Are Converse Bad for Your Feet? A Foot Surgeon Reads the Lab Data
Converse are not bad for your feet the way a stiletto is. They are a flat canvas shoe with a soft heel and a tapered toe, and the lab figures show where that costs you: long walks, long shifts, and feet that already hurt.
On this page
- The short answer
- What the lab measured on a Chuck 70
- Do Converse run big?
- Are Converse good for walking?
- Do Converse have arch support?
- Are Converse good for wide feet?
- Are Converse good for flat feet?
- Can you run in Converse?
- Are Converse good for lifting?
- The platform Converse is a different shoe
- Who should think twice
- How to wear Converse without paying for it
- Questions patients ask
Fine for an hour or two on a healthy foot. Not a walking shoe or an all-day shoe. With heel pain or flat feet, add an arch support; with a bunion, buy the wide width.
The figures on this page are RunRepeat’s lab measurements of one pair of each shoe, cut in half. We have tested no Converse, and our own catalogue holds none. The lab has not cut open the classic Chuck Taylor All Star; the Chuck 70 is the nearest model it has measured.
The short answer
A Converse is a canvas upper on a flat rubber sole, and the lab figures show what that means for a foot. The heel counter gets the lab’s softest rating. The heel absorbs about a quarter less shock than the average sneaker. There is no arch support, and the toe box tapers hard at the big toe.
For an hour or two on a healthy foot, none of that matters. For a day of walking, a shift on your feet, or a foot that already hurts, all of it does. The fixes are cheap: size down in a Chuck, go wide if you need room, and in the Chuck 70, whose insole comes out, put in an arch support.
What the lab measured on a Chuck 70
RunRepeat cut a men’s US 9 Chuck 70 High Top in half and measured it against the other sneakers it has tested. This is what it found, and what each number means once you walk in it.
| Measurement | Chuck 70 High | Average sneaker | What it means for your foot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toe box at the big toe, older method | 66.5 mm | 75.3 mm | About 9 mm narrower than the average sneaker measured the same way. The big toe and the little toes take the squeeze. |
| Toe box at its widest point, older method | 100.1 mm | 99.1 mm | Average across the ball of the foot. The shoe narrows in front of the joints, not at them. |
| Heel counter stiffness | 1 of 5 | 3.2 | The softest rating the lab gives. Little holds the heel still, so the foot does that work itself. |
| Heel shock absorption | 66 SA | 87 SA | About a quarter less than the average sneaker. You feel a hard floor through it. |
| Stack, heel / forefoot | 26.2 / 17.6 mm | 30.5 / 19.5 mm | Low. About half of the heel figure is the removable insole. |
| Drop | 8.6 mm | 11.0 mm | A modest heel-to-toe drop, lower than the average sneaker’s. |
| Torsional rigidity | 2 of 5 | 3.6 | The sole twists easily, which a foot that rolls in will feel. |
| Width of the sole under the heel | 73.6 mm | 83.8 mm | About 1 cm narrower than average: less to stand on when the ground is uneven. |
| Insole | 13.9 mm, removable | 4.9 mm | Thick and soft, and it lifts out, so an arch support can go in its place. |
| Weight | 482 g | 386 g | A quarter heavier than the average sneaker. |
| Length inside | 280.1 mm | 272.1 mm | Runs long. Converse’s own advice is to order a half size down. |
Source: RunRepeat’s lab review of the Converse Chuck 70 High Top in a men’s US 9, reviewed April 2024 and updated April 2026, read September 2026. Averages are RunRepeat’s for the sneakers it has tested, 73 to 104 depending on the test. Its toe-box and torsional-rigidity figures for this shoe use an older method, so they compare with the averages beside them but not with the running shoes on our toe box width chart. SA is RunRepeat’s shock-absorption score, where higher absorbs more; heel counter stiffness and torsional rigidity are its 1–5 ratings, 5 the stiffest; stack includes the insole.
The low-top Chuck 70 measured narrower still at the big toe, 63.7 mm against the same method’s 75.0 average, and RunRepeat described its toe box as aggressively tapered.
From the clinic. The Converse patient I see most is not a teenager. It is someone back from a city break: three days, twenty thousand steps a day in Chucks, and a heel that has hurt on the first step every morning since. The shoes were not the whole cause, but they did nothing to protect the heel.
I know of no trial that has asked what canvas sneakers do to feet, and no one has a reason to fund one. The lab’s caliper is the best evidence there is, and it says what foot clinics see.
Do Converse run big?
The Chucks do. Converse’s own product pages for the Chuck 70 and the classic All Star say: “This style runs large. Order a half size down.” The lab agrees: the Chuck 70 High measured 280.1 mm long inside against a 272.1 mm average sneaker, and the low-top 280.0 against 272.4, and RunRepeat’s readers voted both slightly large.
Not every Converse does. RunRepeat’s readers found the platform Run Star Hike true to size and the Run Star Trainer slightly small. Size down in a Chuck, then check the width: if the smaller size pinches across the ball of the foot, try the wide width rather than going back up.
Are Converse good for walking?
For a walk to the shops, yes. For a day of sightseeing, no. What makes a walking shoe comfortable over miles is exactly what a Converse lacks: shock absorption at the heel, a heel counter that holds the heel, and something under the arch. RunRepeat’s reviewers liked the Chuck 70’s thick insole and still would not recommend it for prolonged wear.
The lighter Run Star Trainer felt flexible and comfortable from the first step on RunRepeat’s walks, but the lab still lists it as not for all-day wear. At 64.9 mm across the big toe, it is also narrower there than every running and walking shoe on our toe box width chart. If you want to walk far, walk in a walking shoe and change into the Converse when you get there.
Do Converse have arch support?
No. RunRepeat lists “no arch support” among the Chuck 70’s faults, and nothing in its figures disagrees. Converse advertises OrthoLite cushioning in both the Chuck 70 and the classic All Star. That is cushioning, not support: a softer layer on a flat footbed.
The useful fact is that the Chuck 70’s insole lifts out, so an over-the-counter arch support can take its place. Take the Converse insole out first, or the shoe will be too tight. RunRepeat’s review of the low-top Chuck 70 says the classic All Star’s insole does not come out. Converse now advertises OrthoLite cushioning in the classic but does not say whether its insole lifts out, so check yours before buying an insert. Our insoles guide covers which kind to choose.
Are Converse good for wide feet?
On the lab’s older method, a standard Chuck 70 is average across the ball of the foot: 100.1 mm at its widest against a 99.1 average. At the big toe it is 66.5 mm against 75.3. So a broad forefoot may fit, while crowded toes, a bunion or a hammertoe feel the taper. RunRepeat calls the Chuck 70 High “a very close-fitting sneaker”.
Converse sells a wide width in the classic All Star and the Chuck 70. By Converse’s description it adds about 15 mm of volume at the ball and instep and 6 mm to the width of the sole. That helps a bunion, which sits at the ball of the foot. Converse does not say it adds room at the tips of the toes. Its CONS skate shoes come in one width; for skating on a wide foot, see wide skate shoes.
The exception is the platform Run Star Hike, which measured 75.9 mm at the big toe, roomier than most of the running and walking shoes on our toe box width chart. It has other problems, below.
Are Converse good for flat feet?
Not on their own. A flat foot does best in a shoe that holds the heel, resists twisting and supports the arch. The Chuck 70 scored low on all three: the softest heel counter, a sole that twists easily and no arch support. It also stands on a narrow heel, 73.6 mm across against an 83.8 average, and RunRepeat noted that people with flat feet may feel less than surefooted in it. An arch support inside a Chuck 70 helps. For long days, a shoe built for flat feet helps more.
Can you run in Converse?
For a dash to the bus, yes. For training, they are the wrong tool. The Chuck 70 weighs 482 g in a men’s US 9, absorbs a quarter less shock than the average sneaker and does little to hold the heel. Run in a running shoe; our heel-to-toe drop chart compares the ones we hold figures for.
Are Converse good for lifting?
Lifters wear Converse because the sole looks flat and firm, and for squats and deadlifts on a healthy foot a flat, firm sole is what you want. The Chuck 70 is less flat than it looks: the lab measured an 8.6 mm drop, and about half its heel height is a thick, soft insole. Swapping that for a thin, firm insole helps. And nothing about a Converse suits jumping, running or a class that mixes lifting with both. If your heel hurts, see the weightlifting shoes for plantar fasciitis.
The platform Converse is a different shoe
The Run Star Hike puts a 50.5 mm heel under you, and the lab measured a 22.6 mm drop. That is steeper than the 18 mm of the Dansko nursing clog, the steepest shoe on our stack height chart. It is roomy at the toes and stiff underfoot, and at 581 g it is heavy.
A drop that steep can load the forefoot more, the wrong direction for metatarsal pain or a Morton’s neuroma. A tall platform is also a poor choice for weak ankles or anyone who has fallen. RunRepeat’s testers found its wide base steady, but its heel counter is still the softest the lab rates.
Who should think twice
- Heel pain or plantar fasciitis. A soft heel counter, a flat footbed and little shock absorption is the combination a sore heel likes least. Walk in a supportive shoe for plantar fasciitis until it settles.
- Bunions and hammertoes. The taper at the big toe pushes it toward the other toes, the direction a bunion is already going, and crowds curled toes. The wide width helps the bunion more than the toes; see the shoes for bunions.
- Morton’s neuroma or ball-of-foot pain. The Chuck 70’s forefoot is thinner than average and bends easily. The Run Star Hike is thick and stiff underfoot, but its steep drop can load the forefoot more. See the shoes for Morton’s neuroma.
- Flat feet. Add an arch support to a Chuck 70, or keep Converse for short wear.
- Diabetes or neuropathy. A thin canvas upper protects little, and a tapered toe can rub sores on a foot that cannot feel them. For daily wear, choose from the shoes for diabetics.
- Weak ankles or a history of falls. The Chuck 70 stands on a narrow heel and the Run Star Hike on a tall platform. Neither is a good choice.
How to wear Converse without paying for it
- Size down, then check the toes. Converse says the Chuck 70 and the classic All Star run large and to order a half size down. The lab measured the Chuck 70 about 8 mm longer inside than the average sneaker. If the smaller size pinches across the ball of the foot, try the wide width; if it crowds your toes, go back up.
- Buy the wide width for a broad foot or a bunion. It adds room at the ball and instep.
- Swap the insole. In a Chuck 70, take out the Converse insole and put in an arch support. For heel pain, choose an insert with arch support and a deep heel cup rather than one that is only softer.
- Keep them for short days. Walk long distances in a walking shoe and change into the Converse when you get there.
Questions patients ask
Are Converse bad for your feet?
Not for short wear on a healthy foot. They are flat, soft at the heel and tapered at the toes, with no arch support. That makes them a poor choice for long walks, long shifts, heel pain, flat feet or a bunion. The Chuck 70’s removable insole lets you add an arch support.
Are Converse comfortable?
For an hour or two, yes: the Chuck 70’s thick insole feels soft underfoot. Over a long day the flat footbed, the soft heel and a quarter less shock absorption than the average sneaker start to tell, and the taper at the toes pinches a wide or bunion-prone foot.
Do Converse run big?
The Chuck 70 and the classic All Star do: Converse says they run large and to order a half size down, and the lab measured the Chuck 70 about 8 mm longer inside than the average sneaker. The platform Run Star Hike fits true to size.
Are Converse good for walking?
For short walks. RunRepeat’s lab measured about a quarter less heel shock absorption in the Chuck 70 than in the average sneaker and gave its heel counter the softest rating. Its reviewers would not recommend it for prolonged wear. For miles, wear a walking shoe.
Do Converse have arch support?
No. Converse advertises OrthoLite cushioning, which is softness, not support. The Chuck 70’s insole comes out, so an over-the-counter arch support can replace it.
Are Converse good for wide feet?
On the lab’s older method, a standard Chuck 70 is average across the ball of the foot but tapers hard at the big toe. Converse sells a wide width that adds about 15 mm of volume at the ball and instep. The platform Run Star Hike is the roomy exception at the toes.
Can you run in Converse?
For a short dash, yes; for training, no. They are heavy, absorb little shock and do little to hold the heel. Run in a running shoe.
Are Converse good for lifting?
For squats and deadlifts on a healthy foot, a flat, firm sole is a reasonable choice. The Chuck 70 is less flat than it looks, with an 8.6 mm drop and a thick, soft insole, and Converse suit nothing that involves jumping or running.
Are Converse or Vans better for your feet?
Neither is built for a day on your feet. In RunRepeat’s lab the Chuck 70 absorbed twice the Old Skool’s heel shock, 66 SA against 31, but both fall well short of the 87 average. At the big toe, the classic Vans measure about average for a sneaker, while the Converse the lab has measured are narrow there, except the platform Run Star Hike. The Chuck 70’s insole comes out; most classic Vans have theirs fixed in. See our page on whether Vans are bad for your feet.
- RunRepeat, Converse Chuck 70 High Top lab review: toe box, sole width, stack, drop, heel counter, torsional rigidity, shock absorption, insole, weight, inside length, fit; read September 2026.
- RunRepeat, Converse Chuck 70 Low Top lab review: toe box at the big toe; the classic All Star’s insole.
- RunRepeat, Converse Run Star Hike lab review and Run Star Trainer lab review.
- Converse, Chuck Taylor All Star Canvas High Top: “This style runs large. Order a half size down”; OrthoLite cushioning; wide width.
- Converse, size chart guide: what the wide width adds.
- Our toe box width chart and stack height chart.
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