How to Choose Great Footwear

Do you know how to choose great footwear? Do you have a shoe cupboard filled with shoes that you don’t wear? How many of them do you wear more than once a year? Are you sick of spending huge dollars on shoes and then discovering they hurt your feet or cause you to stagger rather than swagger? NEWSFLASH   It doesn’t have to be. Discover the Shoe Shopping Habits and Hot Shoe Topics which will revolutionize your shoe wardrobe and your credit card balance. You CAN choose Great Footwear every time you purchase.

Best Shoe Shopping Habits

1. Never shoe shop in a hurry
2. Never shoe shop when hungry
3. Never shoe shop in the morning
4. Walk up and down in the shop at least 4 times, preferably not on carpet
5. Try on more than one pair
6. Try on both the left and right shoe, your feet may be different
7. Focus on toes, sole and heel in turn. If something hurts, these are not the shoes for you
8. Don’t be distracted by the chatty sales assistant If you are not sure, DON’T BUY

Hot Choosing Great Shoe Topics

1. Preferred Shoe Features
2. Shoe Fit Disasters
3. Shoe Styles matched to Lifestyle Activities

Preferred Shoe Features

Choosing a shoe, sandal or boot is often about how we feel. Perhaps we had better start with what a shoe is all about. What are the core components of the shoe. Being familiar with what makes up a shoe, will help you focus in on what is feeling good or not so good.

• Sole          Barrier to uneven, sharp walking surfaces and temperature extremes
• Mid Sole   Provides shock absorption on hard surfaces
• Toe Box    Protects from front-end impacts from ahead or above
• Upper       Supports structure of foot and shields from unwanted forces
• Lining        Protects foot from internal seams and joins
• Heel Counter    Stabilizes foot position at heel strike
• Fastenings        Enables adjustment to reduce in-shoe movement and increase step certainty

Shoe Fit Disasters

At risk of pointing out the obvious, there are usually quite simple reasons why some of our footwear choices result in a crowded shoe cupboard.  Our brains, feet, backs and legs somehow remember that there is a problem with the shoe. We often can’t recall the exact circumstance, but I believe that our subconscious remembers. The shoe, sandal or boot that you have only worn once , and then never worn again  will probably fit into one of the following categories.

Tight Shoes               Change toe position and shape

Loose shoes              Cause blisters and reduce foot and leg stability on uneven surfaces

High heels                  Contribute to Calf muscle shortening, heel pain and ankle injury

Unfastened Shoes      Regularly lead to painful overuse injuries of the forefoot

Worn Out Shoes            Not good on so may levels

Shoe styles matched to Lifestyle Activities

Sports            Features including shock absorption, rebound, arch support, rearfoot stability, flexibility, weight are built into medium and top end footwear. The features are designed to improve the user experience and enhance performance and reduce foot and lower limb injury. Is there a case for barefoot sports?

Safety            Construction, Mining and Agriculture have the highest rates of foot injuries in Australia. The UK and the USA have similar problems. Footwear manufacturers have improved the features of Toe Box protection, Thermal resistance, Shock absorption and overall foot support. The improvements have been made in the medium to high end products.

Endurance     Many occupations require long periods of standing on hard surfaces over many years. Nursing, retail, teaching, for example. I believe the cumulative effect on the feet and legs is difficult to counteract with footwear, with many participants withdrawing from active roles as a direct result of foot pain. Investing in shoes with features normally associated with high performance athletes MAY improve the longevity of endurance careers.

Fashion       The appearance of our feet, legs and our footwear is intertwined with self worth, vanity, social expectations, consumerism and ideals of beauty. Women, traditionally, suffer greater foot pain and foot injury at the hands of fashion. The feet of men, increasingly, are suffering also. Perhaps moderation is the most that a Podiatrist can ask for?

In order to choose great footwear a number of elements need to be in play. The savvy shoe shopper will take into consideration Shoe Features, potential Shoe Fit disasters, Shoe Styles that match lifestyle activities. Choosing Great Footwear will help your body and your credit card feel so much better.

Updated June 2021