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Ask An Expert

Shoe Buying Tips

Carolyn E. McAloon

Carolyn E. McAloon, DPM

SEBMF HMO Network

Eden Medical Center

Question:

What tips should I follow when I'm shopping for shoes?

Answer:

Here are my shoe buying tips:
  • Have your feet measured while you're standing. As adults our bones don't grow longer, but as we mature our ligaments loosen and our feet splay, especially following pregnancy. So our shoe size will increase over our lifetime. Remember you usually need to go up a half size in your running shoes.
  • Always try on both shoes and walk around the store. If they don't feel good now, DON'T BUY THEM. They won't feel better later when you are wearing them all day.
  • Always buy your shoes the size of your larger foot; feet are seldom precisely the same size.
  • Shop for shoes later in the day as feet tend to swell during the day and it's best to be fitted while they are in that state.
  • Be sure that shoes fit well—front, back, and sides—to distribute weight. It sounds elementary, but be sure the widest part of your foot corresponds to the widest part of the shoe.
  • Select a shoe with a leather upper, stiff heel counter, appropriate cushioning, good arch support, and flexibility at the ball of the foot. You should not be able to bend or twist the shoe in half. Keep the heel height below 2 inches.
  • Buy shoes that don't pinch your toes, either at the tips, or across the toe box.
  • Try on shoes while you're wearing the same type of socks or stockings you expect to wear with the shoes.
  • If you wear prescription orthotics—biomechanical inserts prescribed by your podiatrist—you should take them along to shoe fittings.
  • If you are finding it hard to locate comfortable shoes, consider a visit to your podiatrist for an evaluation of your foot type and bring the shoes you wear most often for inspection.

  • Happy, healthy shopping!

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