Are Vionic Shoes the solution to my resistance to prescribing Sandals? For years I have had a mental block. It was really out of concern for my patient foot and ankle health. As a Baltimore foot doctor, I did not think sandals support feet properly. When I came out of residency, there were not many brands that I could recommend. However, for many patients, they just cannot live without their sandals. Summer is for sandals!. The choice was to find a manufacturer that understood feet. The challenge for me was to find a manufacturer that designed sandals with proper support. The question that had to be answered was: Are all sandals bad for people’s feet? If not, what type of sandals provide proper support? Sandals have come a long way I have to say. Nowadays, there are choices. It is a great time for sandals lovers.
So, in recent years I have succumbed to client pressure and my own resistance to sandals. I decided to research and evaluate which sandals are worthy of a foot doctors endorsement. Sandals have come a long way. As it turns out, there are some great choices. One brand is designed by podiatrists! I discovered Vionic Shoes featuring Orthaheel. These sandals have a great footbed and have sturdy outer soles. They provide enough support that I feel comfortable enough to have patients wear them on a daily basis.
Vionic sandals are designed by podiatrists. Vionic also features the Orthaheel orthotic footbed. These shoes meet my criteria for good summer foot support. Equally important to my patients, these shoes are very stylish with shoes for every season with styles that are fashionable and popular. Style and support usually do not go in the same sentence. It is rare to find corrective footwear that competes with designer styles! Vionic Sandals meet the mark. They reduce pronation and correct abnormal foot positioning. These shoes have been shown to reduce foot, knee and lower back pain. Podiatrists can now prescribe Vionic shoes for conditions like plantar fasciitis. They provide extra support to decrease pain and inflammation of the plantar fascia ligament. There are great reviews on these sandals. Generally speaking, I have gotten 5- star feedback from patients and friends who love the brand.
The great news is, that I have decided to Partner with the great folks at Vionic Shoes and am now the only Baltimore Foot Doctor to carry the Vionic Line. These are currently available at Family Podiatry of Maryland, in Reisterstown. You do not need an appointment to look at these shoes. The office is open from 9 AM to 5 PM.
A couple of caveats are worth mentioning. Everyone’s arch differs from the next person. Some conditions like flat feet, vary from person to person. You may have severe flat feet. If you do, you may have difficulty adjusting to the higher arch. Finding the right arch sandals may be a challenge for some. Another important thing to remember is that sandals need to be cleaned with shoe cleaner to decrease the bacteria and fungal presence for proper foot hygiene. You can find this product at Family Podiatry of Maryland. Perhaps one of the most valuable facts is that doctor prescribed Vionic Shoes can be purchased with funds from your flexible spending account (FSA or HSA) if there is a medical necessity, like pronation syndrome or plantar fasciitis. We recommend you try the shoes indoors first. There is a 30-day money back guarantee as long as the shoes were not worn outside. You may find them so comfortable that we may have to pry them from your feet! They are that good! Check out the videos and styles on the Vionic Shoe Page of the familypodiatryofmd.com Website.