Selecting the “right shoes” is an important task. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid and some easy tests that may help you evaluate which shoe to select for yourself. Firstly, make sure that whatever shoe you are wearing fits you properly. There should be ample room in the toe box area and the shoe should be long enough and wide enough for your foot. It is estimated that only 10 % of the people are wearing the correct shoe size. Keep in mind that as we age, our feet GROW! Secondly, remember to eliminate and stop wearing shoes that are “worn out”. Shoes with worn soles, treads or stretched out toe boxes cannot provide proper support and/or protection. Worn out shoes can cause damage to the feet and ankles, as well as knees and lower back.
In most cases the most stable shoe that fits you appropriately is the best shoe for you to wear. When checking the stability of the shoe, you can do three easy tests.
- Try to bend the shoe in half. The shoe should bend slightly at the ball of the foot and NOT the halfway point of the shoe.
- Twist the shoe from side to side. The shoe should stay fairly straight
- Try to bend the back of the shoe at the heel counter. The sides should NOT touch.
Many shoe companies make good stable shoes:
- Vionic – vionicshoes.com
- Brooks (Ghost, Adrenaline) – brooksrunning.com
- Hoka (Bondi, Clifton, Gortex options) – hokaoneone.com
- Dansko – dansko.com
- Merrell – merrell.com
- Alegria – alegria.com
- New Balance (Use 600 model or higher) – newbalance.com
- Naot – naot.com
- Fly London – flylondon.com
