Al McGuire once said, “keep it simple, when you get too complex you forget the obvious”. People often have various foot pains which can be misleading and seem very complex. However, this can be a simple pain relating to shoe fitting. This is why we often attempt to change and deflect pressure or the fit of the shoe by using a variety of simple lacing techniques. The following three are very effective for a number of conditions:

#1 Heel-Lock Lacing:

This is particularly useful for people with Achilles problems who need to avoid any irritation or slipping at the back of the shoe. Locking-in and stabilising your foot within the shoe can take away unnecessary irritation. People with narrow heels or bulky orthotics who often slip of the back of the shoe almost always benefit from this.

#2 Deflective Midfoot Lacing

This is incredibly useful for people with a high arch who often feel pain at the top of their midfoot after a long day inside a shoe. Similarly, people with top of the midfoot arthritic changes, exostosis, wide feet or those that heave oedema will benefit greatly.

#3 Deflective Forefoot Lacing

Your bunions will thankyou endlessly for this simple trick. Skipping the first eyelet of lacing often coincides with the area of the bunion irritation. This reduces the compression at the site of the bunion. Forefoot nerve entrapments, wide feet and hammertoes are other conditions which may greatly benefit from this nifty trick.