lidays have passed, it’s easy to slip into bad habits with regards foot health. The temptation to spend considerable time at home in socks, fuzzy slippers or bare feet can aggravate preexisting structural foot problems. Most of our homes have fashionable, beautiful, hypoallergenic and ghastly floor surfaces upon which we spend vast numbers of hours toiling and working.

It’s no coincidence that the two largest groups of patients we treat for first time onset planter heel pain or planter fasciitis, are new retirees and those who have recently transitioned to working from home. One of the very first and sometimes only steps we urge them to take towards recovery is to dedicate a specific comfortable, but supportive shoe to become their staple indoor footwear. If they happen to be orthotic wearers and have an old pair of devices they should place those in their indoor shoe permanently. Slippers are generally too flexible and diminish any benefit that might be derived from the inserted orthotic. To further drive this point home I callously recommend they hang on to their slippers and give them to someone they really don’t like. Kidding of course!