Best Shoes for Women with Heel Spurs – Extra Cushion Below Your Heels!

Have you been experiencing heel pain and your medical professional diagnosed you with heel spurs? This condition develops around the heel bone, often caused by unsupportive or ill-fitting shoes, and sometimes causing pain. Women who have gait abnormalities that place extra stress on their feet such as flat feet or high arches are more prone to developing heel spurs. I am going to show you a list of the best shoes for women with heel spurs based on my many years of shoe fitting experience.

Did you know that improperly fitting or poorly padded shoes may lead to the development of heel spurs? I mention this because plenty of women who visit the shoe store that I work for are wearing the wrong types of shoes. Other factors that might lead to heel spurs are:

• Jogging or running on hard surfaces
• Obesity or excess weight
• Standing a lot on your feet
• Foot conditions such as flat feet or high arches
• Increasing age and diabetes

One important tip I have is to not simply focus on finding shoes that provide support for your heels. Your shoes should also provide anatomical arch support to promote healthy foot alignment. Good alignment means the entire foot will absorb the impact of every step, rather than just the heel.

My Experience Fitting Shoes for Women with Heel Spurs

I have fitted women’s shoes for many years at a shoe store that specializes in helping people with “complicated” foot shapes as well as foot and leg problems. I have helped many women with heel spurs find the perfect pair of shoes for their feet, and I believe I will be able to help you as well. The arch support and extra cushion below your heels will let you walk and run without aches and pains. Wearing the right shoe can make a world of a difference!

There are plenty of shoe options on the market for women suffering from heel spurs, and it can be overwhelming to decide which specific shoe will work best for your feet. The shoes that I recommend are the styles that I have tried at the shoe store that I work for, and they have helped many women.

Don’t simply buy a pair of shoes online because it has good reviews or worked well for other women. What might work well for many women might not work as well for your feet. You need to make sure that the shoes fit your individual foot shape correctly to get the full benefits that the shoes have to offer.

What Makes the Shoes that I Recommend Ideal for Heel Spurs?

You can help treat and prevent heel spurs by wearing well-fitting shoes with shock-absorbent outsoles, rigid shanks, and supportive heel counters. These are the 3 key features that the shoes I recommend provide that will help support your feet and significantly reduce or fully eliminate your heel pain:

1️⃣ Shock Absorbent Outsoles

Shoes that provide shock absorbent outsoles can help reduce the impact that your feet take every time they come in contact with the ground and relieve the stress on your feet and legs. Let’s take a look at an image that shows two shoes that provide very different levels of support. Do you notice how the shoe on the right has a more substantial and supportive outsole compared to the shoe on the left?

2️⃣ Supportive Heel Counters: Shoes that provide firm heel counters with targeted cushion and support right below the heels can also help minimize your heel pain. Let’s take a look at an image that shows the difference in heel support between two different shoes. Do you notice how the shoe on the right image has a firmer heel counter compared to the shoe on the left image?

Certain shoes provide more cushion and padding right below the heels. For example, Asics are known for providing gel-technology that cushions the heels more effective compared to other shoes:

3️⃣ Rigid Shanks

Most women don’t know what the shank of the shoe is. A shank is a supportive structure that sits between the shoe and runs underneath the arch of the foot and helps support and stabilize the foot. You can check if your current shoes have a rigid shank, you can grab your current shoes and bend them in half. If your shoe does not bend, it passed the rigid shank test. If it does, it is probably best if you move onto the next pair of shoes.

Should You Try Supportive Shoes or a Different Approach?

Some women are told by their medical professionals to try shock wave therapy, casting, surgery, or steroid injections to get rid of their heel pain. Before you try an invasive method to get rid of your heel pain, I strongly suggest that you start by making sure that you are wearing the correct type of shoes. The correct type of heel cups or orthotics can also make a world of difference when it comes to treating heel pain.

Let’s now take a look at a selection of the best shoes for women with heel spurs. Disclosure: Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases.

Best Shoes for Women with Heel Spurs

To figure out which shoe style will be best for your foot shape, look at the description below each image to find out which foot shape that specific shoe is capable of accommodating. 

How effective these shoes will be in helping treat and prevent your heel pain directly depends on the degree of your foot condition. Keep in mind that what has worked well for many women might not work as well for others. With that said, the shoes I recommended above are the most supportive ones I have fitted before.

Are You Unsure About What Shoe Style You Should Order?

If you don’t know what specific shoe might work best for your foot shape I suggest that you ask your question in the comments section below or contact me via email:

comfortablewomenshoes@gmail.com 

What Shoe Size Should You Order?

Take a look at the description below the shoes that I recommended to find out what shoe size you should order. You must wear the shoes in the correct size to get the full support and stability that the shoes have to offer. Do you know whether your feet are narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide? Do you know if you have a high instep or not? These are all key factors that determine the final shoe size that you should wear.

You can either go to your local shoe store to have your feet properly sized or you can use a resource I created that will help you determine your exact foot length and shape in two simple steps:

How to Measure Your Foot Shoe Size – The Most Simple and Effective Way!

The Importance of Lacing Your Shoes Correctly

Did you know that there are certain shoe lacing techniques that will secure and support your feet more effectively? I learned a specific shoe lacing technique at the shoe store that I work for and it works wonders for women with heel spurs. You can learn more about this shoe lacing technique in this article:

How to Tie Shoes for Women with Heel Pain – Follow These 3 Simple Steps

Stop Wearing Your Favorite Shoes All the Time!

Do you have a favorite pair of shoes that you wear most of the time? When you wear the same shoes for months or even years, their structure and cushioning (if they had any to begin with) simply wears out over time. The lack of proper foot support may cause heel spurs and other issues. 

Should You Wear Orthotics or Heel Cups?

Additional cushion in the heel is critical for people with heel spurs. However, your first step should be to wear a pair of supportive shoes that fit properly. If after trying any of the shoes that I recommend your heel pain is not significantly reduced or fully eliminated then I suggest that you look into a pair of orthotics or heel cups for extra support.

If you want to try a pair of orthotics or heel cups right away, I suggest that you take a look at the resources below:

The Best Heel Cups for Heel Pain – The Most Effective Way to Stop Your Women’s Heel Pain

Best Orthotic for Women with Heel Pain – Targeted Cushion and Support Right Below Your Heels!

Heel cups can be extremely effective to treat and prevent heel pain and they will be a more affordable choice compared to orthotics.

I also suggest that you speak with your physical therapist as there are techniques such as stretching, taping, massage, and lower leg strengthening exercises to create a heel spur recovery plan that’s safe, effective, and designed to prevent re-injury.

Let me know in the comments section below if you have found a specific pair of shoes that worked well in helping treat and prevent your heel pain. I am sure other women will benefit from learning about your experiences.