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Somewhere between the pointed-toe stilettos, block-heel boots, and chunky wedges, we forget to take care of the feet that wear them. Trends come and go, but healthy feet never go out of style. Welcome to Feet Week, our series on what to wear and how to care for everything from your ankles to your toes.
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A truly comfortable shoe is often painfully hard to find, but board-certified podiatrist and foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Hira H. Mirza has made it her mission to find models that are truly worth the money.
The owner and founder of Memorial Ankle & Foot Institute in Houston, Texas, became popular on Instagram and TikTok for her recommendations on comfortable footwear.
When searching for a good pair, she said height is a key factor for comfort: “The sweet spot for a comfortable heel is about one inch.” Dr. Mirza also recommended breaking in your heels before wearing them outside and, when needed, purchasing silicone pads to relieve pressure on the heels of your feet.
Here, she shares her top six shoes for work and free time, including the pair she recommends to every patient.
1. Asics Gel-Kayano
“When you’re looking at a supportive shoe, you want a shoe that cannot bend at the arch,” Dr. Mirza told The Looker.
“There’s a shoe test that I always make people do when they go out and buy shoes: You hold the shoe in your hands, and if you can fold it or bend it at the arch part of the shoe, it’s not gonna be the most supportive one.”
The Asics Gel-Kayano is one of Dr. Mirza’s personal favorites. “I think it is a really, really good shoe that is very comfortable.”
2. Clove Strada
“For comfort and support, having laces or straps is always gonna be helpful,” Dr. Mirza said.
She often wears the Clove Stradas herself and recommends them to others looking for an extra-supportive sneaker that is just a tad slimmer. “It’s very comfortable—it’s almost like a cuter sneaker,” she added.
3. Asics Gel-Terrain
For extra comfort, Dr. Mirza recommends looking into shoes with built-in inserts.
One model like this is the Asics Gel-Terrains, which have built-in cushioning for comfort.
“I recommend this model to people who are walking a lot at work, whether they’re outside or inside,” she said.
4. Adidas Samba Jane
For those who want a model that is a bit less chunky than a sneaker, Dr. Mirza recommends the Adidas Samba Janes, a pair adjacent to the Adidas style beloved by Joanna Coles, the Daily Beast’s endlessly stylish chief creative and content officer.
“I wore them just last week,” Dr. Mirza said. “It’s a cuter shoe, but it’s more supportive than a ballet flat.”
5. KuaiLu Recovery Sandals
There is one pair of shoes that Dr. Mirza always recommends to her clients, no matter what they do in their day-to-day.
“I recommend the KuaiLu Recovery Sandal for literally every patient that walks into my office,” she revealed. “It feels like a massage on your foot, and it’s supportive.”
Adding, “It is the best thing you can put your foot in after a long day of work, because I don’t recommend going barefoot even at home. This model has helped many people with plantar fasciitis. It’s helped them with foot pain that they have at the end of the day.”
6. Revitalign Clio
Dr. Mirza is always testing new shoes to compare different models and know what to recommend to her clients.
For the past few weeks, she has been wearing Revitalign Clio sneakers and has been very impressed by their comfort.
7. Jessica Simpson Yuri Sandal
What brings joy to many of Dr. Mirza’s followers is that she sometimes rates heels on her sites as well.
“I think there’s this idea that if you want zero foot pain, you have to be in super comfortable sneakers all the time, and I just don’t—even as a surgeon—think that’s realistic," she said.
Adding, “If you spent 70 percent of your time in comfortable shoes, it’s okay to shop for the more stylish ones, or ones that are not gonna be super supportive, for the other 30 percent.”
There is one model that she recommends over others.
“The Jessica Simpson Yuri Sandal is the most comfortable summer kitten heel that I have worn,” Dr. Mirza told The Looker.
