feel like you need help picking out shoes or have already damaged your feet from wearing clogs, please call our office at 859-264-1141 or use our online scheduler to make an appointment.