To avoid foot pain and injuries, it’s important to find a purpose-designed pair of shoes. Ideally, you need the best shoes for walking to support your feet correctly.

Start With Some Expert Help

There's no one best shoe for all walkers. The best shoe for you is the one that fits you best. It should give you proper support, flexibility, and cushioning and compensate for any stride problems you may have, such as overpronation. Each person's feet are different. 

It can be hard to determine all of that on your own, however. Find a shoe fitting expert to help you discover the best shoe for your walking distance, speed, style, and surface, as well as your weight and stride. The best place to find that person is at the most serious running shoe store in your area. 

Once you have found a shoe that fits you right, you may become more familiar with shoe lasts and shapes so that you can make your own selections in the future.

Walking Shoes or Running Shoes?

Shoe manufacturers put the best design and technology into running shoe styles while walking shoe styles are designed primarily for market appeal rather than performance.

To determine if that walking shoe you are interested in buying meets your needs, it's helpful to keep the following in mind.

It's essential for a walking shoe to:

• Be flexible: You must be able to bend and twist the shoes. When you take a walking step, your foot will flex as you roll through a step from heel to toe. If the shoe is too stiff, your foot will fight it with each step. You can end up with numb toes, shin pain, and other problems.
• Be lightweight: This is one of the reasons that running shoes tend to be a good choice for walkers. Many walking shoes weigh more than running ones. Lighter-weight shoes will make for easier striding when you're out for long walks or trying to pick up your pace.
• Not have a flared heel: You do not want a big flared heel since walkers strike with the heel first. A slightly undercut heel is preferred to facilitate the heel-to-toe rolling action of walking. A flared heel adds extra stability, and you see it on running shoes for runners that need stabilization. You probably only need a flared heel on trail shoes for walking on uneven surfaces.