Properly Fitting Shoes Are Important to Health

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The simple process of buying properly fitting shoes can pay huge health and comfort dividends. The wrong shoes can cause or aggravate foot problems such as heel spurs, corns, hammer toe, bunions and ingrown toenails. The right shoes can prevent or reduce serious pain and expensive treatments.

Although some people buy uncomfortable shoes thinking they will stretch to fit, they're simply investing in misery.
Their shoes won't stretch in length and they're stuck with the dilemma of replacing the shoes or continuing to endure the pain. Although the search for the right shoe may take awhile, the time spent is well worth it. Here are some suggestions on fitting shoes, adapted from the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society.

The numbers you see on a shoe box are not reliable, because sizes between styles and brands can vary. So your size may range between up to three numbers if you wear more than one brand. You can't even count on using the same size in your favorite brand, because feet can change with age. To get the right fit, it could be important to try on several sizes.

Because our feet expand during the day, it's a mistake to shop early. You could find the shoes are too tight the next afternoon. Shop as late in the day as possible for the best shoe fit.

Shoe shopping should be a carefully considered affair. A quick stop at the store could translate into long-term pain from buying the wrong shoes. Be sure to try on shoes for both feet, because most people have one foot larger than the other. Then buy the larger size.

Three measurements are critical for the right shoe fit:
length, width and arch length. All of these can vary between feet. For an accurate measurement that will help to determine your proper shoe size, be sure the salesperson measures your feet with a Brannock device. These are the metal tools you have probably seen or used in shoe stores.

Of course, since brand sizes can vary, these measurements are only a starting point.

Walk around the store several times with both shoes. The ball of your foot, the widest part, should fit comfortably in the widest part of the shoe. This will give proper arch size. If it doesn't feel comfortable but the length seems right, look for a different style with the proper width rather than a longer shoe.

Note where your longest toe is. It should be about a half-inch from the tip of the shoe - slightly more for athletic shoes that are designed for more activity. And with the laces tightened normally, the heel should not slip. If either of these areas don't conform, ask for a different size.

Quite often, a proper fitting shoe won't be enough.

Orthotics may be required to deal with problems like high arches, flat feet or pronation (the foot may lean out or in excessively, which leads to heel wear abnormalities).

Orthotics can correct these problems and make a huge difference in comfort as well as address back, heel and knee pain. If people say you walk "funny" or you are experiencing chronic lower body pain, see your doctor.

You may find that spending a bit of time to ensure proper shoe fit, or getting orthotics, solves problems you thought you were doomed to live with.

Roz Mickleburg writes for ROM Shoes, the shoes information resource.
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