Educational Articles

Are Clogs a Foot-Healthy Choice?

Posted By Robyn Hughes, ND

Disclaimer:

The above content is for educational or informational purposes only and is not intended to replace or augment professional medical instruction, diagnosis, or treatment. Read full disclaimer here.

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Comments
April 20, 2015
Dana Lloyd

I read the article about clogs and wondered what your opinion of Croc type shoes is. Many have the features you encourage, and I realize with their growing style selection not all fit the natural footwear concept. For a basic roc though, could you share your opinion?

Also, any word on children’s correct toes? My daughter (11) needs them very much. She currently wear size 4 still from the children’s sizes (not yet women’s size yet).

Thank you!
Dana

April 20, 2015
Natural Footgear

Hi, Dana,

Thank you for your message. We were early adopters of Crocs back when they were the only foot-healthy shoe option available, and we still like certain models of Crocs, especially the Rx Relief model, though many models no longer support natural foot health (as you noted in your comment).

Children’s Correct Toes (www.naturalfootgear.com/products/correct-toes) are now available on the Natural Footgear site! They are the “Small” size.

Kind regards,
Marty Hughes, DC

April 20, 2015
Callie Jordan

Oh, wow, how hard it is to find shoes for those of us whose feet have suffered years of bad shoes and now need more than “only a very thin layer of material between your foot and the ground.” I agree I don’t need arch support and any other artificial positioning from my shoes, but I do need some padding in the sole to cushion my malformations while I try to heal them with proper shoes and exercises. So PLEASE tell the shoe manufacturers to leave room for more in the shoe than just my foot.

April 20, 2015
Natural Footgear

Hi, Callie,

We hear you! It takes a long time to rehabilitate the feet and toes after years of wearing conventional footwear, but the destination is worth the journey. I hope you are having success on your journey toward optimal foot health!

Best,
Marty Hughes, DC

April 20, 2015
Stasia

I work long days in a retail environment on hard floors, almost no padding. Cushioning seems to help. What shoes would you recommend that don’t have the issues noted in this article, but still provide cushioning for the 8 and 10 hours days on a hard floor on my feet?

Thanks!

April 20, 2015
Natural Footgear

Hi, Stasia,

Thank you for your comment. Altra shoes (www.naturalfootgear.com/pages/altra-shoes) are a good option. The models possess varying degrees of sole thickness and cushioning, and they can be an excellent transition shoe from conventional footwear to more minimalist-like models.

Kind regards,
Marty Hughes, DC

April 20, 2015
Elizabeth Barrett-Futcher

Great article, and I suspect my years of wearing clogs are the reason for my present foot pain and deformed toes. I have just purchased you toes spacers, socks, and supports on line. I have been a Dansko wearer for 7 years and now have daily pain in my toes. When I look down at my toes from above, my 2nd toe from the big toe visibly curls to the left like a reverse C. It is extremely painful constantly and walking on it causes pain on the ball of the foot underneath. Will the toe spacers help?

April 20, 2015
Natural Footgear

Hi, Elizabeth,

Thank you for your comment and your kind words about the article. And thank you for your recent order! We appreciate your business.

In our experience, we’ve seen folks with all sorts of toe deformities, including curly toes, benefit from Correct Toes. How quickly you personally respond to Correct Toes and other natural foot health approaches depends on many factors, including your age, how many years you have worn conventional footwear, how regularly you use your Correct Toes (especially in a weight-bearing situation), and the characteristics of your body’s soft tissues (i.e., how rigid or flexible your connective tissues are).

Please see this page for more info on results and expectations: www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/product-info/17922240-correct-toes-results-expectations

I wish you the best of luck on your journey toward optimal foot health. If you have any additional questions, please do send them my way!

Kind regards,
Marty Hughes, DC

April 20, 2015
Kris

Good info. Just got into living “barefoot” style. Really loving it. I always loved my Croc clogs, but I see now that they were really bad in a bunch of ways. Life is much better with minimalist shoes.

April 20, 2015
Natural Footgear

Thank you for your comment, Kris! I’m happy to hear that you’re enjoying your minimalist shoes and “barefoot” living. If you ever have any questions about natural approaches to foot and toe health, please do let me know; I’m happy to help out however I can!

Kind regards,
Marty Hughes

April 20, 2015
Lori Simpson

I just purchased some Danskos for my nursing school shoes. I have been trying to break them in, but they are hurting the top of my foot and do not seem willing to stretch out as advertised. I am about to send them back, if possible. Anyway, I have hard orthotics from a podiatrist that were fitted over a decade ago to deal with my extensive heel spurs/plantar fasciitis. I was told that the heel spurs came from wearing shoes that did not support my feet properly. The orthotics do make my feet more comfortable. I was told never to go barefoot again, as I used to do that often, and wear flats that had no arch support at all and no heel. I am very confused by all the different opinions I see. All I know is that going barefoot hurts my heels very much, even though I like it on the rest of my feet. I cannot imagine running barefoot–my heels would just die. Where can I go for information about MY feet? What should I look for in a podiatrist? They all seem to say different stuff.

April 20, 2015
Natural Footgear

Hi, Lori,

Thank you for your comments. You’re exactly right about there being contradicting information concerning foot health. Our approach involves addressing what’s most often the underlying cause of common foot and toe ailments: unhealthy footwear. Our goal is to restore proper foot anatomy and function by allowing the foot to function like a bare foot inside of the shoe. There are a lot reasons why this method is effective for most people most of the time, and if you read through the site, especially the Foot Anatomy 101 page (www.naturalfootgear.com/pages/foot-anatomy-101) and the Education section (www.naturalfootgear.com/blogs/education), you’ll find information regarding natural foot health methods.

Also, a lot of folks who experience heel discomfort benefit from incorporating heel cups (www.naturalfootgear.com/products/tulis-heel-cups) into their foot health routine.

If you have further questions, please just send them our way.

Kind Regards,
Andrew Potter

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