We’re in the middle of sandal season, and if you’re thinking of adding another pair to your closet or upgrading from an old pair, you may be wondering which sandal is right for your feet. Of course there is no one size fits all answer to that question, but lighter footwear like sandals, Crocs and slides all have different benefits and potential drawbacks. We’ve already talked about Crocs on the blog in the past, so in today’s blog we want to explore whether a sandal or a slide may be a better option for your feet this summer.
Slides Vs. Sandals
As the name implies, a slide-style sandal is something that you can just slide your foot into. They typically have one piece that connects across your midfoot as opposed to enclosed sandals or thong-styled sandals that have a connection between your big toe and your second toe. Both slides and sandals come in different varieties and styles, so we don’t want to say that one is always better than the other. However, slides tend to offer one key benefit over sandals in the event that both options aren’t the perfect fit for your feet.
In a perfect world, your sandals would fit precisely and contour to every arch and undulation in your foot, but we don’t live in a perfect world. Oftentimes sandals are hand-me-downs, gifts or impulse buys on vacation, and you may not care as much about their perfect fit compared to a shoe you wear every day. With a slide, this isn’t much of an issue because when you pick up your feet, it’s the strap in the midfoot and helps keep the shoe on. In a misfitting thong sandal, your toes are asked with helping to keep the sandal in place with every step you take, and over time this can end up damaging the soft tissues in your feet. Again, this is really only a potential issue in poorly-fitting sandals, so if you take your time and find a pair that adequately supports your unique foot shape, you should be fine with either slides or sandals.
Regardless of whatever type of sandal you choose, you’re going to want to ensure it has these features:
Right Fit – As we just touched on, a properly fitting sandal is incredibly important, otherwise different areas of your feet could be under excessive stress.
Support – You want your slide or your sandal to offer support to your unique foot shape. Whether that is in the form of a contoured arch or a well-cushioned heel, find a pair that offers plenty of support to your feet.
Comfort – At the end of the day, you want your feet to be comfortable in whatever shoe you choose.
Right Width – Make sure that the toe box or the slide connection area is not too narrow for your toes.
Slip Resistance – Consider finding a sandal with some extra grip on the bottom of your shoe, especially if you’ll be wearing them poolside on potentially slippery surfaces.
And as we’ve said on the blog in the past, make sure that you ease into sandal wearing. Even a quality pair of sandals or slides tend to offer less support or natural protection for your feet, so don’t just wear them for days at a time. Gradually increase your time in your sandals and make sure to choose a more protective pair based on the activities you’ll be performing that day.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you want to wear slides or sandals, so long as you pick a supportive and comfortable option that fits right. And if you need help picking out the right pair or dealing with foot pain that’s tied to your shoe choices, reach out to Dr. Silverman and the team at Silverman Ankle & Foot today at (952) 224-2277.
