4 Ways To Be Sure Your Shoe Fits

It’s time to slip your foot into a brand new shoe – how do you make sure the shoe fits?

1. Length: when standing in a shoe (with the shoes laced up), try to slide forward and back in the shoe.

Tip: You should not be able to slide more than about ½ inch.

2. Heel: standing in the shoe (with the shoes laced up), try to slide your heel up and out.

Tip: You should not be able to do this

3. Toe Box: you should be able to wiggle your toes comfortably

4. Width: No redness on the inside of your big toe or outside edge of little toe joints

Tip: If you have calluses on these areas, your current shoes may not be wide enough

Of note, the size of your foot changes based on time of day/activity, so trying on shoes around the time of your normal activity may be beneficial for you.

The stiffness/flexibility of your shoes may also make a big difference in the comfort of your shoes. This is based off your individual foot type.

BONUS: 4 Reasons to Change Your Shoes

Not sure when you should change your shoes?

These 4 points are good guidelines:

Soreness in feet

After 300-500 miles

Avid runners may need to change every 3-6 months, 8-12 months is typical

Creases/wrinkles in the foam of your shoes

For any assistance with shoe fittings or assessing foot types, some running stores offer evaluations, or physical therapists are able to help you evaluate your feet and movements to pick the best shoe for you. A future post will help you determine which shoe types may be best for you and your training.

We hope this helps! If you have any questions or if you would like to read about certain topics, feel free to send up an email at TeamSP@SportsPerformancePT.com.

Wishing you comfortable feet!

-Dr. Luke