She recommends beginning with a half-hour walk and slowly picking up the pace. But the first step should be putting on appropriate shoes.

   

“Good support is necessary for the heel to the midfoot,” she says. “If you can roll up your sneakers like a burrito, it’s not a good sneaker. Good sneakers like Hokas, New Balance and some of the new, thicker-soled Nikes will increase the comfort you need for propulsive gait.”

   

Cushioning is also critical, given the fact that we double our body weight on each step when we walk, and triple it when we run, she says.

    

And remember that sneakers wear out. Hoffman recommends replacing them after 500 miles of use, or at least yearly. She also suggests considering custom-made insoles (orthotics) to prevent or treat common foot conditions and injuries that affect 2 million Americans each year.

    

“Don’t wait so long for treatment that you are limping into my office,” she says.

   

Kotanah Podiatry provides foot care for people of all ages and treats a range of conditions, including corns and bunions, foot fungus, plantar fasciitis, arthritis and sports injuries.

   

“We combine hands-on therapeutic modalities with the use of state-of-the-art equipment, such as lasers, to tailor individualized treatment plans to meet each patient’s needs,” Hoffman says. “Our integrative approach combines the most effective aspects of traditional and modern medicine with holistic, homeopathic medicine, to allow your body to heal as naturally as possible.”