Golf injuries to the foot such as plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis are becoming more and more prevalent in golfers. These stress injuries are often caused by overuse. Especially over the past two years, as people play more often or take up the game without experience of walking so much.
While many people will analyse the physical problems that are giving you foot pain they often overlook the most obvious. Your choice of shoes.
So is your choice of golf shoe contributing to your foot pain? I asked Paul McMullan, a podiatrist specialising in sporting injuries in the lower limbs, to give us the low down.
Is golf shoe type that important?
“A lot of the misconception is the softer the shoe, the more comfortable the shoe is. Yes, it may feel that way at first, but actually, in the long run, it isn’t going to provide the most comfort.
Because the shoe is so soft, it’s more flexible, meaning the foot moves around an awful lot more leading to mechanical overload.” Paul explains.
“There is a big link between how soft, and how casual a shoe is, and the injury risk because more stress is being put through the foot.”
“In general, if someone sits behind a desk all the time, and doesn’t do too much walking then the footwear choice becomes less important. But because golfers are covering a lot of steps during the round the golf. We need to be much more conscious about our footwear choices.”
“Golfers don’t realise that they average around 15,000 steps during a round of golf, and choosing flexible, ultra-comfortable golf shoes that allow the foot to turn during the swing is likely to create some serious foot issues. The softer ground on the fairways and greens only compounds the problem. Some chronic injuries between the heel and toes sustained while playing golf may result in long-term pain from morning till night, or even require surgery.”
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What to look for in shoes to avoid golf injuries?
“One of the first things that we do when we assess someone is we get them to bring in all their footwear. And from my experience, if you take hold of the heel and toes of a golf shoe and can twist it, then those shoes are far too flexible to play golf in.
