Should We Be Wearing Shoes At Home?

We asked a podiatrist.

Realising that we’ve been barefoot (or at least shoeless) at home for the majority of the year, we wondered if it’s doing us any harm. This is the longest we’ve gone without shoes and while we were busy worrying about our data plans, the electricity bill, and whether we should have a bra on, nobody was concerned about our feet! As if we don’t have enough to worry about this year.

On the rare occasion that we do go out in real shoes – especially a heel, or for a long walk– sometimes you know about it afterwards. So should we have shoes on while we’re working from home? We asked podiatrist Karl Lockett from The Podiatry Centre.

“This year, so many more people are working from home, with no shoes on, walking on hard floorboards etc," Karl says. “And people who were previously in an office and might've only been walking 5000 steps in the past, now might make an effort to go out and walk for an hour during their lunch break. So it’s additional stress on the foot.”

So when we do put on footwear, surely bouncy, comfy sneakers are the best? Not so, according to Karl.

"Unfortunately too-soft sneakers are keeping me in business at the moment. People think they need cushioning, especially if there's foot pain, but that's not always the case. Sometimes you need control not cushioning."

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Karl knows we still want to wear our favourite styles and doesn’t rule any out for a short amount of time – even a small heel.

His advice? "The human foot benefits from a variety of positions. Mix things up. A firmer style – something like an adidas Stan Smith can be good.”

“But go for a range – if you're wearing something flat one day or a small heel, it's ok to go for something with a higher heel the next. I get it, we're not going to be walking around in sneakers and jeans like Jerry Seinfeld – just avoid anything too flat for a long period of time.”

“You also don’t want to be in something too flat if you’re in a job where you’re on your feet all day.”

As for life at home, “If you’re standing and moving a lot while you work then yes, you may need a shoe, but if you’re seated and on your laptop then no you probably don’t.”

Footwear options for her