Correctly fitting shoes are not only comfortable to wear, but also ensure your feet aren’t caused any damage by unwanted rubbing or other problems. But how can you tell if your shoes fit correctly?
During childhood, children’s feet are measured regularly, so parents are always know when their kids feet have grown and what size to buy.
Once we reach adulthood, the whole foot measuring issue usually subsides and it’s taken for granted that we should know what size our feet are and that they’ll stay that size for life.
It’s a good theory, but in fact our feet can change in size and shape for various reasons as we get older, so we don’t always stay exactly the same size.
If possible, it’s worthwhile getting your feet measured from time to time to check their size and width.
Some specialist shoe shops still offer this service and will do so for you, whereas other shoe shops with an online presence will send out free measuring guides to customers.
This latter approach isn’t always 100% accurate, but does serve as a useful guide to measurements.
Once you know your measurements, you’ll not only be in a better position to tell if your current shoes fit well, but you’ll also be keyed up for when you want to buy new shoes.
One useful point to note is that if you’re wearing second-hand shoes, they may not fit you well, even if they’re your usual size.
That’s because shoes take on the shape of the previous person who’s worn them, so they may not mould to you foot so well.
Signs That Your Shoes are an Incorrect Fit
There are various useful signs you can look out for that indicate that your shoes don’t fit properly. These shouldn’t be ignored, as an incorrect fit worn over a long period could damage the health of your feet, as well as cause sore points, rubbed areas and general discomfort.
Your toes are squashed up. If you can feel the end of your shoe or boot and your toes are all squashed up inside, you’re likely to be wearing a size too small.
With correctly fitting footwear, there should be a bit of space and you shouldn’t be able to feel the end of the shoe.
Your shoes gape at the sides as you walk. This is a sign that your shoes could be too wide for your feet and you could do with a different fitting.
Not all adult shoes come in different fittings these days, but if you’ve got a particularly narrow or wide foot, it’s worthwhile looking out for manufacturers who produce shoes designed for your particular foot issue.
Your feet easily come out of the shoes as you walk. For women who find it hard to keep their shoes on when they walk and the shoes are always sliding around and feeling like they may fall off, this could well be a sign that the shoes are actually too big.
Your bunions are being made worse or you’ve got rubbed areas on other areas of your feet. It’s not fun if your feet are constantly rubbing on your shoe and problems such as bunions are made worse.
As much as you may love the shoes in question, this could be a sign that they’re not a good fit for you.
Shoes should be comfortable and enjoyable to wear, so if you’ve got discomfort, it’s time to take a closer look at your shoes and evaluate whether they’re really the correct fir for your feet!
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