The Importance of Good Shoes When Living With Psoriatic Arthritis

By Diane T

2 min read

“Good shoes take you to good places." We know this to be true in all walks of life, but for those with psoriatic arthritis, it's especially important.

Our feet experience everything from swelling to inflammation. It's only right we put them in something comfortable to absorb all of this. Why? In addition to everything else, our feet hurt. Our feet carry our sore joints around and take on the majority of the pressure.

Choosing shoes to help with PsA pain...

Personally, I struggle with heel pain at times, so when I choose shoes for myself, I prefer something that protects my heels with extra care. Your pain is unique, and identifying that unique pain can make a difference when choosing shoes.

Because of my heel pain, I try getting shoes with a bit more sole at the heel to lift my feet from the ground so they don’t feel like they are getting rubbed across the floor. So, a bit of extra cushioning and sole shoes work best for me.

For those with psoriatic arthritis, our shoe choices hold the difference between making or breaking us. So, let’s talk a little bit more about what things we need to keep in mind before shoe shopping...

Shoe fit matters.

Too tight are never a good option and will betray you quickly. Tight shoes can suffocate the toes and bruise them. The last thing we need is more swelling! and I end up with swollen toes. Finding the right fit for your foot must be the top priority.

The shape of your foot.

Understanding your foot shape is also an important point in making an informed choice. I struggled a lot with my shoe choices in the past, so I had to make constant revisits to my physiotherapist, who suggested that I need to understand what kind of shoe fits my condition.

Visit a podiatrist.

Visiting a podiatrist was one of the best decisions I have ever made. He guided me that good shoes must have a nice supportive arch for balancing your feet when you walk, a nice space for your toes to stay put without getting rubbed, and a good enough sole to protect the feet from the ground.

The fit should be good enough to let your feet comfortably slip in, not too tight to hurt, nor too loose that your feet keep slipping inside the shoe.

My best-kept secret.

Comfort always comes first for me, especially at this age. That said, I am a woman who enjoys wearing fancy heels and boots every so often. So, I have found a solution for that too. I have invested in a soft, medicated insole for occasional wear with extra cushioning in my heel portion. This has to be the best-kept secret.

Our feet get us to where we need to go, painful joints and all.

They are an important part of our body and deserve to be considered when it comes to comfort and pain avoidance. Shoes are a big part of this kind of conversation.

I encourage you all not to get carried away with all those nice-looking sandals and to take care of your feet. We already go through so much; investing in our feet and where we want to go is one way to make our load a little lighter.

This or That

Do you know what type(s) of psoriatic arthritis you have?

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Psoriatic-Arthritis.com team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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Looking for answers Member
I would agree with u, our foot care and shoes are extremely important. And can help or hinder daily living even. Please suggest where I can find or 13M womens shoe. I’ve had issues since childhood finding proper shoes. Now that I’m older I’m even more concerned about finding good shoes. The fact I’m flat footed doesn’t help. Thank u for any suggestions. 
1. MAB1291 Member
 I can totally relate to your situation. I wear a 11.5 extra wide. For years I had to buy men's tennis shoes because most stores like Walmart, K-mart etc do not carry shoes that big for women. I finally found a store in my area that caters to larger sizes but the shoes are typically around $100+ per pair. I did find that Skechers Relax Fit shoes are pretty comfortable. I add Dr Scholls inserts for added cushioning Here is their website .https://www.skechers.com/technologies/comfort-technologies/slip-ins/?prefn1=size&prefv1=13&start=0&sz=24
2. Looking for answers Member
 Thanx for your response. I tried the link but it gave me an error. Would u please share the name of the store u found locally I maybe able to find something that fits there. I also have a narrow foot, this causes issues crossing over to mens shoes often times too. Algeria & Ross Hommerson are two brands I’ve purchased from a few times & found both comfy well fitting shoes. Both lines shoes were well sewn too.
Diane T Moderator & Contributor
<inline-mention username="Looking for answers" user-id="3303793"/> Thanks for the great feedback. The only place I can think of right off-hand would be Amazon. They seem to have everything. Thanks for sharing. Diane (Team Member)
MAB1291 Member
I was diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis and also have a Taylor's Bunion. I wear a size 11.5 women's shoes and have ALWAYS had difficulty finding shoes for my big, wide feet. I used to go barefoot for years around the house and even outside but that is something that I can no longer do, not even for 5 minutes. At 68 years old I do not want to submit to any foot surgeries so I do my best to find comfortable wide shoes. I buy Dr Scholls inserts that I put in all of my shoes for added comfort but even with doing all of that I have found that if I am on my feet too long in a day that my hips and feet become extremely painful. I was just recently diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis and was on Prednisone for 15 days. It was the best 15 days I have had in almost 25 years. My doctors tell me that it is not good to stay on Prednisone for too long so in a few days I will be starting on a new medication. 
1. MAB1291 Member
 Started on my new medication, Leflunomide tablets this week. Hopefully I will start to get some relief soon. 
2. CathyD Moderator
 Hey <inline-mention username="MAB1291" user-id="8583438"/>, thank you for the update. I'm glad you've been able to get started on leflunomide. Hoping it works well for you and quickly! I thought you might be interested to read <inline-mention username="Leanne Donaldson" user-id="3312035"/>'s experiences with taking leflunomide: <a href='https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/experiences-taking-leflunomide' target='_blank'>https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/experiences-taking-leflunomide</a> Hoping this is the start of you finding some relief. Wishing you the very best! Warmly, -Catherine, Community Moderator
Eric_the_Eric Member
I would like to add that proper fitting, high quality footwear is a must for everyone. Those of us suffering from rheumatoid disease need pay even closer attention to footwear selection. I know that it can be a somewhat sensitive issue for some women, but if you have larger than "average" feet, and cannot find a proper fit in women's shoes, buy men's shoes. This is a problematic area for some women, as most big name retail stores, even sporting goods stores, rarely stock anything larger than a 10.5 in women's. And a lot of the high dollar custom made orthotic shoes I've seen, even a pair that the VA had made for me, really aren't anywhere near as good in quality or comfort as a good fitting pair of premium running shoes like HOKA, Altra, Brooks, etc. And if you have a fitness watch that tracks your daily steps, and converts that to miles per day for you, then keep track of that mileage you're putting on your shoes. If you're striving for the recommended minimum of 10,000 steps per day, that's roughly five miles, depending on stride length. If you're wearing the same pair of shoes every day, that's over 1,800 miles a year on those shoes. As a runner, I retire a pair of shoes after 300 miles. They're not much good for anything beyond that, except picking up dog poo in the yard. Walking miles aren't as hard for shoes, and I would plan on getting maybe double that mileage from a pair of shoes I'm only walking in. So if you're aiming to stay active, as well you should, buy good shoes, and buy them often. 
1. Eric_the_Eric Member
 My wife and I live on a fixed income, and so cannot afford a great deal of splurging. That said we do go out of our way to find good quality shoes. Many specialist running shoe stores resell their returns, shoes that have extremely limited wear, at a very deep discount. Additionally, ebay is a great source to find deals if you know what you are looking for. I've bought my last ten pair of running shoes on ebay, shoes that retail for $129, for under $75. This has been a mix of new, but discontinued models, and shoes with very light wear. So, high quality footwear can be had on a budget. 
2. Vickie Wilkerson Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="Eric_the_Eric" user-id="6704533"/> thanks for sharing that. I would never have thought of looking on Ebay for shoes. That is very interesting. I think a lot of our community will find this helpful so thank you for elaborating further on that. Vickie W., Team Member
MAB1291 Member
CathyD Taylor's Bunion is a bunion that forms on the side of the pinkie toe. Some years back I had fractured my pinkie toe after stubbing it on a piece of furniture. I often wondered if that is why I ended up with the Taylor's Bunion. My Primary Care doctor recommended Hydroxychloroquine because he said it was pretty much tolerable for most people, but told me to talk with my Rheumatologist about it. Whatever it is I can hardly wait because being on Prednisone for 15 days (which was great) but then having nothing for 15 days has been miserable. It is almost like the pain I had before got worse during these last 15 days, but that might just be my imagination. 
1. Eric_the_Eric Member
 A Tailor's Bunion is most often caused by wearing shoes that are too narrow/tight in the toe box, but fracturing your pinkie toe would certainly lead to improperly fitting shoes if it healed improperly. Skechers makes a pretty good shoe for the money if you need a wide fit, but with those the entire shoe runs wide, and you may just need a wider toe box. Try looking into Altra and Topo Athletic, two brands of running shoes that offer a well cushioned foot shaped shoe, with plenty of room for your toes. The Altras are a "zero drop" shoe, meaning your heel and your toes will be on the same level, as though you are barefoot, regardless of the amount of cushioning. Many people with PsA suffer enthesitis in the achiles, and a zero drop shoe can place more stess on that area when walking. The Topo Ahtletic, however have around a 5-6 mm drop from heel to toe, and might be more appropriate. They also cost less than the Altra, though offer a more limited lineup of shoes. 
2. Mary Lynn Member
 I battle enthesitis in my Achilles tendon, with heat and swelling running up the back of my foot. I was not aware that I needed to look for shoes that have a drop from heel to toe. I really appreciate this information. Thanks!
Looking for answers Member
Thanx for information on zero drop, I wasn’t aware of that heel to toe drop. It make sense zero drop would hurt my feet more since I’ve had several flares that include tremendous pain in my heals. I’ll check out any options Topo athletic might have for me then.
SavannahS Member
I was only diagnosed a week ago with PsA, and pain in my feet was one of the first things I started complaining to my dr about. It was pain in the balls of my feet. I was thinking maybe stress fractures. Then my left pinkie toe started getting sensitive. Then my 2nd toe on the right foot swelled up and went red. Dactylitis, I now have 3 toes on the right foot, 2 on the left and still have the pain in the balls of my feet. I spend so much time wearing slippers right now. I am going to get custom orthotics made but hoping some of the swelling will go down first. Right now I struggle to find shoes that either don't hurt my toes or aren't too tight on top of my foot as it swells up often.
1. Eric_the_Eric Member
 Have you tried Oofos footwear? Originally developed as a "recovery" sandal for athletes, they've branched out to a whole line of footwear. But, just the regular slides would do your feet a world of good for walking around the house, or for casual wear. Any slides can be hazardous for daily wear due to the nature; tripping hazard. So I wouldn't recommend wearing them as such.
2. SavannahS Member
 <inline-mention username="Eric_the_Eric" user-id="6704533"/> I have never heard of them, but I will definitely check them out. I hate wearing shoes personally. I have lived in cheap dollar store crocs for years, but this year the swelling in my toes and the joints has made them too uncomfortable, so I have been wearing slides or my slippers. Unfortunately they do not exactly have arch support for flat feet. And with the pain in the balls of my feet I am putting even more pressure onto the sides of my feet or the heel. So definitely need to figure out something before I do more damage.

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