Have you been diagnosed with joint hypermobility and are not sure which shoes to get for yourself? Many women with joint hypermobility experience poor coordination and suffer from pain and stiffness in the joints and muscles, particularly towards the end of the day and after physical activity. The correct pair of shoes can make a world of difference, especially if you have joint hypermobility. In this post, I will go over the best shoes for women with joint hypermobility based on my many years of shoe fitting experience.
Do Most Women with Hypermobility Have Flat Feet?
Most women with joint hypermobility have flat feet but a few have a high-arched foot. By fitting these women in shoes with substantial outsoles, firm heel counters, and straight lasts, I helped re-aligned the foot and the way the body’s weight passes through the legs, which helps improve balance and reduce pain in the foot, ankle, leg, hip and lower back.
What is Joint Hypermobility?
Joint hypermobility is a condition in which joints can move beyond the normal range of movement. You may also hear the term “double-jointed” or “loose joints”. This means that your joints are very flexible and you have the ability to bend and flex further than normal. Unfortunately, this is a condition that women are especially prone to.
Moreover, this condition is actually very common and can cause foot, leg, and lower back pain as well as discomfort after exercising or having an active day. While hypermobility may not cause any problems at first (or ever), however, this condition becomes a problem when it’s symptomatic and can evolve into serious joint pain.
Most Common Signs and Symptoms of Joint Hypermobility
Women with symptomatic joint hypermobility may experience the following:
- Pain and stiffness in the joints and muscles
- Frequent injuries (e.g., strains and sprains)
- Joints that dislocate easily (e.g., that come out of the correct position)
- Fatigue (e.g., extreme tiredness)
- Thin or stretchy skin
- Poor balance and coordination
As I alluded to earlier, many women with hypermobile joints don’t have any problems, and actually some women such as ballet dancers, gymnasts and musicians may actually benefit from the increased flexibility.
Treating Joint Hypermobility
The most recommended treatment involves physical therapy to improve muscle strength and fitness, so your joints are better protected. Physical therapy can reduce pain, improve your strength, fitness and balance which also helps reduce the risk of dislocations.
Relatedly, women with joint hypermobility require extra support around the arch and ankle area, therefore wearing supportive shoes that provide good arch and ankle support can make a significant difference in preventing foot pain/fatigue.
In addition, maintaining a good posture while standing is extremely important. Although this is very hard to accomplish if you have flat feet, weak ankles, or impaired joint position sense. If you indeed also have flat feet, your whole body is thrown out of alignment, which usually leads to poor posture habits. The good news is that wearing a pair of supportive shoes can help improve your overall posture and be critical to treating your joint hypermobility.
Please keep in mind that physical therapy can reduce pain, improve your strength, fitness and balance which will help reduce the risk of dislocations, however, if you keep experiencing any of the aforementioned or other symptoms, you should consult your medical professional.
Narrowing Your Shoe Search – 4 Main Attributes to Look For:
1️⃣ Substantial Outsoles: This attribute will help prevent your feet from collapsing and turning inwards/outwards, helping improve your overall posture.
2️⃣ Lightweight/Flexible: The shoes need to be supportive but lightweight and flexible at the same time. Your shoes should bend at the ball of the foot but no further. This attribute will allow the shoe to follow your feet’s natural movements.
3️⃣ Solid Heel Counters: This is the back part of the shoes that provides heel and ankle support. The firmer the heel counter is, the better support it provides. The heel counter is located in the back part of the shoe.
4️⃣ Straight Lasts: Straight last shoes are also referred to as motion control shoes, and they usually provide better material maintaining support beneath the medial column of the foot. Basically, your shoes might have a straight or curved last as shown in the image below:
Note that in addition to these attributes, the shoes must fit the shape of your feet perfectly.
Below you can find a selection of the best shoes for women with joint hypermobility. Please remember to choose your correct foot size and width accordingly. Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links and we may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) when you click our links and make purchases.
Shoes for Women with Joint Hypermobility – Find The Right Shoes for You
Please read the description below each shoe to find out if it can accommodate your foot shape (narrow, medium, wide, extra wide), the additional features each shoe provides, and the size you should order to prevent your longest toe from rubbing against the front part of the shoes.
- Available in narrow, medium, wide, and extra wide widths and also accommodate high insteps
- An ENCAP midsole combines lightweight foam with a durable polyurethane rim to deliver all-day support
- Dual-density collar foam that offers support and comfort for your heels and ankles
- Suede and mesh upper
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your longest foot size
- Available in narrow, medium, wide, and extra wide widths and also accommodates high insteps
- Cushioning outsole with a mild rocker adds spring to your step.
- Multiple cushioning layers provide pillow-like support that works wonders to enhance comfort and help ease pain on the foot and heel
- Soft, stretchable knit fabric uppers with extra foam padding ease pressure on the foot and provide superior comfort and protection for sensitive feet.
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your longest foot size
- Fits women with narrow or medium feet
- Rearfoot and Forefoot GEL Technology Cushioning System helps attenuate shock during impact and toe-off phases
- DuoMax system enhances stability and support
- Engineered mesh upper improves breathability
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your longest foot size
- Fits women with narrow or medium feet
- Durable full-length EVA midsole to absorb shock and offer stability
- Breathable open engineered textile mesh upper with seamless synthetic overlays
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your longest foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths and also accommodates high insteps
- Fresh Foam midsole cushioning is precision engineered to deliver an ultra-cushioned, lightweight ride
- Medial post helps control pronation
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your longest foot size
- Available in medium, wide, and extra wide widths and also accommodates high insteps
- Fresh Foam midsole cushioning is precision engineered to deliver an ultra-cushioned, lightweight ride
- Medial post helps control pronation
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your longest foot size
- Fits medium and wide feet and also accommodates high insteps
- VERSARUN cushioning absorbs impact and reduces pressure for comfortable strides at every level of walking and running
- Added heel support for a more comfortable, secure hold.
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your longest foot size
- Available in narrow, medium, wide, and extra wide widths
- DNA LOFT offers incredibly soft cushioning that now extends beyond the heel, allowing for an easy transition from landing to toe-off.
- Removable foam insole for excellent underfoot comfort and support.
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your longest foot size
- Fits women with narrow, medium, and wide feet
- Rearfoot and Forefoot GEL Technology Cushioning System helps attenuate shock during impact and toe-off phases
- DuoMax system enhances stability and support
- Order this shoe a whole size larger than your longest foot size
- Available in medium and wide widths and also accommodates high insteps
- CMEVA (Compression Molded EVA) midsole delivers lightweight, durable, responsive cushioning
- Strategic high-abrasion rubber zones to reduce weight
- Soft, stretchable knit fabric uppers with extra foam padding ease pressure on the foot and provide superior comfort and protection for sensitive feet
- Order this shoe half a size larger than your longest foot size
Something as simple as wearing the correct pair of shoes will have a tremendous positive impact on the way you walk and may help reduce or fully eliminate the pain that you have been experiencing.
Are you Sure that You Know Your Correct Shoe Size?
Last but not least, are you 100% sure of your foot size and foot shape? Ensuring you know your foot length and width is the first step to finding the correct shoes for your feet. Also, you won’t be able to order the correct shoes online if you don’t know your foot size. Thereafter, with your accurate measurements, you’ll have a reliable reference point for shopping online, and this will give you a broader range of choices for any kind of shoes online.
That being said, if you are indeed unsure of your foot shape I suggest that you take a look at a different article I wrote in which I help women determine their exact foot size from home:
How to Measure Your Foot Shoe Size – The Most Simple and Effective Way!
Additional Resources
On a different note, if you are looking for shoes or orthotics recommendation for a little one in your family with hypermobility or for a friend’s family, you can find helpful information on our partner website:
Best Shoes to Help Treat Hypermobility – Good Arch and Heel Support!
Thank you for reading! We hope you found helpful this post on the best shoes for women with joint hypermobility. Please feel free to share this post with your community on social media as well as your experiences in the comments section below. If you have any questions or need any further assistance, you can also contact us via e-mail and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
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