I work as an athletic trainer an get the question a lot. The absolute most important thing is that you are taking your rehab seriously. It won’t make a difference in the world what shoe you wear if you blow off rehab and your arch and ankle aren’t strong enough to support your weight.

In the short term you want to find a shoe that offers arch support and isn’t too cushy. It should be comfortable but not have too much give. I saw someone else recommend On and that’s a very not good idea. They’re way too squishy because they want people to try them on in store and fall in love with them. But the softer the shoe, the harder your ankle stability muscles will need to work to keep your foot centered. To demo that, try standing on one leg on flat ground and then compare it to standing on a pillow or a piece of foam. Your tibialis anterior, peroneals, etc. will need to work wayyy harder on the foam. And you’ll feel it after 30 seconds start to burn in your arch and lower leg.

My recommended brands are often Brooks, Saucony, New Balance, and Asics. In that order mostly, but it depends on your specific injury and foot shape. The key things to look at when buying a new shoe are:

• comfortable but still firm sole. Soft foamy soles will wear out and collapse quicker. Forcing your stability muscles to work super hard.

• Pick them up and see how difficult it is to twist them. It should help transfer energy from the back of the shoe to the front. If they bend and twist easily, they’re too flexible.

• Walk in them. You should feel your foot make contact on the outer portion of the sole at the back of the shoe, and roll to the inside portion of your foot and off your big toe when pushing off.

• Form fitting but not squeezing your foot. Your feet are very dynamic and need to be able to articulate to properly transfer weight and hold your balance. If it feels like the shoe is compressing your foot, then you need to ask for a wide size in that shoe or look elsewhere.