Can safety shoes cause knee pain?
Incorrectly choosing safety shoes can be harmful to causing knee pain
Safety shoes are used to keep people’s feet safe, but are they harmless? Some people ask the question: can safety shoes cause knee pain? In fact, wearing safety shoes that don’t fit you properly can really hurt your knees, so choosing the right safety shoes is a very important step. Here are some of the factors that contribute to safety shoes causing knee pain.
Factors that cause knee pain from safety shoes
-Safety shoes are too heavy
Usually safety shoes place a steel head inside the toe of the shoe in order to fulfill the function of anti-smash. Often, this will greatly increase the weight of the shoe. This extra weight will add burden to the leg muscles and knees. This is especially true for workers who need to stand and walk for long periods of time and go up and down stairs, such as construction site workers, who need to wear safety shoes for long periods of time. Wearing heavy shoes for long periods of time can lead to leg muscle fatigue and extra burden on the knees. Using composite steel toe instead of normal steel toe can realize to reduce the weight of the safety shoes, which can greatly increase the wearing comfort and reduce the fatigue, however, reduce the damage to the knees. For more information on the differences between traditional steel toe and composite steel toe, please read the following article: Safety shoes anti-smashing steel toe: steel toe type, safety shoes anti-smashing steel toe standard
-Soles are too hard
Safety shoes are generally puncture-resistant and slip-resistant, so if ordinary, inexpensive materials are used to make the soles and insoles, the problem of hard soles and insoles can occur. However, stiff soles restrict the natural flexion and movement of the foot, resulting in a stiff gait. This unnatural gait puts additional stress on the knees. If the sole lacks flexibility and is worn and exercised and moved for long periods of time, chronic discomfort and pain can develop in the knees and lower back. Therefore using Kevlar insoles and PU soles for safety shoes is a good option. Compared to regular insoles, Kevlar insoles are considerably less heavy and stiffer while increasing puncture resistance. PU soles are also more slip-resistant than regular soles and have a bendable softness.
-Insufficient cushioning
Some shoes may be designed in a way that neglects the protection of knees and other joints. If the cushioning performance of the shoe sole is poor, the impact transmitted by the ground when walking or standing is not relieved, the knee as a load-bearing joint will bear more pressure, which will cause pain and discomfort for a long time. Especially when working on hard surfaces, the cushioning performance of shoe soles is particularly important. Therefore the design of the shoes is also crucial, and good design is often more important than quality.
Ways to prevent safety shoes from causing knee pain
The use of high-quality materials such as composite steel toe, Kevlar midsole, PU insole instead of cheap materials can reduce the weight and hardness of the shoes while maintaining the role of safety protection, thus enhancing the comfort of the wearer to alleviate the injury received by the shoes on the knee. Good shoe design can also avoid the discomfort of wearing safety shoes and the risk of knee pain. Therefore, a good safety shoes manufacturer needs not only good production quality, but also professional shoe designers. Therefore, it is important to choose a good quality manufacturer, because they not only have mature production lines to ensure the quality, but also have professional shoe designers to design safety shoes suitable for workers to wear. Brands such as Caterpillar (CAT), Timberland PRO, XINNAI, Red Wing are good choices.