General Footwear Advice

To help you prevent dysfunctions of the foot

Our feet are the most neglected and ignored part of our body, especially as they are contained within shoes all day. Once your feet are symptomatic and painful, then they become a priority as foot pain can be debilitating and can affect your daily life.

Pain is a signal that something is wrong and chiropody, defined as “the assessment, treatment, and prevention of disorders, diseases and dysfunctions of the foot”, can help with your foot troubles.

A healthy foot is one that takes you through your daily activities without pain, and if your feet hurt the quality of your life goes down.

Proper foot care can help you avoid more serious problems and can improve your mobility and function.  Just as taking your car in for regular tune ups and fixing problems early can prevent more costly repairs, the same principles apply to regular, professional foot care!

One of the most effective tools of foot pain prevention is proper footwear.  Your daily routine causes a great deal of strain on your feet.  An average day of walking brings a force equal to several hundred tons of pressure to bear on your feet.  The best way to protect your feet is to have proper fitting and appropriate shoe gear.  Some tips on buying:

  • Don’t buy shoes that require a “break-in period”. Shoes should be comfortable immediately.

  • Shop for footwear at the end of the day to accommodate for normal swelling.

  • If you have orthotics, bring them with you and try them on with the prospective shoe gear.

  • Buy sport appropriate shoe gear, for example, if you are playing on a basketball team, buy basketball shoes.

Pain located in the shoulders, back, hips, knees and ankles can all result from the feet continually putting your body out of alignment.  “Your feet are your body’s base of support and if the foot comes into contact with the ground at an irregular angle, then the rest of the joints, following up the kinetic chain of the body, will follow that irregular angle – Orthotic devices or shoe inserts are designed to control some of this irregularity and alleviate the painful symptoms associated with the mal-alignment.”

Michelangelo called the foot, “a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art”, but it seems the design was not built to last, at least not on high heels, asphalt and concrete that is the norm of today.  Recent health-related studies show the 75 percent of Canadians will experience foot problems at some point in their lives.  Millions of abused, calloused, deformed feet are walking through life in pain and discomfort.*

Contact David Allison to discuss appropriate footwear, shoe inserts and other orthopaedic devices.

* Source of General Footwear Advice: Ontario Society of Chiropodists