It is inevitable that one day we have to take that first step to purchase footwear to guard our feet from the toils of the man-made roads of the world. But basing our choices on cost, look or promotions is not entirely the way to go. There are many factors to choosing footwear, they are as follows:
1. WHAT FOR?
What is the shoe for? Will it be worn for walking, shopping, running, footy, clubbing or dancing? Because the density of the sole of the shoe which is most likely made by EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate – ‘FOAM RUBBER’) which can be made to be more dense (firmer sole) or softer (cushioning) to suit the purpose of the shoe.
2. FOOT TYPE?
There are basically 3 foot types.
But how do we work it which foot type we are? We could go to “The Athlete’s Foot”, who would make you ambulate on their pressure analysis machine, although it does provide good data but it’d be incomplete. A global way would be to consult with a Podiatrist who would assess your walking/running technique with your activity and history of injuries.
A home foot type test is simple. You need to check two things, the wearing of your shoe and your footprint.
SHOE WEARING:
Turn your common shoes and have a look at the bottom sole of the shoe and determine what type of ‘wearing’ you have on the sole.
FOOT PRINT:
You could use paint or mud to figure this out, but for simplicity’s sake, I’d recommend using water. Wet your feet with water outside on concrete and (safely) walk on the concrete forabout 2 metres and assess using Foot Type image above.
3. SHOE FEATURES
Once you’ve determined your foot type, check with this image below, what foot type and the recommended shoe type is.
Grant Duong, Podiatry
At the Triumph Institute located in the heart of Bankstown, Sydney we also practice podiatry. It’s a medical field that specialises in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of problems and issues that affect the lower limbs, from the lower back right down to our feet.
