Can Flat Shoes Cause Knee Pain?

The knee is the largest joint of your body; it has to tolerate many impacts while you walk and run. Therefore, knee pain is a pervasive disorder among most people regardless of age. 

The most common reasons for knee pain are feeling inflammation in the knee because of lifting heavy objects in the wrong manner, wearing bad shoes, muscle weakness, less flexibility, etc. 

There are a lot of factors that might be responsible for knee pain. But the most common question people ask about it is: can flat shoes cause knee pain? Here in this article, our expert team will give you the most logical answer to this question. 

Things That  You Need To Know About Knee Pain And Shoes

Wearing the right pair of shoes can transform your overall body language and your attitude. You probably notice that when you wear well-fitted shoes, your mood and attitude lift higher. To be more specific, your shoes can make your day and ruin your day as well. 

However, the saddest thing is we forget the impact of shoes on our knees. It happens with the most health-conscious person too! Even when we encounter pain in our knees, we barely focus on our shoes. 

Suffering pain in the knees has become a widespread issue in our day-to-day lives. Wearing improper shoes is the most common reason among the various reasons for knee pain. Basically, most of us mistake focusing on fashion and trends instead of our foot and knee comfort while selecting shoes. 

A shoe might look super impressive on your feet, but when you wear it, if it feels uncomfortable, then it’s not the right shoe for you. Most of us consider that wearing heel shoes cause foot and knee pain, while in reality, a wrong pair of flat shoes can do the same thing. 

Below we’re going to show you how flat shoes can cause knee pain?

How Can Flat Shoes Cause Knee Pain?

You might be wondering how flat shoes can cause knee pain while you know that it’s one of the safest options. Although the flat shoes are definitely good compared to heel shoes, sometimes they could be the reasons for your foot and knee pain. 

Studies show that flat shoes that don’t have adequate internal support may end up with overstretched tendons and ligaments. Consequently, overstretching will collapse the arch of your foot and produce severe pain in the foot. Moreover, the pain will slow down your physical activity, feel tiredness in the leg, and cause various injuries related to your knee and leg. 

Below, we will show you some common facts that will help you understand why flat feet cause knee pain and other foot problems.

Flat Shoes Are Unable To Provide Proper Foot Support

One of the most common problems with flat shoes is they can’t provide you enough arch support. Therefore, when you wear flat shoes, you won’t get adequate support for your feet. And, poor and inadequate foot support causes excessive strains on the tendons and joints. 

As a result, you’ll suffer from fallen arches, sore ankles, knee pain, Achilles tendonitis, etc. Moreover, there is another problem known as plantar fasciitis, which is interlinked with unsupportive shoes. 

You’ll suffer from it when the thick tissue of your feet gets inflamed. To get rid of all these foot and knee pains, you should go for a pair of boots to support bad knees instead of unsupportive flat shoes. 

Thin Soles Of Flat Shoes Aren’t Shock-Absorbing

While wearing shoes, most of us focus on how fashionable they will look on our feet rather than how comfortable and supportive they will be for our feet. However, if you wear dainty shoes that come with ultra-thin soles for making your daily commute easier, don’t expect adequate foot support from them.

You should always keep in mind that the thinner the soles of your shoes, the higher you have the risk of crippling foot issues. It happens because thin soles have less shock-absorbing power compared to cushion alternatives. 

Whereas a thick sole puts a minimum toll when you walk on hard surfaces on your feet, lower limbs, and knees, a thin sole offers very little protection against the impact when your legs strike on the ground. Consequently, it promotes extra wear-and-tear on the muscles, tendons & joints and causes discomfort and pain, which start on your feet but spread over the whole body. 

Slip-Ons Deformed Your Toes

When you wear flat shoes like slip-ons, it puts pressure on your toe and forces them to curl tightly. When you walk with slip-on your toes, try to grip the shoes to keep your balance.

For example, if your feet move a lot inside your footwear, you may develop sores & blisters. Besides, it causes hammertoes if you wear your slip-on for an extended period. 

On the other hand, if you purchase a small-size slip-on to prevent your feet from moving around, you’ll encounter other problems. When your flat shoes pinch the front side of your feet, will put pressure on the toes and develop painful ingrown toenails. 

What Are The Process Of Avoiding Knee Pain If You Still Want To Wear The Flat Shoes?

• Select a pair of flat shoes that has enough internal support and comfort.
• Don’t wear worn-out flat shoes.
• Do some toe lift exercises with your foot. 
• Stretch your foot to work out with your toe abductors.
• Select fitting flat shoes as it gives more comfort and keeps you away from knee pain. 

Conclusion

All of us consider flat shoes as the safest option, while in reality, things are different. Above in this article, we have shown you how flat shoes can cause knee pain? As we mentioned earlier, improper foot support with flat shoes can develop knee and other foot pain. Hence, when you purchase flat shoes, make sure you pick the right one that can provide you the necessary support for your foot. Through this, you can easily avoid knee pain and other foot-related issues.