Podiatrist Recommended Shoe
Croc's Neria Pro Graphic Clog
The Neria Pro Graphic Clog is a slip-resistant shoe that is a great choice for anyone who has to work long hours on concrete floors such as retail, medical or restaurant environments. However, this shoe is not the ideal choice for anyone works on uneven, rocky terrains.
What makes this clog excellent is that it meets the four criteria needed to make a shoe comfortable:
1. It has a thick, rigid and non-flexible sole. For a shoe to be comfortable it must have a thick, rigid sole with no flexibility. If you are wearing a shoe with a flexible sole then you are allowing excessive motion through joints that may be arthritic, dysfunctional or painful. Motion through these joints will increase pain, injury and promote arthritic joint changes, which then leads to compensating gait patterns which then further aggravates your knees, hips and lower back strain. Flexible-soled shoes speed up the progression of bunions, hammertoes and degenerative joint changes.
2. Wide toe box. A tight-fitting toe box promotes hammertoes, bunions, corns, ingrown toenails and even toenail fungus. If you are trying to get rid of toenail fungus I can promise you that if you are in tight-fitting shoes with flexible soles that you will never get rid of it. For you to effectively treat fungal nails, it is crucial that you wear shoes with rigid soles, wide toe box and rearfoot control because it is the injury (even micro-trauma) to toenails that allows the fungus to get into the nail and nail bed which is what promotes the infection. Always try to find shoes with a wide and soft toe box that protects the toenails from injury.
3. Rearfoot Control. If you are wearing shoes without rearfoot control (such as flip-flops or mules) then you are forced to grip down your toes which promotes hammertoes and bunions. It also allows more motion through the rearfoot area which can set you up for Achilles tendon injuries, plantar fasciitis (heel pain) as well as knee, hip and lower back strain.
4. Arch support. It's ideal if you can find a shoe with a removable insole so that you can replace it with your custom-molded orthotics or an excellent over-the-counter insert such as a full-length Powerstep. Even if you think that you have a high arch and don't need arch support, I always tell patients that bridges have arches and engineers still put struts under the bridges to decrease mechanical strain. Arch support helps prevent midfoot (Lisfranc's Joint) arthritic changes, plantar fasciitis (heel pain) as well as decrease knee, hip and lower back pain.
This shoe is recommended for patients with:
*Plantar Fasciitis (heel pain)
*Mild Achilles Tendonitis
*Mild Peroneal Tendonitis
*Mild Posterior Tibial Tendonitis
*Over-Pronation
*Hypermobility / Ligament Laxity
*Hallux Limitus
*Functional Hallux Limitus
*Hallux Rigidus
*Osteoarthritis
*Rheumatoid Arthritis
*Morton's Neuroma
*Capsulitis
*Metatarsalgia
*Plantar Plate Injuries
*Knee, Hip & Lower Back Issues
*Mild Bunions
*Mild Hammertoes
*Corns & Calluses
*Mild Tailor's Bunions
*Mild Ankle Instability
This shoe is not recommended for patients with:
*Charcot Foot
*History of Foot Ulcerations
*Geriatrics
*Foot Drop
*Charcot Marie Tooth Disease
*Bone Spurs (Exostosis) on the top of the midfoot (Lisfranc's Joint).
*C-Shaped feet
*Skew-foot
*Anyone with large "bumps" on their feet
Check with your podiatrist before wearing this shoe if you have:
*Diabetes
*Peripheral Arterial Disease (poor circulation)
*Peripheral Neuropathy (nerve damage)
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For more information, please refer to my articles:
Shoe recommendations for patients recovering from Lisfranc's joint injuries.
Top 10 things to do to alleviate foot pain.
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Thank you for reading the blog and have a wonderful day!
Dr. Cathleen A. McCarthy
:)
