| By :
Mark Etinger
Foot pain is an unbelievable burden on a person's life and yet so many people just seem to live with it. While walking around the city for what was supposed to be a casual night out my friend complained of a veritable laundry list of problems with a new pair of shoes he was excited to "show off." It simply did not make sense to me. Living with discomfort has to happen sometimes but there are so many other options when it comes to finding comfort shoes. Wearing a pair of shoes that pinches your toes, scrapes against your heal, or gives you sharp pains in the soles of your feet while you walk at a normal pace in a comfortable terrain just seems outrageously stupid. The growth in the custom shoes and orthopedic shoes industries suggests that people, at least some folks, are wising up about the importance to having comfortable walking conditions to one's happiness. We live in an increasingly stagnant, obese and unhealthy country and I would venture to guess that more than a few of those problems would decrease with wider spread education on proper foot care. The regular shoe and sneaker business seems content to continue to manufacture it's products in an old fashioned model of standard sizes even as millions of Americans suffer through shoes that are too tight or lack the kind of support that their feet require. It is as if the companies have decided to ignore and torture an entire segment of their customers. It does not have to be this way of course. The custom shoes business is expanding and specialty shoes are growing as well. This may be in many ways tied to the understanding that people with diabetes who do not properly take care of their feet could suffer staggering losses, including toes and their entire foot. As a result of that stark and omnipresent reality diabetics are spreading the word about new ways to improve foot comfort and circumvent many of their kin from suffering through continued foot problems. The results of this "each one teach one" policy could mean great things for our country's overall health if trends continue. But then there are still those friends we all have stubbornly torturing themselves for the sake of fashion or for some misguided sense that "life is tough." It's true not everything in life is easy but there are clear ways to combat bad shoes and horrible walking conditions. Starting with finding the best walking shoes for you right now. Why wouldn't you?
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