Podiatrist Recommend Hiking Boot - Salomon Quest 4D 3 GTX

Podiatrist Recommended 

Men's Hiking Boots

Salomon Quest 4D 3 GTX

This is an excellent men's hiking shoe and, if you are a woman who can't find a comfortable hiking shoe, go to REI and try on this men's boot. This is the boot that my husband (aka Mister 15,000 steps per day!) is currently wearing and it has resolved some foot issues that he was developing while wearing his old hiking boots, which were wearing out and getting too flexible (and therefore causing foot pain).

For a shoe to be good enough for your feet (and be comfortable), they must meet 4 criteria:

1. They must have a thick, rigid and non-flexible sole that allows no motion through painful joints. It's counterintuitive, but a rigid and non-flexible sole is the most important feature of a shoe. 90% of all shoes out there are complete garbage because their soles are too flexible and flimsy. Soles that allow motion through painful joints cause more pain and joint damage.  

2. A wide toe box, so there is no pressure on the toes and toenails, which can cause bunions, hammertoes, corns, Morton's Neuromas, Tailor's bunions, and fungal toenails.  

3. Rearfoot control, which means that you have to at least have a strap around the back of the shoe (no flip-flops or mules). Rearfoot control allows for more biomechanical control of the foot and ankle structures, which means less inflammation, swelling and pain.  

4. Arch support, which you can do with a custom-molded orthotic or at least an excellent over-the-counter insert for better arch support. 

If your foot hurts, you might want to consider going to the store and trying on this boot because it's sort of like wearing a mini-CAM-walker, which is what is used to treat broken bones in the feet. 

This boot is recommended for patients with:

*Plantar Fasciitis (heel pain)

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

*Hallux Limitus (limited motion through 1st toe joint) 

*Functional Hallux Limitus 

*history of Lisfranc's Joint Injuries

*Morton's Neuroma (make sure that the toe box is wide and causes no pressure on the forefoot area)

*Metatarsalgia

*Capsulitis

*Mild to Moderate Bunions

*Hammertoes

*Tailor's Bunions

*Plantar Plate Injuries

*Osteoarthritis

*Degenerative Joint Disease

*Mild Achilles Tendonitis 

*Posterior Tibial Tendonitis

*Peroneal Tendonitis

*Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome (wear orthotics) 

*Sinus Tarsi Syndrome 

This boot is not recommended for patients with:

*History of Diabetic Ulcerations

*Charcot Foot

*Charcot Marie Tooth Disease

*Muscle Weakness

*Foot Drop 

Check with your podiatrist if you have these conditions: 

*Diabetes

*Peripheral Arterial Disease (Poor Circulation)

*Peripheral Neuropathy (Nerve Damage) 

For more information, please check out these articles:

Shoe recommendation for patients recovering from Lisfranc's Injuries.

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

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

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

I hope this was helpful!

Dr. Cathleen A. McCarthy 

:) 

 

Oboz Luna - Podiatrist's Review of Women's Hiking Shoe.

Oboz Luna

Podiatrist's Review of the Oboz Luna

Women's Hiking Shoe

Since the older 5-10 Camp Four hiking boot was updated and "improved" I have been hard-pressed to find a decent hiking shoe to recommend. The new and improved 5-10 Camp Four is pretty terrible, so I no longer recommend it. When the 5-10 Camp Four shoe company discontinued the older version, I made my husband go online and buy 5 pairs! 

The Oboz Luna for women is a pretty good hiking shoe. It's certainly not perfect, but it is been the best I could find on a recent search of hiking stores. The major fault of the Oboz Luna is that the forefoot has too much flexibility (meaning it has mild flexibility), but, compared to all the other hiking shoes in the store, it was the most rigid sole available. If you are a serious hiker and have a history of forefoot issues, you may have to replace this shoe every six months. What I do like about the Oboz Luna is it does have a wide toebox, good rearfoot control, and good traction. It would be best if you could wear this shoe with a custom-molded orthotic from you local podiatrist or the over-the-counter full-length Powerstep insert, which would replace the insole that comes with the shoe. 

My husband and I spent the weekend visiting friends in Sedona and we visited a local hiking store. The salesperson told us that they sell a lot of shoes to newbie hikers who try to hike in the minimalist shoes and come off the trail limping and looking for a sturdier shoe. If your local hiking store doesn't carry the Oboz Luna then I would suggest you find the hiking shoe that has a thick, rigid, and non-flexible sole with excellent traction on the bottom. Make sure you have the salesperson measure your feet (while wearing socks) so that you get proper sizing and a good fit. If they are not comfortable then do not buy them. You should not have to break-in shoes! 

This shoe is recommended for patients with:

* Mild to moderate Hallux Limitus (limited motion through the 1st toe joint)

*Mild to moderate Bunions 

*Mild to moderate Hammertoes

*Mild to moderate Morton's Neuroma

*Mild Plantar Plate strain

*Mild Capsulitis

*Mild Metatarsalgia

*Plantar Fasciitis (heel pain)

*Over-Pronation

*Ligament Laxity (wear orthotics or Powerstep OTC insert) 

*Mild Ankle Instability (you may need to wear an ankle brace for more support)

*History of a healed Lisfranc's Injury (wear orthotics and maybe even an ankle brace -- talk to your local Podiatrist or Ortho who treated you)

*Well-Controlled Diabetes with no history of previous ulcerations (please get this cleared with your Podiatrist first)

*Peripheral Neuropathy with no history of previous ulcerations (please get this cleared with your Podiatrist first)

*Peripheral Arterial Disease (please get cleared this with your Podiatrist first)

This shoe is not recommended for patients with:

*Hallux Rigidus (no motion through the 1st toe joint -- you will need a more rigid-soled shoe - something that has absolutely no motion through the forefoot area) 

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

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

*Moderate to Severe Metatarsalgia

*Severe Morton's Neuroma

*Severe Hammertoes

*Severe Bunions

*Moderate to Severe Plantar Plate Strain 

*Moderate to Severe Capsulitis 

*Peripheral Neuropathy with a history of previous ulcerations

*Peripheral Arterial Disease with a history of previous ulcerations

*Diabetes with a history of ulcerations and complications

*Ulcerations or open sores 

*Charcot Foot

I hope that this was helpful!

Dr. Cathleen A. McCarthy

:)

For more information, check out my other articles on this blog:

Shoe recommendations for patients recovering from previous Lisfranc's Injuries:

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

Top 15 shoes to help with foot, knee, hip and lower back pain:

http://podiatryshoereview.blogspot.com/2016/07/top-15-shoes-that-will-change-your-life.html