Our feet have a rough time: in an average lifetime, they carry us the equivalent of four times around the Earth. What a performance! Yet we give them less attention than they deserve and we rarely wear the best shoes for our feet. Many people have a hard time finding the right shoe – and eventually end up with the wrong pair. However, bad fitting shoes can seriously damage the foot’s muscles and even our entire musculoskeletal system. So, make your shoes fit perfectly, with insoles made by pedag.
Let’s start with one of the most important rules when buying shoes: Never buy shoes that are too small! They constrict your foot and your toes so that your foot cannot move naturally. Furthermore, wearing shoes that squeeze your toes, can cause deformities on the long run. By the way: it is not only small shoes that squeeze your feet, it is also tight socks. Especially when wearing outdoor and tracking shoes, make sure that you are wearing well-fitting high-quality socks.
When trying on shoes, make sure that there is enough room for your toes to wiggle and that your foot is still able to move naturally. There should be between 10 and 15 millimeters of space (0.4 to 0.6 inches) between your longest toe and the end of the shoe.
When to buy shoes
There is a time for everything, also for buying shoes. The best time to try on shoes is in the afternoon as feet tend to swell during the day. Try to avoid buying shoes late in the evening or early in the morning:
- shoes that you have bought in the evening could result being too big the next morning,
- shoes that you have bought in the morning could end up being too small in the evening.
When trying on shoes, you should always take your time and leave them on for some minutes. When buying shoes online you can try them on as many times as you want. So use the opportunity and try them at different times of the day.
Another important parameter when buying shoes: the width. Shoes must support the foot at its widest part (which is the ball of the foot), but never constrict or squeeze it. When trying on shoes, walk around and take your time – also when you are in a shoe store. And always try on the shoes with all kinds of socks you are planning to wear them with.
How to make big/wide shoes fit
It is very hard to find perfect fitting shoes. Many people observe that shoes of their size result being too narrow, the next bigger size, however, is wide enough but too long. In this case never buy the smaller shoe! Shoes that are slightly too big can be adapted to your feet inserting a half insole, a full insole or a foot support.
pedag insoles are available in different thicknesses – there will be (almost) no shoe problem they cannot solve. The barefoot insole pedag Bamboo Deo is the thinnest of our insoles, perfect for light ballet flats. A little bit thicker – and therefore more cushioning – is the terry cloth insole pedag Deo Fresh.
By the way: our insoles and foot supports are also ideal when you have differently sized feet.
And what about high heels? When wearing high heels you should always make sure that your forefoot fits well into the shoe and that the shoe does not slip at the back. If this happens, your toes try to get grip and eventually cramp. In the long run, this can lead to serious foot deformities. Use heel cushions or heel grips made of gel or soft leather for a better grip and fit in your shoes.
pedag. There are no bad fitting shoes!
