When you’ve recently gotten foot surgery or are recovering from one, we know about the right shoes that can help you heal and improve your mobility. No matter how mild or severe your injury is, having the best shoes after foot surgery will give you the ideal support, protection, and comfort to recuperate quickly. However, choosing just any postoperative pair of shoes may not work. And, we bet the umpteen options on the market have already confused you. So, we did all the groundwork and rounded up the best options after conducting experiments with the products available online.

The postoperative shoes are suitable for sprains, fractures, plantar fasciitis, bunionectomy, soft tissue injuries, and so much more. Besides, they are designed in such a way that is also accommodating and user-friendly, which means you don’t need assistance to wear them even if you have a cast or bandages. And since they are all universally designed, they can fit both the right and the left foot. Sounds great? Let’s browse the options below.

• 1
  Best Overall

  United Ortho Short Air Walker Fracture Boot

  Buy on Amazon

For high durability and maximum stability, choose this boot from United Ortho during your recovery process. It has plastic molded uprights with reinforced steel construction to hold up to 300 pounds. It’s suitable for foot injuries like ankle sprains, fractures, soft tissue injuries, stable lower leg, and other post-surgery procedures. To reduce the impact of heel strikes while walking, it has a shock-absorbing insole, and to promote a natural gait, it has a rocker sole. And it’s high on comfort too! The boot has a medial-lateral air bladder for comfort, ideal compression, and preventing edema (swelling). 

2

Best for Coverage

BraceAbility Closed Toe Medical Walking Shoe

Buy on Amazon

If you are looking for a roomy toe area during your recovery period, BraceAbility has the right shoe for you. With a square and closed-toe design, it accommodates bandages and toe dressings easily. It also prevents stubbing and keeps your foot dry and dirt-free. Suitable for all foot injuries and post-surgery recovery from fracture, hammer toe, bunions, Morton’s neuroma, and more, it’s designed to cover and protect optimally, almost like your regular shoe, only roomier and comfortable, it has a rocker sole to support natural gait and reduce pressure on the plantar, heel, and forefoot. Dealing with edema, are you? This shoe has an adjustable velcro closure for ideal compression and secure fit.

3

Best for Lightweight Experience

Vive Post Op Shoe

Buy on Amazon

With a 15-degree Dorsi-angle bottom, these comfortable shoes are designed for those who require to shift their weight to the heel while walking. Highly suitable for forefoot injury, diabetic foot ulcer, hammertoe correction, bunionectomy, and mallet toe correction, the design helps relieve pressure on the front to ease the pain. About its functionality— the shoe has a wide toe area that acts as a bumper to prevent stubbing. If you are dealing with edema or need to wear bandages, it has medical-grade adjustable straps for compression and a secure fit. For more comfort, it has a cushioned insole to provide maximum support and shock absorption.

4

Best for Forefoot Injury

BraceAbility Forefoot Off-Loading Shoe

Buy on Amazon

With a 15-degree Dorsi-angle bottom, this shoe is designed for those who require to shift their weight to the heel while walking. Highly suitable for forefoot injury, diabetic foot ulcer, hammertoe correction, bunionectomy, and mallet toe correction, the design helps relieve pressure on the front to ease the pain. About its functionality— the shoe has a wide toe area that acts as a bumper to prevent stubbing. If you are dealing with edema or need to wear bandages, it has medical-grade adjustable straps for compression and a secure fit. For more comfort, it has a cushioned insole to provide maximum support and shock absorption.

5

Relieves Pain

BraceAbility Post-op Shoe

Buy on Amazon

The semi-open style of this post-op shoe is a winner if you are looking for a breathable option for your foot. It has an airflow-friendly material to provide all-day comfort, especially during rehabilitation. A great footwear for recovery from all types of foot injuries and surgeries, it has a non-skid tread, rigid rocker sole, and cushioned insole to provide much-needed support, stability, and comfort. It also has 3 adjustable velcro straps for compression and secure fit and easily accommodates bandages, casts, and swelling. From promoting natural gait to keeping your foot dry and dirt-free, its square-toe design protects toes from further damage effectively.

6

Best for Sensitive Skin

Brace Direct Post Op Shoe

Buy on Amazon

If you have sensitive skin or feet, Brace Direct Post Op Shoe may suit your needs, all thanks to its skin-friendly material. Also, it comes with trimmable medical-grade straps to help you adjust your ideal compression and elevate the level of comfort. For shock absorption and comfort, it has an EVA cushioned sole for maximum airflow and quick recovery. Ideal for foot injuries and surgeries, the rocker sole, and non-skid tread relieve pressure on the heel and promote natural steps while walking. And that’s not all — it also has a wide square-toe design to protect your toes and accommodate bandages, casts, and swelling.

7

Anti-skid Design

Kefit Fracture Boot

Buy on Amazon

Kefit Fracture Boot is designed with aluminum brackets to contour your leg’s shape and provide the correct alignment for your ankle and foot. It also has a built-in inflatable bag to increase and decrease compression and stability per your recovery needs which makes it one of the best shoes to wear after ankle surgery. High on protection and comfort, it has a rocker-sole design to improve your natural gait. This boot is suitable for fractures, sprains, soft tissue injuries, achilles tendon rupture, and more.

8

Maximum Stability

MARS WELLNESS Premium Post-Op Shoe

Buy on Amazon

If comfort is what you are looking for, this post-op shoe by MARS WELLNESS comes with padded heels! And not just comfort, it ensures minimal heel slippage and ideal positioning for your foot to heal and recover. With a semi-open style to allow maximum airflow, the square-toe design acts like a bumper to prevent stubbing or further damage. With no multiple straps hassle, this shoe has just 2 velcro closures for adjustable compression. It also has a rocker sole to reduce pressure on the heel and forefoot.

9

Breathable

Darco Softie Post-Operative Shoe

Buy on Amazon

This post-op shoe by Darco is a great option to wear post-osteotomy or forefoot injury for maximum protection. It has a semi-open style for easy airflow and a shoe-like posterior coverage for support and protection. Its metatarsal shank area is semi-rigid to provide ideal support and help in undisturbed healing after forefoot injury. It also has a tri-laminated upper made of tri-cot foam, which is lightweight and comfortable. Besides, it supports bone abnormalities to promote healing without discomfort.

10

Easy-to-wear

ProCare Squared Toe Post-Op Shoe

Buy on Amazon

The square-toe design of this post surgery footwear will protect your forefoot injury like a pro! Roomy enough to accommodate dressings, bandages, and swelling, it has a velcro closure for a secure and compressed fit. The square-toe design acts like a bumper as well to prevent further damage. Super-comfortable, the shoe also has an ankle strap closure and rigid rocker sole to keep your foot in the correct position and reduce pressure while walking. And if you love wearing heels, this post-op shoe will be a great balancer because it has a heel too. No wonder why it is considered one of the best shoes for after ankle surgery.

11

OTC Post-Op Shoe

Buy on Amazon

These post-op comfortable shoe are designed for those lacking sensitivity in their foot after trauma or soft tissue surgery. It has a padded heel collar and reinforced heel counter to protect the rear area of your foot. The shoe sole is also semi-rigid to provide the ideal stability, control, and protection. And as for the closure, it has long adjustable straps to accommodate dressings and bandages. And the best part is— the shoe is made of a breathable poly-cotton blend to keep your foot dry and comfortable all the time.

12

GHORTHOUD Post-op Shoe

Buy on Amazon

Just the shoe you need to help your toes heal! This forefoot off-loading 15-degree design will relieve pressure from the toe area and shift it to your heel instead. Suitable for those dealing with a toe injury, surgery, or ulcer, it has a rounded toe area for protection. Durable and comfortable, it has a movable hook and loop for customized fit and to accommodate bandages and dressings. And if your foot sweats easily, don’t worry! The shoe is made of medical-grade polyester to keep your foot cool, dry, and dirt-free.

Go on, find the best fit for your foot now! These 12 best shoes designed to be worn after foot surgery can help you recover and improve your mobility. Are you thinking about how to pick the right one? We have shopping tips for you below.

• Size: 

Compare your foot size with the brand size chart before buying the shoe. You can also check the comments to figure out whether you need to size up or down. Having the right size is imperative to get the support, stability and comfort your foot needs to recover.

• Support:

Every foot injury requires a different type of support. For example, if you have an ankle injury, you must go for a boot that offers maximum support and compression around the ankle area. If you have a toe injury, an open-toe design or an off-loading design will be the best option to take the weight off your toe area to heal.

• Customization:

The more customizable options the shoe offers, the better. A boot with velcro or any adjustable straps will allow a customizable fit and compression, especially if you have to wear a cast or bandages. Besides, they are easy to wear and remove too.

• Sole

Choosing a type of rocker sole depends on the support your foot needs. For severe foot injury, rigid rocker soles provide the ideal support to heal and improve mobility. For mild foot injury, flexible rocker soles would suffice.

• Material:

Do not forget to inspect the material before buying your shoe. Polyester or cotton shoes are the best options as they are breathable enough to keep your foot dry and moisture-free.

Not sure which shoes to wear after your foot injury? Don’t worry! We’ve got that covered too.

When transitioning to shoes after foot surgery, you can choose the following options to heal and recover:

• Post-op shoe: 

Once your orthopedic suggests limited mobility, post-op shoes should be your go-to option. They are designed keeping the support, stability, and compression features in mind. They have a wide open-toe design and adjustable closures to accommodate bandages, casts, and even edema. Post-op shoes are imperative as they provide proper support, comfort, and compression for the foot to heal and recover.

• Sports shoes:

Sports shoes are a great option to wear when you don’t require the maximum support of post-op shoes. Since they are designed to provide support and stability while walking or running, they are also perfect for foot recovery. The cushioned sole will comfort your foot, while the full coverage will protect it from further damage. However, you must opt for a shoe with a velcro fitting, so you can adjust the compression as per your needs.

• Slip-on sneakers:

Besides sports shoes, you can opt for slip-on sneakers if looking for a fancier option to go with your daily OOTDs. Since they are slip-on, the material is stretchy, which can easily accommodate your foot’s shape as you recover. Also, opt for a shoe with an ergonomic and cushioned sole to prevent muscle strain.

• Dress Shoes:

Well, you aren't going to miss the chance to party even if you have a leg injury! Dress shoes are for those times when you want to dazzle throughout the party and make heads turn. These are mostly cushioned shoes that come without straps and are easy to slip on while providing adequate comfort.

Whichever shoes you choose, make sure to keep your orthopedic or physiotherapist informed about your purchase. We know how much you want to get back to your natural healthy gait, but patience and a pair of the best shoes after foot surgery are all you need to trust in. So, what are you waiting for? Let's get you back on your feet with the right footwear! With 12 options to browse from, we bet the one you are looking for is definitely on our list. So get set shopping!