Wearing proper footwear helps promote optimal foot health and may alleviate painful foot symptoms. The Foot Specialist and caring staff at Foot Medical Centre are available to assist in finding orthopedic footwear that is suitable for you. We invite you to visit us to see our collection of orthopedic footwear, and we’ll help you find your best fit.
Features of a Good Shoe
Wearing appropriate footwear allows the small muscles within the foot to work less and ultimately leads to more comfort and less foot pain.
The main features of a good shoe are:
- Size – Your shoes must be appropriately sized in length, width and depth. The shoes should be fit to your feet, rather than your feet being fit to the shoes.
- Support – The shoe should support your foot arch appropriately, and should not be painful to wear.
- Stability – The shoe should not be collapsable, and should resist twisting and compressive forces.
- Comfort – The shoe should provide comfort both sitting and standing.
What to Look For
- The shoe should only bend under your big toe joint.
- The shoe should resist a twisting force (being wrung out).
- The heel counter should sit just below your ankle bones, be firm and resist collapsing.
- The toe box should be deep to allow free movement of your toes.
- The collar should consist of soft and durable material to prevent blistering.
- The shoe length should be a thumbs width (1.5 cm) longer than your longest toe.
- The heel should be no higher than 2.5 cm (25 mm).
- The shoe should have a fastening mechanism; laces, velcro, a belt or strap.
- The sole shape (last) should match your foot profile; a straight last for straight feet, and a curved last for curved feet.
- The midsole density should be appropriately matched to your specific foot type.
