If you are searching for the best shoes for high arches, you’ve come to the right place. If you have or suspect you have high arches, then you’ve likely already noticed that buying any old pair of sandals off the rack doesn't exactly provide you with comfortable and stable foot support. But you don’t have to spend the summer wincing from the discomfort caused of your off-the-rack sandals. There are great options for you out there. Indeed, some sandals are designed for people with high arched feet and they will leave you comfortable and make you look stylish all season long.

Before we get into the top best sandals for high arches, let’s take a closer look at what having high arches really means, how high arches will impact your health and why it’s important to wear the right kind of shoes for your arch type in order to reduce pain and other potential side effects.

Foot Arches: Identifying Your Arch Type

First, let’s talk about the different arch types found in the human foot. There are three primary arch types that podiatrists can identify; these arch types are: low arches, medium arches and high arches. There are varying degrees and nuances within each of these arch types, but even knowing your general arch type will go a long way towards finding more suitable and more comfortable footwear with arch support.

Low Arches:

Low arches are found in people who have nearly "flat" feet or arches that sit low to the ground. People with low arches also typically have highly flexible feet, though they also experience various foot problems related to certain pressures and walking gaits caused by low arches. To see if you have low arches, take a look at your feet planted firmly on the ground; is there a raised curve or hardly any curve? If there is no raised curve in your arch or it barely lifts off the ground, then you likely have low arched feet.

Medium arches:

Medium arches are found in people who have a defined but not significantly high arch; this arch is noticeable when you view it from the side but is not excessively high. Medium arches are considered to be the most mechanically efficient and ideal arch for avoiding many types foot problems. People with medium arches may still experience some foot problems, but it is typically related to excessive stress on the foot or inadequate footwear rather than their foot arch. To see if you have medium arches, take a look at your feet planted on the ground; is there a defined curve? If there is a defined curve and it does not raise too high off the ground, then you likely have medium arched feet.

High arches:

High arches are found in people with a defined, high arch that sits higher off the ground than a medium arch. People with high arches typically have stiff feet that are not as flexible as they should be; the most distinctive feature is the curve in the arch of the foot which sits relatively high off the ground. Someone with high arches will experience a host of foot pain related to improper foot pressure and stress caused by a high arch. To see if you have high arches, take a look at your feet planted on the ground; is there a defined, high curve? If there is a defined curve which raises high off the ground, then you likely have high arched feet.

If you believe you have high arches, it would be helpful to confirm with your podiatrist, as they will be able to help you understand the degree of your high arch and whether or not you may need special inserts or orthopedic pieces in addition to wearing adequate shoes (and sandals!) designed for people with high arches. Remember: high arches are perfectly manageable as long as you take the right steps (no pun intended) to keeping your feet properly supported.

Sandals are the perfect shoe choice for a summer or winter vacation in the Bahamas! But not all sandals are created equal when it comes to foot health. Indeed, common sandals you might find on a Target shelf or in any other retail stores won’t offer the best arch support for high or low arched feet. Most shoes are made with medium arches in mind, which is why you’ve likely noticed that your typical shoes just don’t provide much in the way of proper support.

Shoes designed for people with high arches accomplish one primary goal: they provide support for the otherwise unsupported high arch. This may be done with built-in inserts as well as cushioned insoles. In either case, these types of shoes actually help to increase the surface area of the arch, which reduces the stress on the rear and frontal areas of the foot. Therefore shoes designed for people with high arch issues help relieve the stress and pressure of walking and running as they allow for equal distribution throughout the foot’s surface area mimicking what would happen for a person with a medium arch.

You might be wondering why you would need sandals or shoes with arch support at all? The truth is, when you have high arches, wearing the right kind of shoes is essential to reducing the chances of developing one or many of the foot conditions mentioned above. If you wear the wrong kind of shoes that is, shoes that are not designed to support for your high arches, then you are putting excessive pressure on the wrong areas of your foot, which is almost certain to lead to pain, calluses, higher risk of sprains and fractures and other foot conditions which can be painful, difficult to treat which will end only in frustration.

The best way to tackle the potential problems caused by high arches is through prevention. The right pair of shoes is a practical and, if you have the right eye, fashionable way to help prevent negative consequences of high arches while making sure your feet stay comfortable and pain-free all summer long (or winter--we won’t judge!) .

So, now that you know all about the potential negative consequences of poorly managed high arches, the question naturally becomes: how do you know what sandals are actually best for high arches? The answer is surprisingly simple once you stop to think about what shoes designed for high arches are meant to do; from there, it’s merely a matter of finding the best sandals for high arches as recommended by podiatrists and consumers. Since shoes and sandals with high arches are meant to provide enough support to reduce the stress and impact on the rear and frontal areas of the foot, you need to look for sandals designed with this purpose in mind.

The first thing to look for when searching for sandals designed for high arches is the presence of cushioning. The addition of a high-arch support cushion will help with pressure/shock absorption when you walk, which is essential for anyone with high arches.

The next thing to look for is a shoe that has more volume on the inside. The reason for this is because a high-arched foot will require more space inside the shoe in order to avoid unnecessary friction on the front, rear and sides of the foot. Another reason why additional volume is often necessary for people with high arches is the potential presence of inserts or specialized insoles in order to treat certain degrees of high arches. Indeed, the additional volume will ensure the insert can fit comfortably and properly. This particular factor can be a bit tricky to find with sandals but that is why you should look for personalized reviews and recommendations, as this valuable information will enable you to identify sandals with the right kind of volume and ditch the others.

Last but not least, you should look for shoes that have a good amount of space in the toe area. If you have high arches, you are at a higher risk for developing issues such as hammertoe or claw toe, both of which can be exacerbated by shoes with too-little space in the toe area. Wearing shoes with enough toe space can greatly reduce your risk of developing these two conditions. In case you have already been diagnosed with claw toe or hammertoe, wearing shoes with adequate toe space is essential to avoid worsening the condition while in treatment.