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

:)

Orthofeet: a Review of the Stretchable Mary Jane

Review of the Orthofeet Stretchable Mary Jane.

         The Orthofeet Stretchable Mary Jane is a wonderfully comfortable shoe for women who suffer from painful bunions, hammertoes, corns and toenails. This shoe has a thick rigid sole that limits motion across the bottom of the foot, which allows for more comfort. It’s also light and comes with an excellent insole that provides cushion and arch support for more biomechanical control of the foot and ankle, which translate into less knee, hip and lower back pain! The insole can be removed so that you can replace it with your custom-molded orthotic if needed.  

What sets this shoe apart from others is the Spandex toe box, which decreases pressure on tender toes. This shoe is considered an ‘Extra-Depth’ shoe, which means that it has extra room for the toes.
Many people aren’t aware that Medicare approves this type of shoe for most patients who suffer with diabetes with the added complications of diabetic neuropathy and/or peripheral arterial disease. Medicare has a wonderful program that pays for diabetic patients to receive one pair of extra-depth shoes with three sets of custom inserts (each lasting four months) each calendar year. Medicare provides this program for their diabetic patients because research has shown that if they get diabetic patients into proper shoes and inserts, Medicare saves billions of dollars in hospital bills resulting from diabetic ulcers, infections, and amputations. This is one of many styles of shoes that the Medicare program covers. 

If you aren’t diabetic, these shoes can be purchased from Footsmart.com and, if you are diabetic, many Podiatrists offer the extra depth shoe program through their offices. 
I recommend that if you are diabetic, make an appointment with your local Podiatrist for your annual diabetic exam and, he or she will determine if you are medically eligible for the program. If your Podiatrist doesn't offer the program through his or her office, you can request a prescription to send you out to a facility that does offer the program. We've offered this program to our patients for over a decade and the patients love the shoes and inserts for the comfort and I love it because it decreases diabetic related complications! Remember, if you are suffering with painful feet, I recommend that you follow up with your local Podiatrist for evaluation and treatment. There are many non-painful, non-surgical options that can significantly decrease your foot pain. As an added benefit, I also love the fact that Orthofeet shoes are made in America! 
 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dr. Cathleen A. McCarthy

:)