By: Michael Daigle, Canadian Certified Pedorthist

I grew up with a father who always said to buy good shoes and a good bed because when you’re not in one you’re in the other. In fact when I was in high school and working part time at the Save-Easy grocery store my dad accompanied me to the local haberdashery to buy footwear. I remember he split the cost of $150.00 for a pair of Clark’s Polyveldt sole shoes. A lot of money for shoes in 1970! They were high cut shoes almost like a chukka and they lasted for several years until I had completed college. In fact the technology was ground breaking; the uppers were still in great shape even after I had worn the outsoles through to the soft foam.

My dad wore Hartt shoes for years and told us that you never regret buying good quality footgear because they may be resoled. Sometimes they can be.

Today the development of soling materials has expanded to include many EVA foams, polyurethane (PU) and different rubber combinations proprietary to each of the big brands. Leather remains the best material for shoe uppers but the linings usually are synthetic material designed to absorb perspiration. Nowadays most footgear is meant to be throwaway; they last until the heels wear out then are cast in the garbage or recycling bin.

Here’s what to look for:

First of all go to a reputable shoe store where the sales staff has training in proper shoe fitting. They should have a Brannock device in the store to measure both feet as one is always larger. This device will measure the width as well, in a standing weight bearing position, with socks on. With this guide the fitter will determine which sizes to try on. There is no universal sizing anymore, so a size 7 in one brand may be size 8 in another, and often is. In athletic shoes there are usually 4 different world sizes, U.S. (which is what we use), British, Europe, and Japanese.

Your feet will be larger at night than in the morning so shop for footwear late in the day.

Shoes should have a wide and deep toe box and should feel good at the fitting. German footwear has an oblique toe box; a square shape front which accommodates feet better.

Another favourable quality is they should have a strong heel counter. This is the stiffness in the heel area which holds your foot in an upright position.

Shoes must be torsionally strong too, which means they will not twist easily, and should not bend in the middle of the arch area.

Most footwear should have a rocker sole, not to be confused with a rocker bottom, a rocker sole is actually a rocker forefoot, where the toe is bent up off the floor. High end hiking boots have this feature and are usually quite stiff. This reduces foot and ankle fatigue throughout a days walking on uneven ground. Runners are always rockered for forward motion. As a pedorthist I can add this feature in a modification to any shoe to off load forefoot pain or ankle fusion.

Remember too that laces are better than slip on for support.

And finally all footgear should have a removable liner to make them more versatile so that a custom orthotic or OTC insole may replace it.