Choosing a Good Shoe

Choosing footwear can be very difficult. They can be the cause and treatment for many different lower limb problems. Their role is to protect and support our feet. Important features that good shoes should have include:

Enclosed

Having laces or a velcro strap that is firm across the top of the foot is important in preventing slipping of the shoe and reduces the workload of your muscles. Slippage can cause the muscles in your lower limb work harder to keep you in the shoe on leading to pain and tightness. This unwanted movement can also contribute to blisters, hard skin, corns, bunions and hammer and mallet toes.

FIRM HEEL COUNTER

A firm heel counter on the shoe provides stability. It can reduce the amount of rolling in (pronation) that the foot undertakes. It also helps to hold the shoe onto the foot securely.

REASONABLY THICK SOLE

Shock absorption and cushioning is very important . A thin sole provides little protection and padding to the foot. Potential problems that may arise with a thin soles shoe include nerve irritation and corns.

ADEQUATE TOE BOX LENGTH

A shoes must accommodate the toes by allowing enough room for them. As a general rule, your shoe should be 5-8mm longer than your longest toe. There is the potential of nail damage to occur if there is not enough room in the end of the shoe. This includes blackening or thickening of the toenails. In addition corns, callus and digital deformities can arise if the toes are too cramped.

ADEQUATE TOE BOX DEPTH AND WIDTH

The toe box of the shoe needs to be deep enough and wide enough to accommodate deformities such as bunions and hammer toes. Narrow or pointed toe boxes can cause bunions, corns, callous and ingrown toenails.

SLIGHT HEEL

A completely flat shoe can cause as many problems as a high heel. The shoe should have a slight increase in height at the heel to aid with normal walking. Low heels can cause problems with the Achilles tendon and high heels can cause ball of the foot problems.

GOOD TORSIONAL STABILITY

The sole of the shoe needs to be stable and rigid.They shoes should only bend at the toe joints where the foot bends at the end of the gait. You should not be able to twist the sole of the shoe onto itself. Bending in the middle of the shoe reduces its stability.