Educating Patients On Excessive Wear Of Skechers Shape-Ups

Another patient came in today with hip pain, heel pain and metatarsalgia secondary to excessively worn Skechers Shape-Ups. These shoes are everywhere (podiatry conferences included) and many patients have jumped on this “lose weight and tone while you walk” bandwagon.

Unfortunately, what patients do not realize is that when these shoes wear out — and they wear out fast — significant lower extremity problems can arise. While the soft medial EVA is initially good for shock absorption, it compresses quickly. This creates an excessively pronated shoe, even when barefoot pronation is otherwise minimal.

The above image is of the Skechers Shape-Ups my patient brought in today. Watching her teeter totter down the hall in these unstable shoes rivaled even the wobbliest high heels I have seen.

If your patients opt to wear these shoes, make sure you instruct them on how to determine when the shoes are worn out. Even the best treatment plan will be ineffective if your patient returns to wearing these shoes.