When it comes to a good pair of shoes, too many people are determined to choose style over comfort. Which begs the question, what is meant by the phrase, “a good pair of shoes”?
Shoes that fit well go a long way toward promoting healthy feet. Foot experts say that the average person takes anywhere from five to seven thousand steps every day, and the foot absorbs most of the impact. To a comfortable, well-fitting pair of shoes is extremely important. It takes about two thousand steps to walk a single mile, but in doing so we put about sixty three tons of pressure on each foot. And that’s just walking: imagine how much greater that pressure is when you run, or play high-impact sports like tennis or basketball.
Like so many things, when it comes to a good-fitting pair of shoes, what works for one person isn’t going to work for someone else. The ideal shoe fit is one that fit’s the strike and arch area of the foot. “Strike” refers to the way the foot falls when it hits the grounding as you walk. A good way to see what your foot strike is like is to examine the heels of an older pair of shoes to see how and where the heel wears. A shoe heel that wears more on the outside is called supinated. In cases of a supinated foot a podiatrist may recommend specific types of footwear, or shoe inserts that can be used with any pair of shoes.
Edward A Filcheck is a podiatrist who is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Shoes that fit well go a long way toward promoting healthy feet. Foot experts say that the average person takes anywhere from five to seven thousand steps every day, and the foot absorbs most of the impact. To a comfortable, well-fitting pair of shoes is extremely important. It takes about two thousand steps to walk a single mile, but in doing so we put about sixty three tons of pressure on each foot. And that’s just walking: imagine how much greater that pressure is when you run, or play high-impact sports like tennis or basketball.
Like so many things, when it comes to a good-fitting pair of shoes, what works for one person isn’t going to work for someone else. The ideal shoe fit is one that fit’s the strike and arch area of the foot. “Strike” refers to the way the foot falls when it hits the grounding as you walk. A good way to see what your foot strike is like is to examine the heels of an older pair of shoes to see how and where the heel wears. A shoe heel that wears more on the outside is called supinated. In cases of a supinated foot a podiatrist may recommend specific types of footwear, or shoe inserts that can be used with any pair of shoes.
Edward A Filcheck is a podiatrist who is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.