The Best Walking Shoes For Older Adults, According To Podiatrists

“Supportive shoes assistance support equilibrium and alignment, which are necessities successful this colonisation since they are astatine a greater autumn risk,” she told us. “They besides assistance alteration pedal musculus fatigue and wide soreness since biomechanics forces are evenly distributed passim the shoe.”

Perkins described the champion shoes for older radical arsenic ones that are lightweight and breathable to forestall sweaty feet. They should besides beryllium well-cushioned, person bully traction connected the soles to forestall slips and falls and beryllium casual to get connected and off.

This Brooks Ghost sneaker is known for its signature cushioning, which provides steadfast enactment and a midsole that evenly absorbs the interaction of your foot, nary substance however it lands. We couldn't assistance but see this sneaker arsenic an editor's pick. In erstwhile reporting, Shopping exertion Emily Ruane noted that her mom and her daughters’ nanny — some progressive older women successful their 60s — trust connected the nonstop aforesaid brace of Ghost running shoes to enactment airy connected their feet portion they garden, tally aft kids (and grandkids) and bash a full batch of walking.

Her parent has undergone bunion country and has hammer toes, and likes that the shoes are disposable successful wide widths to accommodate her customized orthotics. She finds the toed container to beryllium roomy and well-constructed capable to comfortably accommodate her feet. (She’s really connected her 2nd pair; the archetypal lasted her astir 4 years earlier she needed to regenerate them a small nether a twelvemonth ago.) Ruane's children's nanny logs thousands of steps a day, and she told her that, “[t]hese shoes are the best.” And our readers (and reviewers) thin to agree.

Get them from Amazon for $148.77+ successful women's (available successful sizes 5–13, 4 widths, and 14 colors) oregon from Zappos for $149.95 successful men's (available successful sizes 7–15, 4 widths, and 8 colors).

Dr. Mireille Blanchette, a board-certified podiatrist based successful New Jersey, recommended this lace-up Skechers sneaker due to the fact that of its comfortableness and the information that it's instrumentality washable to assistance forestall bacteria buildup. 

"Elders tin sometimes make ft fungus due to the fact that they mightiness not ever beryllium capable to cleanable good betwixt the toes and that tin make a large situation for fungus," she said.

The footwear is designed with a propulsion tab connected the backmost to marque it easier to enactment connected and instrumentality disconnected and is lined successful breathable cloth to beforehand aerial circulation. It comes successful aggregate colors and successful women's sizes 5.5–10.5 and men's sizes 7–15, some with wide options available. 

Promising review: "Bought these shoes for my mom. She needed thing with bully enactment that was energizing and helped with footing and movement. These shoes did the job. Her footing, posture and question person improved tremendously. I bought them for her due to the fact that I ain a brace and person fantabulous deterioration with them." —Mom

Get them from Zappos successful women's for $74.53+ (originally $90) oregon successful men's for $100.

Perkins recommended this Adidas option, which is made from recycled plastics and has supportive interior padding and large grip connected the sole. It comes successful men's sizes 4–14 and successful aggregate colors, including black, orange, black/purple, gray/mint and white. It has a sock-like acceptable and a "boosting" feature, a ace responsive midsole that makes it easier to instrumentality steps. 

Promising review: "Extraordinarily comfortable shoe. I person level feet, getting older with hep creaks present and there. My legs and joints consciousness large erstwhile wearing these shoes. Ultraboost is awesome stuff." —Amazon customer

Get them from Amazon for $118.99+.

Available successful aggregate colors, including blue, pink, maroon, grey and black, this walking shoe has a cushioned footbed and orthotic insole designed to assistance those with assorted ft conditions specified arsenic plantar fasciitis. It besides has a roomy toed container for added comfortableness and bunion and hammertoe relief. 

"The slip-on plan makes it cleanable for seniors who person a hard clip bending implicit to necktie a footwear oregon for those with arthritis successful the hands who find trouble with tying laces," Perkins said.

It comes successful women's sizes 5–12, with narrow, wide and extra-wide and extra-extra-wide options.

Promising review: "I bought these walking shoes for my sister's birthday. She conscionable turned 69 years old last week and she called maine contiguous to accidental that she thought these shoes were the champion shoes she had ever enactment on. She has atrocious feet and see's a podiatrist connected a regular schedule. She said she tin deterioration them each time and not consciousness immoderate ft pain." —Tony A.

Get them from Amazon for $114.99.

For a footwear that offers stableness and supportive cushioning, look nary further than this New Balance shoe recommended by Dr. Gary Evans, a podiatrist based successful New York City. It has a breathable lining, durable rubber outsole and a footbed that provides due cushioning and arch support. It comes successful black, grey and navy and successful women's sizes 5–12 and men's sizes 7–16. 

Promising review: "This is my 8th brace of 990's! Wife and I are 'exercise walkers.' We are present older and are x-triathletes. Aerobic paced walking of 3-7 miles per time is what we enjoy. My 990's are fantastic for preventing injuries and providing a comfy walk."  —No N

Get them from Zappos for $199.95 in women's oregon in men's.

This Dr. Comfort shoe checked disconnected aggregate boxes connected Perkins' database of things to look for erstwhile buying a footwear for older adults, including its spacious toed box, lightweight plan and Velcro strap. 

"The astir communal ailment I perceive from my elder patients is that a footwear is excessively dense for them to deterioration comfortably. Any no-tie, slip-on oregon Velcro plan that allows casual connected and casual disconnected is besides large for seniors who person a hard clip bending over," she said. 

The adjustable strap closure allows you to get a much customized fit. The plan besides has a protective toed container that tin assistance forestall symptom from toe stubbing. It comes successful achromatic and pinkish and successful women's sizes 4–12 with wide and extra-wide options.

Promising review: "I person problems with width successful shoes. This fits amended than expected. Comfortable successful toed container and I adjacent person a skip successful my measurement acknowledgment to the bottommost daze absorbing the bounce. Easy to enactment connected with the velcro strap arsenic the sole enactment to clasp the footwear successful place. Do not skip owning these shoes!" —snoopymaven

Get them from Amazon for $165.

This classic, minimalist walking footwear recommended by Evans has each the features your feet request to enactment comfy passim the day, including a lightweight insole, rubber soles for bully grip and a full-grain leather upper. It comes successful achromatic and achromatic and successful women's sizes 5–12 and men's sizes 7–14, some with wide options available. 

Promising review: "I emotion these shoes. The enactment for the ft and ankle is extraordinary. My legs don’t consciousness fatigued erstwhile I deterioration these shoes. My backmost and hips don’t wounded either. I person rheumatoid arthritis, a repaired tendon successful my genu and a tiny teardrop successful an ankle (I cognize right...) but these shoes marque maine consciousness good supported erstwhile walking and comfortable. I highly recommend." — Aunie

Get them from Amazon successful women's for $56.48+ and from Zappos successful men's for $78.05 (originally $110).

This lace-up shoe is made of breathable mesh and has a removable Skechers Arch Fit insole. It comes recommended by Evans and adjacent has a podiatrist-designed signifier to springiness you the astir comfy acceptable for all-day wear. The Skechers Glide-Step diagnostic helps to springiness you a earthy momentum arsenic you instrumentality each step. It comes successful aggregate colors and successful women's sizes 5.5–11 and men's sizes 7–10.5.

Promising review: "Absolutely the astir comfy shoes I've ever worn. I person diabetic neuropathy, and uncovering a comfy footwear has been an ongoing quest. Sketchers has ever been the astir comfortable, but these 'Glide Step' shoes are much comfy than my chamber slippers. What much tin I say." —Anonymous

Get them from Zappos for $80.16 (originally $91) successful women's oregon successful men's from DSW for $77.99.