My Podiatrist Told Me to Wear Oofos Slides Instead of Buying Expensive Inserts...and I Just Bought 2 More Pairs

• Value: 20/20
• Functionality: 20/20
• Ease of Use: 20/20
• Aesthetic: 15/20
• Foot Pain Antidote: 20/20

Total: 95/100

If you’re a fan of my work (hi, dad), you know that I have a foot problem. They’re flat. They hurt. And no amount of under-the-desk massaging can make it all go away (although, it certainly doesn’t hurt!). So I brought my yams to a podiatrist, expecting her to take X-rays and immediately strap me down to amputate or at least sit me down for a speech about how my insurance won’t cover the costly custom orthotics. But she said none of that. Instead, she uttered: “Ofoos?” “Gesundheit?” I followed. “It’s a brand of shoes. You should get a pair to wear around the house instead of being barefoot. I think it will help.” “Oh, wonderful! Another ugly pair of ‘comfortable’ shoes” I thought to myself as I clicked “Add to Cart” on the podiatrist-recommended sandals. Could my extreme pronation and top-of-the-foot nerve pain be eased by this “active recovery technology” footwear or was it a great marketing ploy? I had nothing to lose. I slipped on the Oofos OOahh Slide sandals…and never looked back. Here’s why a month later, I bought two more pairs. 

Want to know which buzzy products are *really* worth buying? Sign up for our shopping newsletter to uncover our favorite finds.

The brand markets themselves as “active recovery footwear,” which means their shoes are designed to take some pressure off your feet as you move through your day by, as their website claims, cradling your arches, reducing stress on sore feet, knees, and back, enabling a more natural walking motion and reducing energy requirements at primary joints for walking. While I’m not qualified to say whether or not Oofos “do active recovery” on your feet, I know that my feet feel pretty great while I’m wearing them.

Not at all! The only issue is that the support wears over time. The brand concedes as much, “If you are wearing your pair of OOFOS all day, every day, they may begin to wear out more quickly than a pair of shoes that you wear only a couple of times a week for a few hours at a time.” I also understand the pair of shoes doesn’t create an arch or necessarily strengthen my feet. If I want to work on that, I’ll have to do some more physical therapy, or at least toe yoga for now. 

My Oofos Slides have been the most cost-effective foot pain solution in a long time—even if it means I’m replacing a pair every six months.  They aren’t a miracle cure for my collapsed arches or over-pronation, but they make it possible to work through those issues without searing pain. In a word, my podiatrist was right.