Podiatrist Recommended Top 10 Comfortable Slippers!

 Top 10 Comfortable Slippers!

Podiatrist Recommended

For those of you who dress for Zoom, wearing professional clothing from the waist up and yoga pants hidden below, this one is for you! These are my top 10 recommendations for comfortable all-day house slippers and I hope that you find the one that works best for you. 

Please remember that if you are wearing one of these slippers and still having foot pain, I recommend that you bump up to wearing more supportive walking or running shoes, such as the New Balance 928 or 1540. If you do this and are still having foot pain, I recommend that you follow up with your local podiatrist for evaluation to ensure that you don't have a more severe problem that needs treatment. 

Crocs

This is my top choice for 90% of people seeking a more comfortable bedroom slipper. They work so well that we actually carry them in our office for our patients to try on as a bedroom slipper option. When you purchase these, make sure that your toes do not touch the front of the shoe. The correct sizing should feel "too big" and it should feel like your feet have plenty of room. You should wear the strap to the back which helps prevent knee, hip, and lower back strain. If you purchase them and they are too tight (toes or bunions rubbing on the inside of the shoe) then you will most likely develop painful blisters. If you order these online, order one-half to one-whole size up from what you normally wear. If you live in a cold climate, you can also order fleece-lined Crocs which are ridiculously comfortable and toasty warm. 

Vionic Relax Slippers

If you know that you like a lot of arch support, then the Vionic Relax slipper is a great choice as it offers the best arch support of all of these bedroom slippers. If you know that you can't tolerate arch support, then stay away from these slippers as the arch support will probably be too much for your foot comfort. This is also a good choice if you have narrow heels or a narrow foot because the strap can be adjusted tighter for a better fit.  

Women's Charlotte Orthofeet slippers

This is another amazing choice for a bedroom slipper. It works particularly well for older patients as it has a stable base and it is still relatively lightweight. It also has an adjustable velcro top to accommodate anyone who has a more narrow foot. If you purchase these, be aware that you need a new pair at least once a year. 

Men's Orthofeet Ashville slippers

This bedroom slipper is so good that we carry this in our office (along with the Crocs) and they work great for anyone who needs an easy slide-in bedroom slipper with lots of stability and is also still relatively lightweight. 

Men's Orthofeet Tuscany Moccasins

The Orthofeet Ashville slipper (previous option) is great, but if I know that a patient needs more rearfoot control (such as a patient with Parkinson's disease who tend to shuffle), I like to put them in the Tuscany Moccasin. It's always best to have rearfoot control, but I think it's better to have a slipper that someone can slip into to get quickly from the bed to the bathroom if needed, but if you know that you feel more secure with rearfoot control - this is the slipper for you. 

Birkenstocks

This is my recommendation for people who prefer a more open slipper so that their feet can 'breath.' This option works well for anyone with a history of athlete's foot infections, hyperhidrosis (sweaty feet), the sensation of claustrophobic feet, or the sensation of having 'hot' feet (hello menopause!). I recommend you find a shoe store that is an official dealer for Birkenstocks, so you can go to the store and get a proper fit. If you purchase these sandals online and you get a poor fit then it will significantly decrease the chance of having all the comfort your feet deserve. Do yourself a favor and go to the store and make sure they fit well and feel great. 

Birkenstock Boston Shearling

This is for anyone who loves their Birkenstocks but wants more warmth. It greatly helps to go to the store and get a proper fit on these (versus purchasing them online). 

 

Fit Flop Women's The Cuddler

Oh la la! Warm and comfortable and an easy on and easy off. It's hard to beat these for all-day comfort around the house! 

Fit Flop Mukluk Shorty

This is a wonderful choice for anyone who needs more ankle support, such as anyone with mild hypermobility or ligament laxity issues. If you have more severe hypermobility, I recommend that you get into a better, more supportive walking shoe or high top boot during the bulk of the day and keep these for 'puttering around.'

Fit Flop Lulu

Got bunions? I am normally not a fan of flip flops of any kind, but when you have large bunions - this is a perfect choice for getting support and no pressure on your bunions. 

For more information, check out my article:

My Feet Hurt! Top 10 Things to do Today to Alleviate Foot Pain.

I hope this was helpful! 

Dr. Cathleen A. McCarthy

:)

Top 7 Podiatrist Recommended Bedroom Slippers.

Podiatrist Recommended 

Bedroom Slippers

Specialist Crocs (with no vents)

The Crocs Specialist is my "go to" bedroom slippers and they work for 90% of patients - and myself! I recommend that you wear the strap to the back for more rearfoot control. If you are walking in the house barefoot or wearing only socks or are in flimsy bedroom slippers, if you switch to wearing these Crocs as a bedroom slipper in the house, then you will have 30% improvement in foot, knee, hip and lower back pain within 3 weeks. Don't get the Specialists with vents because the sole is too flimsy and they are not nearly as good. They don't work as well if you have extremely narrow feet. 

Fleece-Lined Crocs

These fleece-lined Crocs are wonderful for anyone who has cold feet, Raynaud's syndrome, peripheral arterial disease or you simply just need more cushioning. They also work great for older people who need something easy to slide into and need to keep their feet warm. 

Orthofeet Diabetic Slippers

The Orthofeet Diabetic Slippers are my recommendation for older patients or anyone with back pain because you can slip into them without having to bend down and adjust any straps. 

Orthofeet Relax Slipper

This is another great choice for older patients or anyone with chronic back problems. What makes this slipper so excellent is that it has a rigid sole with excellent arch support and lots of cushioning. 

Aligning Comfy Toe Slippers 

These weird-looking slippers are excellent for anyone who has flexible hammertoes. These slippers help to resist soft tissue contraction of the tendons that are pulling the toes into the hammertoe deformity, which helps to slow the progression of hammertoes. They are not going to fix the hammertoes, but they will help slow down the progression of the deformity.  

Uggs

For those of you can't deal with the aesthetics of the Crocs, this is a great alternative for bedroom slippers. Especially if you have teenagers with challenged feet that need to wear better slippers in the house, this is a great "starter drug" to better shoe gear. 

Birkenstock Sandals

The Birk sandals are an excellent choice for anyone who has hallux limitus, functional hallux limitus, arthritis of the 1st toe joint or the Lisfranc's joint. I recommend that you go to a Birkenstock dealership in your area and be properly fitted for them. I highly recommend that you get the Birks with the rearfoot strapping as helps to biomechanically control the rearfoot. Without rearfoot strapping, you are gripping down your toes to stay in the Birks, which can promote hammertoes and mechanical strain to the tendons and joints. 

For more information, please refer to my other articles: 

Podiatrists top 10 recommendations for alleviating foot pain. 

http://podiatryshoereview.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-basics-10-steps-to-alleviating-foot.html

Shoe Recommendations for Patients Recovering from Lisfranc's Injuries. 

http://podiatryshoereview.blogspot.com/2012/04/podiatrist-shoe-recommendations-for.html

I hope this was helpful and have a great day!

Dr. Cathleen A. McCarthy

:)

Sketcher Shindig & Fortress - Podiatry Recommended Shoes for Comfort and Warmth

Podiatry Recommended

Two Comfortable Shoes for Winter Wear

The Sketcher Shindig & Fortress

The Sketcher Shindig & Fortress are two wonderful shoe choices for wearing around the house as a bedroom slipper or dressing up for casual wear with jeans. What makes the Sketcher Shindig & Fortress so comfortable (and podiatry recommended) is that they both meet the four criteria required to make a shoe comfortable:

1. A thick, rigid and non-flexible sole with a wide base

2. Wide, soft toebox

3. Rearfoot control

4. Arch support (although this shoe doesn't have exceptional arch support built into the shoe it should be able to accommodate a dress orthotic). 

The thick, rigid and non-flexible sole is the most important part of the shoe. If you are wearing shoes that you can bend and flex, you are setting yourself up for possible arthritic joint damage, stress fractures and deformities such as bunions, hammertoes and neuromas. Over 80% of shoes available in stores have soles that bend and flex because that is what sells. There is a common misconception that flexible, soft shoes are comfortable and good for your feet, but the truth is the exact opposite! What makes a comfortable shoe is a thick, rigid and non-flexible sole that protects your joints and tendons from excessive strain and damage. Cushion (usually in the form of cushioned arch supports and insoles) is then placed on top of the thick and rigid sole. The concept is similar to when you purchase a new mattress. You want a firm mattress for more support for your joints and spine and then you have a cushioned topcover for more softness and comfort. If you are recovering from a foot injury or trying to slow or stop the progression of foot deformities such as bunions and hammertoes, then it is crucial that you wear shoes that protect those joints from further stress, mechanical strain and damage. 

A wide, soft toebox puts less pressure on toenails, bunions and hammertoes. If water can wear down rock to sand - then it stands to reason that a tight or pointy-toed dress shoe can slowly deform your toes into bunions and hammertoes with painful corns. Not to mention promoting ingrown and fungal toenails. For more information on the important role that proper shoes play in getting rid of toenail fungus, please refer to my article in this blog: 

http://podiatryshoereview.blogspot.com/2012/02/effectively-treating-toenail-fungus.html

I don't recommend mules (shoes with no rearfoot control), but the Sketcher Shindig has enough of a reafoot 'lip' to secure the heel in place for more biomechanical control of the foot and the ankle. Without rearfoot control, your tendons, joints and muscles have to work harder to stay in the shoe, which causes mechanical strain and tired-leg syndrome as well as promotes forefoot issues because you have to clench your toes down to stay in the shoe. If you want to slow the progression of hammertoes, bunions, neuromas and other forefoot issues, then you need to wear shoes with rearfoot control. And if you have any rearfoot issues or knee, hip or lower back issues, then it is absolutely crucial that you wear shoes with rearfoot control. 

The Sketcher Shindig & Fortress are recommended for patients with:

*Plantar Fasciitis (heel pain) (wear with a dress orthotic for more biomechanical control of the arch which alleviates pressure on the plantar fascia) 

*Bunions

*Hammertoes

*Tailor's Bunions

*Corns and Calluses

*Metatarsalgia

*Morton's Neuromas

*Hallux Limitus (limited range of motion of the 1st toe joint)

*Functional Hallux Limitus

*Hallux Rigidus (no range of motion of the 1st toe joint)

*Osteoarthritis 

*Mild Degenerative Joint Disease 

*Recovering from Lisfranc's Injury (without surgery)  

*Mild Peroneal Tendonitis 

*Mild Posterior Tibial Tendonitis

*Haglund's Deformity (without Achilles Tendonitis) 

*Mild to moderate swelling in feet and ankles

*Raynaud's Disease

*Ingrown toenails

*Mild to moderate Over-Pronation (wear with dress orthotic if possible)

*Mild to moderate Hypermobility (wear dress orthotic if possible) 

The Sketcher Shindig & Fortress are not recommended for patients with: 

*Charcot Foot

*History of foot ulcerations

*Achilles Tendonitis (there is not enough rearfoot control) 

*A history of an Achilles rupture, tear or surgical repair

*Ankle Instability 

*Severe Hypermobility

*Dropfoot  

*Conditions that require that they wear an Ankle-Foot Orthosis (custom-molded ankle brace) 

*Lymphedema 

*History of chronic ankle sprains or fractures (you need more rearfoot control) 

*Moderate to Severe Posterior Tibial Tendonitis

*Moderate to Severe Peroneal Tendonitis

Check with your Podiatrist to see if these shoes works for you if you have:

*Rheumatoid Arthritis

*Diabetes

*Peripheral Neuropathy (nerve damage) 

*Peripheral Arterial Disease (poor circulation)

*Moderate to Severe Degenerative Joint Disease of midfoot or rearfoot joints

*History of Lisfranc's joint surgery with fixation (hardware such as screws and plates that fuse the joint) 

*Midfoot or Rearfoot joint fusions (surgery that stops motion at the joint with hardware such as screws and plates) 

*Geriatrics (might be too heavy for them)

*High Fall Risk 

For more information, please refer to my other articles on this blog:

My feet hurt! Top 10 things to alleviate foot pain today.

http://podiatryshoereview.blogspot.com/2012/05/my-feet-hurt-top-ten-things-relieve.html

Shoe Recommendations for patients recovering from Lisfranc's Injuries.  

http://podiatryshoereview.blogspot.com/2012/04/podiatrist-shoe-recommendations-for.html

Happy New Year!

Wishing you health and happy feet!

Dr. Cathleen A. McCarthy

:)


**Word of caution: do not get the Sketcher GOwalk shoes -- they are hideous for your feet and a perfect recipe for a fracture!