How many shoe-lacing techniques do you know? One or two? Did you know there are numerous shoe-lacing techniques that are followed based on the type of shoes? The shoes you buy often come pre-laced and what you do is, put them on head out. But that is probably the biggest mistake you could do if the lacing is not appropriate for you, especially if you have wide feet or high arches, or minor to major foot pain or injuries. So how to lace shoes for wide feet, high arches, and top of foot pain? Let’s dive right in for some answers.
Each foot condition has an individual shoe-lacing technique. To achieve the best comfort, you must follow these methods to make your life easier. People with high arches should open up the middle of their shoes, whereas people with wider feet will widen their shoes instead of going for a new pair of wide-feet-friendly shoes. The solutions are also given for those who are dealing with toe pain. Their shoelaces should be tied in a way that elevates the toe caps and relieves top of foot pain with just one simple pull.
How to lace shoes for wide feet?
Do you have wide feet? Are they unusual? Have no worries! They’re completely normal. Having wide feet is one of the most common foot conditions you find all over the world affecting millions of people. But do wide feet cause trouble? Only if you wear the wrong size and style footwear and of course, if you use the wrong shoe-lacing method. So how can you lace your shoes if you have wide feet?
The first thing to look at is how roomy your chosen footwear is. If you’re shopping online you will see, often some shoe brands include the width of the forefoot/toe are in their shoe specs. Go through them and verify whether that shoe will fit you or not. If you’re shopping in a store, of course, you can try them on first. Now that the right shoe is chosen, what to do next? Tie up the shoelaces.
Your goal is to let your toes breathe in the shoes after you’re done tying them up. Do you know the basic criss-cross lacing style? Yes, start with that normally. Next, you have to skip one or two eyelets of the shoes on both sides (left and right). Repeat the process (skipping an eyelet) until you move your way up the shoes.
How to lace shoes for high arches?
Do you have high arches? Don’t worry we got your back too. So what are high arches? The arches of your foot are located on the bottom and they run from the toes to your heels. As opposed to flat feet, high arches are more elevated compared to normal feet. They are also known as cavus feet. If you have high arches, you would have to focus on opening up the middle of your shoes so that the shoes don’t compress your feet and hurt your arches. You gotta give the middle of your shoes some wiggle room to accommodate your high arched feet.
So, first, start with lacing your shoes as you normally do in a criss-cross pattern. Now here’s some trick, you gotta keep each lace on the same side of your shoes. While you’re installing your shoelaces, don’t forget to skip an eyelet or two and just weave into the eyelet above the skipped ones. Keep on lacing the top part of your shoes in a criss-cross style until you get to the tongue.
How to lace shoes for top of foot pain?
No, we did not forget about those who are suffering from foot pain. Wearing shoes can be very painful during this time, especially the pain is right on top of your feet. So what can you do about it? Use some hacks to make your life easier, simple.
Remember, your aim is to follow a particular shoe-lacing technique that can relieve the pressure you feel on the toe cap. The loop of the shoelace that is closest to your toe should be connected in a diagonal position to the eyelet that is closest to the shoe’s ankle area. This method makes the front part of the shoes easily convertible with a quick pull.
Start by installing the shoelace through one eyelet that is closest to the toe, meaning, start from the top part of your shoes. Then take that end of the shoelace and make it go through the nearest ankle eyelet that is on the opposite side. Now, grab that other end and feed it through the other eyelet that is closest to the toes. Continue this criss-cross method as usual. If it isn’t clear to you already, note that— the purpose of this shoe-lacing technique is to customize easily or lift the laces to have more space when needed.
Conclusion
So there you go! These are the techniques that no one told you before. We understand an unknown shoe-lacing can get a bit more critical than you think. If you can do them once successfully, it will get easier afterward. After you install your shoelaces perfectly, go ahead, get ready for your walk/run! Don’t let anything stop you. And, don’t forget to adjust the laces when needed. Good luck!