Do you experience heel pain? If you answered “yes” then you may be experiencing plantar fasciitis. Heel pain is caused when the ligament connecting your heel bone to your toes, called the plantar fascia, becomes inflamed. Wearing the proper footwear can help prevent and reduce the pain and inflammation of this medical condition, and there are many brands that design these types of plantar fasciitis shoes, despite the fact that it can be a bit difficult to locate such footwear.

The American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine has three categories for running shoes: Maximum stability, moderate stability, and neutral. Maximum stability is recommended for runners who weigh more than one hundred and eighty pounds and have moderate to severe overpronation. Some of the shoes that provide maximum stability are: Asics Gel-Evolution 5 and Gel-Fortitude; Brooks Beast and Ariel; Mizuno Wave Renegade 4; the New Balance 1012; Nike Zoom Nucleus MC+; and the Saucony ProGrid Stabil CS.

Stability is recommended for runners who need flexibility and cushioning not found in maximum stability shoes. Some of the shoes that provide appropriate stability are: Adidas, Asics Gel-3010, Brooks Infiniti, Mizuno Wave Inspire 6, New Balance 760, Nike Structure Triax+, and the Saucony Progrid Omni 8. Neutral shoes are recommended for runners who have little or no need for stability features. Some of the neutral shoes are, Adidas Supernova Glide, Asics Gel-Nimbus 11, Brooks Glycerin 8, Mizuno Creation 11, the New Balance 1064, Nike Air Pegasus+ 26, Reebok Premier Verona KFS II, and the Saucony ProGrid Jazz 13.

Besides running shoes, you can also get walking shoes, slippers, sandal and footbeds as long as the footwear can provide the appropriate support that can help eliminate your plantar fasciitis symptomatology. One option is Orthoheel. Designed by a podiatrist, Orthoheel helps relieve and heel, knee, and back pain by improving a person’s normal foot function. Asics, Birenstock, Brooks, Clarks, Converse, Dansko, Ecco, Haflinger, Merrell, Mizuno, Mephisto, Nike, New Balance, and Saucony are some of the brands that offer authentic plantar fasciitis shoes. You can find walking shoes, running shoes, dress shoes, sandals, slippers, and footbeds. With the overwhelming number of brands to choose from, each with their own features, it can be overwhelming to find the right shoe for you. The best place to start would be your doctor or physical therapist.