Most of the time your feet take a beating without you even realizing it. Often, it's not until you feel pain that you begin to consider the health of your feet.

It is getting close to that time of year again – BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING! We all know how active children can be, and with all that activity chances are you've got new shoes on your shopping list. Let's work together to make sure those shoes are the right fit for your little ones foot type.

Shoes come in all different sizes and shapes. So how can you tell if the SHOE fits YOU? 

Well tip number 1 that most people don't realize is you should always go shoe shopping in the evening. This is because our feet have become tired from the day's activities and tend to expand. The expansion comes from stretched ligaments and tendons as well as over worked muscles. Therefore by shopping while your feet have expanded, you decrease the chances of buying a shoe that is too tight. 

It is not that uncommon to have one foot bigger than the other. Infact, it has been reported that differing foot size occurs in 60% of the population. If this is the case for you, always fit your shoes to the bigger foot.

Many people are also unaware that shoes come in different widths. We do not want a shoe that fits too tight. This can cause unnecessary irritation, blisters, callus, nail damage, wounds and more. So how do we know what width we are? Well, shoe length and width go hand in hand (or should I say foot in foot). Infact, proper shoe length is also dependent on arch length. All of this is made easy by using a Brannock Device. You may not have recognized the name, but it's the shoe fitting you've probably seen in your local shoe store. This device can help make sure you are being fitted correctly before you buy your shoes.

The following is how-to guide for using a Brannock device. Most shoe personelle should be able to fit you correctly. If not, the following directions will help. You are also more then welcome to come into the office and we will help get you the correct dimensions and size.

1. Make sure your foot is properly aligned in the device, your heel should be all the way back. The foot you've placed in the Brannock should correlate with the label shown on the device.
2. Stand up! All measurements should be done standing or weight bearing.
3. Measure your Heel-to-Toe length and record it (e.g. right foot size 9). Note that there is a size for men and a size for women. Make sure you're conscious of this as you track down your size. The first line in front of your big toe is your Heel-to-Toe length.
4. Measure arch length  - this is done by placing sliding arm A at the ball of the foot. Record this length (e.g. right foot size 10).
5. As you will notice the Heel-to-Toe length is 9, where as the arch height is 10. THEREFORE, you should fit the bigger number of the two. In this case, our correct shoe size would be a 10.
6. Next we measure the width. This is done sliding arm B to the outside of the foot. (if you have a HIGH instep or arch then LIGHTLY press the outside of the foot with sliding arm B. If you have a LOW instep or arch FIRMLY press to outside of foot). The width correlates with the length. When arm B is in the correct position, you locate the length of the foot. The corresponding letter above is your shoe WIDTH (eg. width is a D)
7. Measure the other foot following the steps listed above.
8. Overall, the patient above should be looking for a shoe size of 10 and width D. 

As you can see there are many different components to measuring your foot, and they are all needed to find the correct shoe for you and your children! Remember the shoe should also feel comfortable, dont sacrifice a comfortable shoe for style.

I hope this helps you find a back to school shoe that perfectly fits your feet! Check back soon for another post to help you learn more.

Matthew Doyle DCh