If you’re suffering from foot pain, then you might want to rethink your shoes. Your shoes are an integral part of your experience or non-experience of foot related pain. While your shoes may not directly cause it, the right footwear will certainly provide enough support to prevent it or relieve it.
The structure of everyone’s feet may be inherently the same, but there are slight idiosyncrasies in form and function that may spell the difference between you having foot pain at the end of the day or not. One of the most common causes of foot pain is a flat foot. A foot is flat when there is no discernable arch present. This is sometimes referred to as a collapsed arch. When you’re flat footed, your body will conform to the changes in structure and compensate in terms of biomechanics. This is why flat-footed individuals register an over pronation in their strides. Over pronation will put more physical stress on the plantar fascia leading to pain and swelling of this strained foot ligament in a phenomenon called plantar fasciitis.
Another related injury when you’re not getting enough arch support is Achilles Tendinitis. This is caused by overusing and over stressing this heel tendon. Prevent these injuries by wearing a shoe on this list of the best shoes with good arch support for men.
Saucony Guide ISO 2
Saucony is one of the most trusted and most popular brands when it comes to performance running shoes. This American brand was founded more than a century ago in 1898 in Pennsylvania along the Saucony Creek. Even though Saucony has undergone a few ownership changes throughout the years, they have remained true to their roots of creating some of the best racing and running shoes on the market.
Fun fact: the company once featured a pronunciation guide to their name by printing “sock a knee” on their boxes.
Saucony offers a strong entry on this list with the Guide ISO 2. It’s designed for both stability and cushioning. It features a dynamic design that conforms the shoe fit to your feet for a more customized feel. The Saucony EVERUN and PWRFOAM topsole and midsole construction provide pressure relief, comfort, and strong stability support with every step.
Hoka One One Gaviota 2
Hoka One One was founded in 2009 by two veterans in the shoe industry. The founders were former employees of Salomon, a French company that made snow sports and hiking equipment. With expertise gained from being at the forefront of cycling and snow sport technology innovations, the two founders set out to create a shoe that is better. What they ended up inventing was something fundamentally different – the “maximalist” running shoe. This was a shoe that was designed with extra cushion for maximum structural support.
The Gaviota 2 is a shoe that is designed with overpronators in mind. The distinct extra cushioning and Hoka One One’s proprietary J-Frame design guide your foot to a more neutral pronation during every step. These features make for a shoe that cradles your foot, providing optimum support in low impact walking and in high-performance situations such as race running.
If you are looking for the most affordable footwear, be sure to check out our selection of the best budget running shoes.
New Balance Fresh Foam Vongo V4
New Balance is a brand of running shoes that’s well-known for comfortable footwear that offer great support. The company was actually once named the New Balance Arch Support Company. They probably dropped the longer name for brevity and impact, but they definitely didn’t drop the mission. Even after more than a century in the business, this American multinational shoemaker still produces high-performance shoes with features that provide optimal arch support.
New Balance enters this list of the best shoes with good arch supports with the Fresh Foam Vongo V4. This is a running shoe with superior midsole support that’s attained with the use New Balance’s proprietary Fresh Foam material. The Fresh Foam Vongo v4 is designed to keep your feet supported and cushioned for protection and comfort. Feel the stability with each stride with a pair of Fresh Foam Vongo v4 on.
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Brooks Beast ‘18
Brooks is a brand that doesn’t want to be pigeonholed merely as a running shoe manufacturer. They make it clear that they are a “running company” that offers many different products for runners and not just shoes. With this said, however, the shoes that Brooks produces are some of the world’s best. They’re constructed with the goal of making your runs more comfortable, enjoyable, and faster.
The Beast ’18 is a well-engineered marvel from Brooks. It features a spacious toe box for added comfort even during the longest runs. It is also constructed with enough cushioning as well as their very own Extended Progressive Diagonal Rollbar to provide the maximum support for flat arches. This isn’t a minimalist running shoe to be sure. When you put your feet inside, you’ll immediately be greeted with a plush feel that envelops your feet. This is made possible through the use of the Brooks Super DNA midsole.
Asics Gel-Kayano 26
Asics is a well-known footwear and sports equipment and apparel company from Japan. However, the name isn’t Japanese. Asics stands for “Anima Sana In Corpore Sano” which is Latin for “A Healthy Soul in A Healthy Body.” Even though the first shoes produced under the Asics brand were basketball shoes, Asics is famous nowadays for their running shoes. Asics running shoes are regarded as elite performance footwear.
Asics comes strong on this list of great men’s shoes with good arch support with their offering –The Gel-Kayano 26. The Gel-Kayano 26 provides terrific shock absorption capabilities with the use of GEL technology at the heel. The sole also features the Guidance Trusstic system that guides the foot with each step. This combined with a firm foam along the inside of the shoe prevent overpronation through what they refer to as the Dynamic Duomax system. This makes it ideal for flat-footed individuals who require added arch support.
LOWA Z-6S Desert Boots
The LOWA name is a portmanteau of the first two letters of the founder’s name, Lorenz Wagner. This Bavarian brand has been around since 1923. The company was first set up to manufacture brogue oxfords. Today, they produce shoes for daily wear as well as performance footwear for hiking, mountaineering, and tactical sports. The shoes that they produce are built for stability and function. They are ideal for long treks as well as for daily use by individuals that need stable arch support.
The LOWA Z-6S Desert boots are made for rugged trails in the most demanding environments. They are made to be lightweight and comfortable but also heavy duty. These boots feature a high cut design for added ankle support. Sturdy stabilizers are also embedded into the sole to guide and prevent over pronation.
ECCO Men’s Helsinki Oxford
ECCO is a shoe manufacturer hailing from Denmark. The brand is famous for their leather shoes, sandals, and boots. They also produce casual sneakers and golf shoes as well as performance footwear for hiking and other demanding outdoor sports.
ECCO’s entry on this list is the Helsinki Oxford. It’s a sturdy leather shoe with a comfortable yet very supportive sole. This ECCO offering is made with freedom of movement in mind. The toe box is designed in such a way to be non-restrictive. The insoles are soft, providing an initial sense of comfort that enhances your walking experience. This is complemented by ECCO’s Polyurethane soles that are designed to be tough yet flexible enough to provide support and comfort in all the right places. This material allows the shoes to conform to your foot’s shape for a more personalized fit.
Brooks Addiction Walker
The running company from Seattle has another entry on this list – The Addiction Walker. With such a thought-provoking name, these shoes don’t disappoint with their superior features. The Addiction Walker is a performance walking shoe for those who like to walk. It’s built with advanced foot support and anti-slip outsoles.
The soft cushioning provided by Brooks’ BioMoGo DNA material provides impact resistance, preventing discomfort and injuries. The Addiction Walker is made specifically for superior arch support. If you are flat footed, the Progressive Diagonal Rollbar design utilized in these Brooks shoes will guide your stride to prevent over pronation, allowing you to walk in a more neutral alignment.
Dansko Men’s Wayne Slip On
Dansko is an American shoe manufacturer that became what it is today because of a tiny European influence. While on a trip in Europe, the founders discovered the beauty of Danish clogs and brought the idea back to America. Since their founding in 1990, Dansko has been perfecting their Euro-inspired clog design to better provide arch support to provide high levels of comfort even after hours of standing and walking. The shoes that Dansko produces are high-performance footwear that nurses, doctors, teachers, and chefs wear for unbeatable comfort during prolonged periods of standing and walking.
Their first entry on this list of great shoes with awesome arch support is the Wayne Slip-On shoe. The Wayne black leather yet sporty slip on design works great for casual or office wear. Everything about this shoe is geared towards comfort and support. If you’re using orthotics, you’ll be glad to know that this slip-on shoe will accommodate them well after taking out the removable footbed. Even out of the box, the stock features and design of the Wayne Slip-On already provide excellent support. The outsole is made of rubber that absorbs impacts while the midsole is made of soft Polyurethane that molds to your feet for comfort.
Dansko Men’s Jackson Loafer
With Dansko’s mission of manufacturing impressive European clog-influenced footwear that features good arch support, it’s no wonder that they have another entry on this list. The Jackson Loafer is a casual shoe that is less sporty than Dansko’s previous entry on this list. The Jackson Loafer is a slip-on that has a 100% upper and a synthetic rubber outsole that’s designed to be slip-resistant. The midsole utilizes molded EVA for added shock absorption. The arch support is optimized with Dansko’s proprietary comfort upgrade system that incorporates EVA and TPU materials in the arch and heel stabilizers for gait guidance and all-day support and unrivaled comfort.
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Merrell Men’s MOAB 2 Mid Ventilator
Merrell is a leading manufacturer of high-performance hiking boots. Merrell literally has a strong foothold in the outdoor sports industry. They are popular with hikers, mountain climbers, campers, and even those who engage in water sports such as rafting. This is because Merrell shoes are stylish, functional, and most important of all, comfortable. Aside from their well-known hiking boots, Merrel also produces casual and work shoes.
Merrell enters this list of the best shoes with good arch support for men with the proud MOAB 2 Mid Ventilator. MOAB stands for “Mother of All Boots,” so you know that this Merrell boot is made to be awesome. The high-cut MOAB has a remarkable stable arch support provided by an EVA footbed. This footbed incorporates strategic arch and heel support that is made even better with an arch shank made out of molded nylon.
Timberland Pro Ridgework Comp Toe Work Boots
Timberland is an outdoors lifestyle brand that was founded in 1928 in Boston but is now currently based in New Hampshire, USA. Timberland is known for production of high-performance boots for casual wear as well as specialized hiking boots. Today, the Timberland brand is also emblazoned on sandals, casual shoes, and sneakers, but the overall Timberland DNA is still very apparent with their outdoor sport inspired designs.
The Ridgework Comp Toe Work Boots are extremely functional. Everything from the waterproof uppers made of leather down to the anti-slip, oil-resistant outsoles these work boots are fitted with are made with function in mind. Even with a strong focus on functional features, Timberland still has made it a point that these boots be comfortable enough for all-day wear.
The Ridgework comp toe Work Boots feature Timberland’s Anti-Fatigue technology, which utilizes shock absorbing footbeds as well as shock diffusion plates for added arch support. These work together with their proprietary Stable Stride platform to guide your foot in preventing over pronation.
KEEN Men’s Detroit XT Waterproof Boot (Soft toe)
KEEN is a footwear company based in Portland, Oregon. The brand traces its history back to 1999 with the invention of the Newport Sandal by its founder and namesake, Martin Keen. However, the company was only founded in 2003, four years after the invention. The KEEN line of footwear spans from sandals to heavy-duty work boots and shoes.
The KEEN entry on this list of shoes with effective arch support is the Detroit XT Waterproof Boot. Based on hiking footwear form and function, this KEEN waterproof boot is heavy-duty yet comfortable enough to wear every day. It features an anti-slip outsole for added stability and a footbed design that features their proprietary KEEN KEY TECH FLEX technology as well as their trademarked METATOMICAL footbed design for superior structured arch support.
Skechers Go Walk Max – Privy
Skechers is a very popular brand of footwear that initially focused on stylish casual shoes and skate footwear. The brand later expanded their focus and now also has successful sport shoe lines for its more active customers. It’s currently the third largest athletic shoe brand in the US.
The Skechers Go Walk Max – Privy is an athletic shoe that’s built to maintain your comfort even after long periods of walking and standing. The mid and outsole feature high level cushioning with the use of Skechers’ very own Air Cooled Goga Mat technology. Their 5GEN sole also utilizes memory retention foam to create maximum foot support at the right points.
Dunham Men’s Burlington Oxford
The Dunham brand has been around since 1885. It was founded by two brothers in Vermont, USA. Their first boots were built to provide protection to pioneers who braved the outdoors of New England. Today, after more than 100 years into the business of shoe manufacturing, Dunham still continues to make sturdy high-performance shoes that provide comfort and optimum support.
Dunham enters this list with the Burlington Oxford. This shoe features a classic design in full grain leather that’s treated to be waterproof. The seams are also sealed for full waterproofing. For enhanced comfort, the footbed is made of EVA. The Burlington Oxford also utilizes a nylon stability shank in the midsole for sturdy arch support. This also guides the foot to a more neutral gait, preventing over pronation.