Shoes play a vital role in how our feet function. Whether you are a runner, sportsperson or just involved in day-to-day activities, the right shoe for the job is vitally important. As members of The Society of Shoe Fitters and with extensive experience in working with sports footwear of all kinds, we provide a comprehensive footwear assessment process starting from measuring your feet properly and progressing to recommendations with regards to the best shoe attributes for your activity.
Approximately 75% of women and 35% of men are wearing the wrong size shoe. This could equally be shoes that are too big as well as too small and either situation can contribute to issues and, even, inefficiency in sports such as running. Therefore, where relevant, the new patient assessment process always involves foot size measurement and day-to-day as well as sports footwear will be assessed and advised about.
Running shoe technology in particular has never changed as rapidly as it has in the last few years. There is a lot that we know about the benefits of some technologies and a lot that we don’t. When dealing with running injuries in particular, it is often the case that the style and function of the shoe has to be taken into account and recommendations will be made about shoe attributes that may help (such as type and level of cushioning or difference between the height of the sole at the heel of the shoe and at the front of the shoe ie the ‘drop’) but we do not ‘prescribe’ running shoes as they are a mass-produced item that will fit and function differently on each person. When running shoes need to be changed as part of the treatment plan, we will advise on what attributes will be of benefit, what fitting is appropriate and then we will provide you with this information in order to visit an appropriate retailer to try the shoes on and see what works best for you.