Gear & Reviews

Four walking shoes for women and men with sore morning heels, plus what a 2023 clinical guideline says insoles can and cannot do.

Five extra-depth and double-depth shoes for women and men with numb feet, with the listed depth and widths, plus what to check in a fit and what Medicare covers.

Five rollators with a seat for sidewalks and park paths, from 12-inch front wheels down to 8, with what to measure and when to see a physical therapist first.

Four weighted vests for walkers over 50 that start at about 4 lb and add weight in small steps, with a starting-weight table and who should skip a vest.

Four home walking machines with a handrail to hold, compared on the stop key, the lowest speed and the measurements that decide the order, and when no machine is the answer.

Five pairs of ice cleats for walkers over 60, matched to the ground each one is made for, and what a winter trial with older walkers found.

Four canes for walks that leave the sidewalk, each matched to the ground it suits, what a review for family doctors says about height and hand, and one wooden stick that is not a cane at all.

Three walking socks for seniors prone to blisters: two layers, extra padding or walking cushioning, and what a blister study found.

Three kinds of knee brace for walking with arthritis: a sleeve, a stabilizer brace and a hinge, matched to what each maker lists, and what a guideline and a review of the evidence found.