By Rehan Iqbal
If you've suffered from plantar fasciitis or any other foot discomfort or condition, you're certainly aware of the large number of options when it comes to healing foot products. You'd be sadly mistaken if you believed that even a small majority of these products worked as advertised. In fact, we'd venture to say that maybe half, or less than half, provide benefits prominent enough to be considered worthy of purchase.
However, one particular form of footwear, Vionics, seems to be breaking this mold, delivering a quality line of footwear that has sufferers of plantar fasciitis viewing life from a different lens. What are these shoes and are they really efficient for plantar fasciitis?
Vionic Shoes: The Plantar Fasciitis Solution?
Everything you've learned has probably told you that sandals are not the ideal solution for foot or arch support. Sandal designs might have come a long way in decades past, but surely there's not a brand or model that provides significant relief for plantar fasciitis.
Actually - there are sandals that provide a solution for foot pain and plantar fasciitis. In fact, several brands now exist that make this claim. There's even one brand of sandals designed by actual podiatrists that are made specifically for plantar fasciitis. Vionics, the company behind these sandals, has a plethora of other shoe designs to go with these supportive sandal designs.
Overall, Vionic shoes have excellent footbeds combined with solid bottom/outer soles. The incredibly sturdy base is enough to provide an extremely high level of support and comfort - so much so that many people choose to wear them daily!
Orthaheel
Vionic shoes feature an orthotic foot bed known as the Orthaheel. Widely considered to be one of the most comfortable shoes on the market designed for plantar fasciitis, they're also very stylish, making them even more popular with nearly every age group. This is especially rare, considering you hardly ever find orthopedic shoes that carry a sufficient element of style. However, this is one brand of corrective Ortho that has designer-caliber style in mind! Let's take a look at what makes these shoes so effective:
Let's take a look at some of the more specific designs from Vionic.
Men's Vionic Designs
Women's Vionic Designs
Women have access to many of the same designs as men, such as slippers, sneakers, and slip-ons, with the following additions:
Very few injuries exist that are as nagging as plantar fasciitis, normally becoming chronic issues that serve as constant reminders in the form of stabbing and aching pains. What's worse, is that the majority of these pains manifest in the morning, immediately after you wake, making it difficult to maintain a positive outlook on your day.
Long Term Plantar Fasciitis Pain
Unfortunately, this pain is the reality for many of those who suffer from plantar fasciitis, dealing with a constant, aching and stabbing pain from the heel to the middle of the foot. It's not uncommon for patients who suffer from this condition to bear the discomfort for months, and even years.
Searching for an answer as to why your case of plantar fasciitis just won't seem to completely disappear can become a perpetual search for answers that only leads to more pain, and more frustration. Issues with the plantar fascia are typically accompanied by the following inquiries:
And while all these questions are equally important on the road to recovery, sometimes your most telling answers exist in the form of footwear you choose. By examining the choices you make regarding orthopedic comfort, you could produce answers to some of the most pressing questions regarding your treatment/healing.
Potential Remedies
After interviewing dozens of those suffering from plantar fasciitis over the years, several things become apparent. First, one of the most important factors in healing plantar fasciitis is giving the area a break from constant overuse.
The bottom line is, if you're not providing that area with enough rest, it doesn't matter what other solutions you're armed with - nothing substitutes plain old rest.
The second thing we learned is that the right footwear is an equally important part of the equation. Something magical happens when you match your feet with a supportive, comfortable pair of orthopedic insoles or footwear.
The Bottom Line On Vionic Shoes
Vionic shoes provide relief for a large number of those suffering from plantar fasciitis conditions. However, it's worth noting that this isn't a fix-all solution for all types of foot pain. Each person who suffers from plantar fasciitis has a different arch, and this plays a huge role in the overall outcome of your condition.
Finding the appropriate shoe style is important, and it may take some trial and error to produce the most optimal pair. Discuss this with your podiatrist before deciding on your first pair of Vionics, and if the first pair doesn't perform the way you expect, make small changes to the design until you find the most supportive finished product for pain relief.
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