There’s nothing like getting a new pair of kicks.
The funky new design, the vibrant colors, the great look and feel on your feet—you’re ready to hit the road in your new walking or running sneaks!
But then it happens (especially as we age).
What used to be a seamless transition from your old walking companions to your new friends, becomes a bit of an ordeal. Everything from slight discomfort to outright pain ensues—in your feet, arches, calves, knees and elsewhere.
What happened, you wonder. The shoes felt so great at the store!
Well, things are breaking bad because your shoes aren’t broken in.
Have you ever considered what it means to break in a new pair of shoes, and why it hurts when walking or running the first time?
Breaking in a new pair of shoes is not unlike breaking in a new car engine, or breaking the ice on a first date. It's basically an initial period of getting acclimated to the demands of a new interaction. With footwear, you're dealing with the physical materials of the shoe, the way the shoe is constructed to handle specific stress loads, the environmental climate factors, an individual’s foot type and even body weight. All these things add up to determine how long the breaking in period should last.
Although there's no exact timeline for breaking in new shoes, the more often you use your shoe the faster they will adapt to your feet. The accepted average is stated to be 2 to 3 weeks. However, this can be influenced by your weight, arch size, having a rigid or flexible foot type, the type of shoe, environmental factors, and even the type of shape your body's in.
An individual’s weight impacts the stress loads placed on the shoes so that greater weight results in greater impact until the shoe softens and adapts to the pressure and shape of the foot. Arch size impacts how the foot moves during walking and running, so shoe type should always be chosen based on foot length or width but also arch height.
Typically, a rigid shoe will help with supporting a low arch. A flexible neutral cushioned shoe will allow more movement with a higher neutral arch.
Environmental factors such as the type of ground terrain and climate further impact how long a shoe's material will take to break in to the shape and movement of your foot. Additionally, muscle tightness and weakness, or deconditioned muscle groups, can create added stress loads on a new shoe.
So as you can see, there are multiple things impacting how long it takes to break in a new shoe and how to avoid the painful impact.
If leisurely or moderately paced walking is your choice of activity, then choosing a comfortable pair of shoes at an athletic or running shoe store should safely suffice with low injury risk. The time to break in the shoes should not take long, in this case, but that doesn’t mean you should rush.
The Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) has a comprehensive report titled, Foot Care for a Lifetime, in which they recommend breaking in new shoes slowly over several days. They advise wearing them for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon. If no pain ensues, you can slowly increase your wear times over the next several days.
However, if you have serious goals of returning to running or advancing to a new and higher level of activity, further assessment is recommended in order to avoid injury. Receiving an expert gait analysis by a licensed physical therapist are the first steps in getting to know your foot type and movement mechanics.
The next step is to determine what level of activity you're at and what your activity goals are for the future. These factors will provide the information needed to choose a customized shoe type and best fit for your level of activity. This will assure breaking in your shoes safely and swiftly.
*Disclaimer:
Always consult with a qualified licensed physician, physical therapist, or health care specialist before treating any injury problems or health ailments.
