The key to any good (well-made and supportive) shoe is that fits! No, we are not simply talking about your size being correct. A shoe should be fitting for it’s purpose, your lifestyle, as well as your foot size, shape and structure. Canadian Certified Pedorthists study footwear extensively and are also skilled in making modifications to shoes to better fit someone’s foot.
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Symptoms
When a shoe does not fit appropriately, areas of friction and pressure are present and can cause foot pain, redness, callusing, corns and wounds. This can be more pronounced in populations with wide feet, bunions, high insteps, fat pad atrophy, hammer toes, diabetes, and other conditions.
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Causes
Although a number of conditions and structural/mechanical pathologies can put one at risk for footwear rubbing, on the outside of the foot, it is bunionettes or wide feet that typically cause the problem. In both cases, ensuring shoes have a wide toebox is crucial. A footcare clinician will not only measure your foot length, but also measure your foot width. Shoes that are too big or too small can both cause issues. Additionally, certain materials are less forgiving than others. For example, “jelly shoes” create redness and pain for most people because the material is stiff and sticks to the foot, causing friction and pressure. Shoe style is important as well, because the shape and depth of the toebox can create problems if not roomy enough. In general, slip on shoes and pointy-toe heels should be avoided.
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Treatment
Where redness on the foot is observed when removing your shoes, it may be time to visit a footcare clinician to understand where the challenge lies. Addressing a bad shoe fit is timely as corns, calluses and wounds will likely appear quickly. Foot pain relief accessories can be found at BioPed to protect tender spots while wearing shoes – for example, silicone toe sleeves to protect hammertoes and bunion sleeves or toe separators to address alignment or bony bump pain. Choosing a shoe that fits is best case scenario, but sometimes shoes need to be modified or stretched to fit well. Ultimately, you should be properly fitted for your footwear by a clinician and not a retail sales associate. They would look at your gait pattern, joint mobility and shoe wear patterns to help you stay comfortable. Certain mechanical or structural conditions might require an orthotic but this is not always the case. If off-the-shelf footwear is not suitable for you, a clinician can cast your feet for a custom-made shoe.
