A Podiatrist Explains Why Your Sandals Hurt So Much

If you have high arches, not just any sandal will do. A traditional flat sandal will only contribute to pain and soreness, especially if you’re walking a lot. According to Dr. Laurino, the sandal you choose should have a combination of the following features:

A contoured footbed that touches your arch. Stand in the sandal. You should feel gentle, even contact under your midfoot, not a gap, and not a painful ridge.

A deep heel cup. It centers your heel’s natural fat pad under the bone and keeps the foot from sliding, taking pressure off one of your two overloaded contact points.

Real cushioning, especially under the ball of the foot. High arches transfer extra load to the forefoot, so a firm-but-forgiving midsole matters. If the sole squashes flat under your thumb, it will bottom out on you by mid-afternoon.

The fold test. Try to fold the sandal in half. It should bend only at the ball of the foot. If it folds in the middle like a wallet, it can’t support any arch, least of all a high one.

Secure, adjustable straps in more than one place. Across the toes or forefoot, over the midfoot, and ideally around the heel or ankle. High-arched feet are already prone to ankle rolls; a sandal that shifts underfoot makes that worse.

A roomy toe box, since high-arched feet are prone to claw toes, give your toes space to lie flat and splay.

A removable footbed if you use orthotics, so your custom support can come along for the summer.

Adjustability over “one-shape-fits-all.” High arches vary enormously in height and position. Straps you can fine-tune cover the difference between a sandal that’s almost right and one that’s actually right.