4 Tips for Getting the Right Footwear
One of the most important steps you can take to ensure proper foot and ankle health is to get accurately sized and fitted footwear. Correcting alignment problems of feet and ankles using custom orthotics improves spinal alignment, and as a result, improves issues with the knees, hips, and back as well.
Find the perfect fit with these footwear tips:
1) Try on shoes at the end of the day. It is best to try on footwear later in the day. Your feet tend to expand throughout the day. You will get a better fit if you try on footwear when your feet are at their maximum width and length.
2) Footwear should be comfortable and supportive—Your footwear should provide support and cushion, and provide enough space for orthotic inserts for arch and metatarsal dome support. These inserts treat and prevent many conditions, including flat feet, sesamoiditis, and neuromas, to name a few.
3) Choose breathable fibers—Shoes made with breathable fibers like canvas and GoreTex help moisture to evaporate, decreasing the growth of microbes that cause bacterial, viral, and fungal infections.
4) Get a computerized gait analysis—Your foot doctor can determine your foot type and whether you have pronation problems by performing a walking gait analysis.
You can make sure that you get the right footwear with the help of your foot care professional. The foot experts at Desert Podiatric Medical Specialists, in the Tucson, Oro Valley, and Green Valley areas of Pima County Arizona, have unparalleled experience in treating all aspects of foot and ankle care. Our team of doctors: Christopher M. Funk, D.P.M., FACFAS, Bradley A. Whitaker, D.P.M., FACFAS, and Peter C. Merrill, D.P.M., AACFAS, is dedicated to serving you with state-of-the-art, cutting edge medical technologies including the PinPointe FootLaser, custom-fitted orthotics, and Radial Pulse Therapy (RPT) for chronic foot, heel, or ankle pain. If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment, please call (520) 575-0800.
