Shoe Lacing Techniques for Different Foot Issues
The way you lace your shoes is more important than you think. It can help or hurt you feet.
Do you experience foot pain during or after playing pickleball? If so you are certainly not alone. It’s not uncommon for many people, especially when doing a lot of running, to experience a variety of foot issues. Sometimes people assume they have an ill-fitting shoe when in fact simply lacing the shoe in a different way can alleviate the discomfort.
Illustration and following explanations below shows lacing techniques for addressing the most common foot types and issues. Experimenting with these might help you turn a pair of shoes you thought did not fit quite right into your new favorite pair. If you need new shoes checkout our shopping page for great deals.
HEEL BLISTERS / SLIPPING:
If you get heel blisters or excessive wear in the back of your shoe, it may be due to heel slippage. Using “Lock Lacing” prevents your laces from becoming loose, decreases movement of your foot in the shoe, and helps reduce friction. To do lock lacing follow these steps:
- Lace the shoes as usual until the second-to-last hole.
- Go straight up into the final hole without crisscrossing the laces.
- Thread the shoelace through the loop onto the other side.
- Tie the shoe up as usual.
WIDE FOOT / SHOES TOO TIGHT:
If your shoes feel tight on the top of your foot, “Bar Lacing” is recommended to evenly distribute the laces for improved comfort. To do bar lacing, lace your shoes in a parallel pattern by skipping alternate eyelets for each lace and running the lace up the side of the eyelets to decrease pressure.
- Lace the shoelaces in parallel fashion without the standard crisscross.
- Thread by feeding the shoelaces underneath every other eyelet.
- Tie up the shoe as usual.
HIGH ARCHES:
The “Gap Lacing” pattern can help alleviate pressure that people with high arches sometimes feel in the middle of your foot.
- Lace the shoe with a crisscross through the first set of eyelets.
- Thread the shoelace only through the sides.
- Tie up the shoe through the next two eyelets or more as usual.
TOE PAIN:
If you get black toenails and feel pain or pinching in your toes, the “Toe-Cap” lacing technique helps lift the toe box to create more space for your toes. To do toe-cap lacing, follow these steps:
- Lace the shoelace from the big toe to the top eyelet on the opposite side.
- Thread the other side of the shoelace at each bottom diagonally and at the top parallel to each hole.
- Tie up the shoe as usual.
BUNIONS / WIDE FOREFOOT:
A lacing technique that provides more space in the toe box can be helpful for people with wide forefeet and/or bunions. The recommended pattern for wide forefeet is similar to the “Gap Lacing” pattern for high arches, except that you don’t start with a criss-cross, so there is more opening in the width towards the toe. To lace for a wide forefoot, follow these steps:
- Begin by threading the shoelace only through the sides.
- From the midfoot upwards, start tying with a crisscross.
- Tie up the shoe as usual.
NARROW FOOT
Skipping an eyelet and using crisscross lacing can make your shoes tighter. If you have a narrow foot and traditional lacing is not working for you follow these step to lace for a narrow foot.
- Begin by lacing the shoes with a crisscross.
- Skip an eyelet and thread the shoelaces in crisscross fashion.
- Lace with the usual crisscross pattern and tie up the shoe.
HIGH MIDFOOT
By skipping one or two laces, you can create more space for the midfoot. Follow the steps below to lace for a high mid foot.
- Lace the shoe with a crisscross.
- Thread the shoelace only through the sides around the midfoot.
- After the point of discomfort, start tying with a crisscross again.
The way you lace your shoes can not only affect your performance and comfort, but can also remedy many common foot issues. But keep in mind that if your shoe is not the correct fit for your foot size or for the way you pronate, just changing how you lace your shoes won’t necessarily fix the problem. Make sure that you have the right combination of proper fit and lacing technique to help your feet stay comfortable and keep you performing at your best.