Dealing With Foot Pain? These Shoes May Be the Key to Relieving It

Published Mar 25, 2025 11:21 am ET


Older women walking together outdoors

Getty Images/Ariel Skelley

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From strolling on a morning walk to getting fit with a nice long jog, we’re serious about maintaining our health as well as a positive state of mind by using our feet. Unfortunately, our feet don’t always feel at their best. Whether it’s overuse, old injuries or just a case of chronic soreness, dealing with painful feet can be a drag on everyday activities, not to mention your overall well-being.

But we’ve come across a new solution to the foot blues: the Barestep Active 2.0 shoe. Developed with the help of orthopedists, this is a shoe meant to be worn barefoot. And when you see how it works, you’ll understand why it’s a huge hit with walkers and joggers of all types!

The Barestep Active 2.0 shoe is designed with nature in mind — because, after all, our original natural state was walking around with bare feet. Unlike standard shoes, the Baresteps are designed to mimic that natural state, and thus relieve pain, strengthen your posture and avoid common sources of foot pain such as bone spurs, bunions and even plantar fasciitis.

A wide toe box gives your toes room to stretch out, which is key to improving circulation throughout your foot and providing a more even distribution of pressure. The “zero-drop” insoles keep your feet level, for which your arches will thank you, and the back of the sole is flexible, providing extra cushion to lessen impact when you plant your heel. The water-resistant material of the Barestep Active 2.0 shoes is lightweight, soft and breathable yet durable, and we’re big fans of the non-slip soles, which prevent falls and twisted ankles.

All of the above combines to distribute weight across your legs and feet more evenly, resulting in better posture and improved foot strength. This might take some getting used to, as it’s a different way of walking compared to what you get with ordinary shoes. But users have raved about the difference, claiming they’re the most comfortable shoes they’ve ever owned, and they’ve already gained notice by the likes of CBS and Forbes.

So, if you’re looking to cut down on foot pain and own a pair of shoes that can be squeezed into your bag or luggage and worn on any occasion, we recommend the Barestep Active 2.0 shoes. It’s the closest thing to walking around barefoot, without the dirt and pain of walking on harsh surfaces, of course!

Ho Lin

Ho Lin

Author

Ho Lin is a content writer at McClatchy. He has over two decades of experience in content strategy, creation, and development, ranging from subjects such as anime and manga to military benefits, job search advice and AI evaluation. Ho is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and holds a M.A. in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins University. Ho also writes both fiction and non-fiction; his books include China Girl and Bond Movies: A Retrospective.

Kayleigh Drake

Kayleigh Drake

Editor McClatchy Commerce

Kayleigh Drake is a Commerce Content Editor at McClatchy. She’s based in Birmingham, Alabama, and holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Kayleigh has written and edited content for numerous publications, with a particular focus on the food, kitchen, home and lifestyle verticals. When she’s not fulfilling her editorial duties, she loves record shopping, playing guitar, baking and buying entirely too many plants.