Most people learned to lace and tie their shoes in kindergarten. Few people think about how they lace their tennis shoes, even though it can affect comfort, ankle support and overall fit. Proper ankle support prevents sprains, strains and falls, while proper fit reduces your chances of developing corns, calluses or bunions. Different lacing patterns can relieve pressure on "hot spots" and keep your foot from sliding around in too-wide tennis shoes.
Pressure-Point Relief
If you feel a burning or tingling sensation across the top of your foot, you can relieve the pressure causing it. Lace your tennis shoes horizontally instead of using the more common cross-tied method, advises "Laces" author, Ian W. Fieggan. Begin with the first pair of eyelets closest to your toes. Push the right end of the shoelace through the right eyelet, toward the inside of the shoe, and push the left end of the shoelace through the left eyelet. Poke the right end of the shoelace outward through the right hole of the second pair of eyelets and back inward through the left hole. Poke the left end of the shoelace outward through the left hole in the third set and back inward through the right hole. Continue the lacing pattern through an even number of pairs of eyelets before you tie your bow.
Improved Ankle Support
Switch to high top tennis shoes with snug lacing to provide greater support and avoid re-injuring a sprained ankle, advises Family Doctor editorial staff from the American Academy of Family Physicians. Half-knot lacing, used by ice skaters, provides greater ankle support than cross-tying. It requires tying a half-knot between each pair of eyelets before lacing the next pair.
Relieve Swollen Feet
If your feet have widened due to swelling, Dick's Sporting Goods advises lacing straight up each side of your shoe from one pair of eyelets to the next. Create a straight line between the first pair of eyelets by poking the right end of the shoelace through the right eyelet, toward the inside of the shoe, and the left through the left eyelet and toward the inside. Poke the right end of the shoelace outward through the second eyelet on the right and back in through the third. Repeat for the left end of the shoestring. Cross-tie your laces as usual once you are above the swollen part of your foot.
Relieve Cramped Toes
If your toes feel cramped and you have already made sure your shoe is the right size and width, Propet USA advises using two shoelaces per shoe instead of just one. You will need two pair of laces that are half the length of the original pair. Lace the first three pairs of eyelets with the first shoelace and tie your bow. Lace the remaining pairs of eyelets with the second shoelace.
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