Dr. Chris Hobbs DC, MSHAPI, ICCSP, Sports Chiropractic Physician and Educator

If you spend long hours on your feet—whether working in hospitals, restaurants, kitchens, retail, or even running errands—you already know that the wrong shoe can leave you dealing with pain, discomfort, and fatigue that lingers long after your shift ends. Finding good shoes for working on your feet all day isn’t just about style; it’s about protecting your foot health, reducing strain, and giving your body the stability it needs to thrive. The right pair offers more than just all-day comfort—they provide arch support to help with plantar fasciitis, shock absorption to reduce impact on your joints, and cushioning in key areas like the heel, ankle, and ball of the foot to ease stress and prevent foot fatigue.

Whether you’re standing on concrete floors, moving indoors between patients, or clocking in back-to-back long shifts, your footwear is the foundation of your well-being. In this article, Sports Chiropractic Physician Dr. Chris Hobbs shares expert career tips on how to support your feet during long hours of work, what to look for in a comfortable shoe, and why Vionic’s shoes with Vio-Motion™ technology can make a lasting difference in durability, balance, and whole-body alignment.

Foot Care Tips for Standing on Your Feet

When you’re on your feet for long hours, dependable footwear is essential to carry you through long shifts. Below, you’ll find some of our top tips for keeping your feet supported and cared for.

Switch Up Your Footwear

Testing your feet with different types of shoes throughout your work week challenges your feet and your brain to prevent repetitive stress on the same spots on your feet. Try shoes with a wider toe box (bunion and ball of the foot relief), or increased arch support (plantar fascia support), or even more cushioned heel cup (calf and Achilles support) to create a variety of support depending upon how your foot feels. Variety for your feet allows them to be more dynamic, stable, and stronger overall.

Add Some Stretching to Your Routine

Always keep slight bends in your hips and knees while standing, and focus on shifting your weight every 20-25 seconds. This movement increases circulation and balance mechanisms in your brain. Rocking motions going from your heels to your toes also challenge these balance mechanisms and creates a natural dynamic in your feet as well as your whole body. Standing in a lunge, fencer stance, then alternating legs every 2-3 mins for 10 mins helps pull the pressure/tension out of the feet and into your knees and hips. Finally, getting out of your shoes, as long as the surface is safe, and walking barefoot allows the muscles and nerves to “reset” like our body naturally craves and is built for.

Why Vio-Motion Technology Matters

As a chiropractic physician, I always emphasize to my patients that a lack of arch support can cause a symmetry and misalignments of your spine, hips and knee. Ultimately causing pain and dysfunction over time. The recovery technology in Vio-Motion ensures optimal flexibility in forefoot motion with cushioning and arch support to minimize impact, and deep heel cups to optimize foot position as you move.

Use Shoes That Support Your Unique Foot Shape

Like my mentor always says, “Energy goes where energy flows, and energy stops where energy flops”. In your feet a great example of this is when friction creates calluses, this is where your feet are putting the most weight and contacting the ground. Where there is smooth skin, this is the area that is not contacting the ground. Essentially showing where you are putting the most stress and weight bearing on your feet. When picking out your shoes you should explore those areas to support these areas of stress.

Step Into Comfort: Choosing the Right Footwear

The foundation of all-day comfort starts with what you wear on your feet. The best way to reduce foot fatigue, prevent strain, and protect against issues like plantar fasciitis is to invest in supportive footwear that matches the demands of your day. A comfortable shoe should provide proper arch support, deep heel cushioning for the Achilles tendon, and reliable shock absorption to minimize impact on joints during extended periods of activity. For individuals working in hospitals, kitchens, or in schools for extended periods, durable shoes that promote stability and even weight distribution can make all the difference. By choosing comfortable women’s shoes and supportive men’s shoes designed for foot health, you not only alleviate current pain and discomfort but also prevent future stress on your ankles, the ball of your foot, and your spine.

In Vionic, we do the hard work for you! We utilize our knowledge of foot dynamics to design a fashionable shoe with customized support built into it. Vio-Motion technology addresses whole-body balance, helping to maintain natural foot alignment and keeping the kinetic chain in sync with grounded stability for your spine.

 

Author:

Dr. Christopher Hobbs is a Sports Chiropractic Physician, Educator and Owner of Montclair Performance Health & Chiropractic, Inc. He obtained his BS in Exercise Physiology from West Virginia University, Masters in Human Anatomy and Physiology Instruction (MSHAPI) and Doctorate of Chiropractic at Northeast College of Health Sciences. Dr. Chris earned his International Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician (ICCSP) post-graduate work, which is a certification and specialization in chiropractic sports medicine, rehabilitation, and enhanced sport performance. He is also certified in KinesioTaping, NeuroKinetic Therapy (NKT), and a Webster Certified practitioner for expecting mothers to be. Dr. Chris believes that your treatment should be “custom fit” to each patient, and that no two patients’ treatments are alike. He understands the importance of the mechanics of the feet to adapt in the kinetic chain of movement and treats lower extremity and foot musculoskeletal issues daily. In his clinic, he uses chiropractic techniques, therapeutic exercises, myofascial release, and instrument-assisted soft tissue techniques to resolve your specific issues.