Getting a Good Fit with your Shoes

Without properly fitting shoes or boots, your feet will encounter many problems that can initiate many others. If your footwear is too loose, your feet will slide around, creating friction. If your footwear is too tight in certain areas, your feet will experience excessive pressure. Wearing too loose or tight footwear will change the biomechanics of your foot strike, which in turn will affect your gait and throw off your whole stride and balance. This will stress your tendons and ligaments. When your feet and toes are pinched in too-tight shoes with socks that make the fit even tighter, the blood circulation is reduced. To top it all off, you will endure aches and /or pain, and will be more tired from dealing with all of the above. Sounds like fun, right? So what are some of the things to watch for when trying on shoes? Here are my favorite tips:

·        Try on and fully lace both shoes.

·        The shoes should feel comfortable. You should feel no discomfort in any part of the shoe’s fit.

·        Feel around the inside of the shoe for rough spots where the parts of the uppers are stitched together.

·        Your feet should have some room to breathe and swell.

·        Your toes should have plenty of room to move and wiggle, and the toebox should not be too short in height or length. Aim for at least 1⁄2 inch to 1 inch of space between your longest toe and the front interior of the shoe.

·        The tops of your feet should not be pinched when the shoes are laced properly.

·        Be sure the shoe’s counter (the part that wraps around your ankle and heel) does not rub your foot wrong. Your heels should be snug in the heel counter of the shoe and should have little up and down movement. There should be a firm grip of the shoe to your heel, but not too firm.

·        The arch of each foot should be supported, but the shoe arch should not be too high, or too far backward or forward, for your foot type.

·        The shoes’ shape (last) should be comfortable and not overly curved or straight for your foot type.

·        The shoes should fit well with the same type of socks you will be wearing in your training and/or race event.

·        The shoes should flex well for the type of terrain you will encounter and at the right point of your foot. This will help provide support to your ankles and prevent uncomfortable heel to toe transition or pinching of the toes.

·        The shoes should provide adequate protection for the bottom of your feet from rocks and uneven terrain.

·        The fit of the shoe should come from the shoes themselves, not from tying the laces.

·        The laces should stay tied the way you like them without coming undone.

·        The shoes should have outersoles for the type of event or race you will be doing.

·        If the insoles that come in the shoe are weak and flimsy, replace them when you are buying the shoes—get a pair that provides support and cushioning.

·        If you will be using orthotics or special insoles, make sure they fit in the shoes without pushing your feet too high in the shoes’ uppers or too far forward.

Comments

[helena marciochi]

i have an expensive pair of shoes that now fit me somewhat too large. is there something that i can purchase that will benefit me for a better fit?

thank you
helena

[michael jones]

That is really essential information for good foot care! Thank you for the nice post!

[Susan]

I agree that it is important to have the arch of the shoe match the arch of the foot ("not too far back or forward") as you say. My problem is that my foot is shaped funny, with short toes and the arch forward, so the arch of shoes tend to be too far back to help. Do you recommend any products that could help me adjust shoes so that my arch has some support?