Why Vionic Shoes Help With Plantar Fasciitis Pain
If your first few steps of the day send an all too familiar pain shooting through your heel, you probably have plantar fasciitis. The good news is, Vionic footwear is here to help. Here is how it is built to support feet living with plantar fasciitis.
Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain.1 It happens when the plantar fascia, the band of tissue that runs along the sole of your foot from heel to toes, gets irritated and inflamed. The tell-tale sign is a sharp pain in the middle of your heel that is worst with your first steps in the morning, or when you stand up after a while sitting.1
Footwear will not fix plantar fasciitis on its own, but the right shoe is one of the most useful everyday tools for managing it. Shoes with proper arch support and good cushioning take a little load off that sore tissue with every step. That quiet load-sharing is what Vionic shoes are made for.
The short version
For feet with plantar fasciitis, the right shoe quietly does a lot of work.
- The cause is often over-pronation. The foot rolls in too far with each step, which overstretches the plantar fascia.
- Support and cushioning help. Firm arch support and a cushioned heel ease the strain that sets off the pain.
- Every Vionic shoe uses Vio Motion technology. A podiatrist-designed footbed that brings together stability, arch support, cushioning and flexibility.
- The support is well backed. Many Vionic styles carry the APMA Seal of Acceptance, and Vionic points to a peer-reviewed study on its contoured sandals for heel pain.
What plantar fasciitis actually is
The plantar fascia is a band of tissue attached to your heel bone at one end. At the other, it fans out to the base of each of your toes. When it is stretched too far or too often, tiny tears can form, and that is what causes the swelling and the familiar stabbing pain.
Plantar fasciitis often shows up when your feet roll inward too far as you walk, something known as over-pronation. The things that make it more likely include age, long hours on your feet, carrying extra weight, certain kinds of exercise, and simply how your feet are built. If heel pain hangs around for more than a few weeks, it is worth seeing a podiatrist.2
Why your shoes matter for plantar fasciitis
Most advice for plantar fasciitis points the same way. Supportive, cushioned shoes, plus stretching, easing your load, and a word with a health professional.12 Flat, unsupportive shoes let the arch drop with every step, which keeps tugging on tissue that is already sore. Padding around barefoot on hard floors tends to do the same.
A shoe that helps usually does four things. It supports the arch so the foot does not roll in, and cushions the heel so each step lands softer. A firm heel keeps the foot from rocking, while the shoe still bends where your foot naturally bends. Those four jobs are exactly what Vionic builds into every pair.
What makes a Vionic shoe suited to plantar fasciitis
Every Vionic shoe is built on Vio Motion technology, a podiatrist-designed support system rather than just a soft insole you stand on. The footbed is shaped to cradle your arch and steady your heel, which helps stop the foot rolling in too far and overloading the plantar fascia. It comes out of Vionic's own innovation lab, where podiatrists and biomechanists study how the foot really moves.3
As podiatrist Dr Sailee Tulpule puts it, Vio Motion "takes into consideration foot motion and biomechanics to create a more stable, cushioned shoe".3 That mix of steadiness and cushioning is just what a sore heel responds to. It is the difference between a shoe that pads a sore heel and one that helps with why it is sore.
What Vio Motion does for a heel living with plantar fasciitis
- Stability. A firm heel and footbed keep the foot from rolling in and overstretching the fascia.
- Arch support. A built-in arch shares the load your fascia would otherwise carry alone.
- Cushioning. A cushioned heel softens each step through the sorest part of your foot.
- Flexibility. The shoe still bends where your foot bends, so support never feels stiff.
Many Vionic styles also carry the APMA Seal of Acceptance from the American Podiatric Medical Association, given to products reviewed as supporting good foot health.4 For anyone managing plantar fasciitis, it is a reassuring shortcut: the support is built into the shoe, so there is nothing extra to add.
The best Vionic styles for plantar fasciitis
The right pair depends on your day. Here is a starting point across closed shoes and warm-weather options, all built on the same Vio Motion footbed. To see more, browse the Vionic women's range.
For everyday walking and time on your feet
Walk Max Lace-Up Sneaker
A cushioned, supportive walking sneaker for long days and longer distances.
Pismo Casual Sneaker
An everyday sneaker that pairs the Vio Motion footbed with a wear-anywhere look.
For Work/Smart Outfits & Travel
Uptown Loafer
Arch support that hides inside a polished leather loafer for the office or dressier days. It also packs flat for the suitcase, and travel publication Travel + Leisure named it among its podiatrist-approved travel shoes.
For warm weather, without losing support
Plantar fasciitis does not take the summer off, and flat thongs are some of the worst offenders. Vionic's supportive sandals keep that contoured arch and steady heel in an open style. Vionic even points to a peer-reviewed study, which it helped fund, that found its contoured sandals worked about as well as its orthotic insoles for everyday, non-traumatic heel pain.3
Bella Toe Post Sandal
Vionic's signature supportive thong, with the arch built into the footbed.
Reese Backstrap Sandal
A backstrap sandal that holds the heel in place while keeping things light and open.
How to choose, and when to see a podiatrist
When you are trying shoes on, look for a firm arch that holds your foot rather than collapsing under it, a cushioned heel, and a heel that stays put when you press the back. The shoe should still flex at the ball of the foot, not fold in half. If you wear prescribed orthotics, pick a style with a removable footbed so they fit.
Supportive shoes are one part of managing plantar fasciitis, not a replacement for proper care. If your heel pain is severe, is not settling after a few weeks, or is getting in the way of everyday life, see a podiatrist or your GP for advice suited to your feet.1 You can also explore our plantar fasciitis range for more supportive options.
Shoes built to support every step
Browse the styles built on Vio Motion technology and find a pair for your feet.
Shop plantar fasciitis shoesReferences
- Healthdirect Australia. Plantar fasciitis. healthdirect.gov.au
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfo. Plantar Fasciitis and Bone Spurs. orthoinfo.aaos.org
- Vionic. Vio Motion Support (technology, innovation lab, Dr Sailee Tulpule quote and contoured-sandal heel-pain study, which Vionic states was peer-reviewed and partially Vionic-funded). vionicshoes.com.au
- American Podiatric Medical Association. Seal of Acceptance. apma.org