Avoid Foot Pain with the Right Footwear
Lost of people suffer from foot problems for one main reason. Ill fitting shoes.
Blisters, neuromas and aching joints will all be alleviated by footwear that fits. Well fitting shoes should support the feet and how they function hence it is important to choose shoes that fit well.
In the course of an average day we will each walk around 10,000 steps and each time the foot hits the ground it must withstand the concentrated weight of your whole body. Our feet must adapt, as we walk, to varied terrains and surfaces. Each foot will then become tense in order to support the body as we move forward. Various shoe designs exist in order to support this cycle. For example, walking shoes will often have very strong rigid soles that are good for even the roughest terrain.
One thing that many people overlook when buying shoes is how much their feet can swell during the day. The main cause of swelling is gravity. If you spend your working day on your feet you will know how much your feet can swell during the day. As fluids build up in your feet your shoes will become increasingly tight and uncomfortable. This can be alleviated by putting your feet up periodically throughout the day.
Obviously, if your shoes are already tight they wil only get tighter and increasingly uncomfortable as the day progresses. Shoes that are simply too small are guaranteed to give you pain. It is therefore important to get your feet measured and accurately sized. This raises another point to remember when shopping for shoes: your feet are smaller in the morning so be sure to make an allowance for swelling. As a guideline try to allow about a fingers width of space in front of your big toe inside the shoes.
Many people prefer to carry out their clothes and shoe shopping online these days. Not trying on shoes before buying them can lead to problems as sizes can vary greatly between manufacturers. The trick is to try on the shoes that you want in a shoe store before buying them online. This may not be popular with your local shoe stores but you can be more confident that, when your shoes arrive, they will fit.
A well fitted pair of shoes should never need to be worn in. If they fit properly and they are right for what you want to do in them then they should be comfortable.
Choosing the right shoes for the right job is imperative. It would be mad to attempt a marathon in a pair of six inch stilettos. Simply standing in a pair of six inch stillettos is more than I could ever do. But shoes like these have their place. If you spend all day on your feet then choose comfortable, ideally flat lace up shoes that are generously sized.
A form of footwear that has become ubiquitous in recent years is, of course, trainers and skate shoes. These sports shoes come in a whole host of styles, some specialized for certain activities like jogging on city streets or skateboarding. Vans shoes and DC shoes are two notable brands with an excellent reputation for robustness, comfort and long life. I’m a great lover of trainers and will probably be wearing a pair when I finally shuffle off this mortal coil. There are so many cool styles and colors available today that you shouldn’t have any trouble finding some that not only fit well but look great.
- Tags: footwear, shoes, skate shoes, sports shoes