Get Square With Your Feet

by Dorothy Foltz-Gray
Reprinted from Arthritis Today

Boot Camp
The most important thing you can do for your feet – whether affected by arthritis or not – is to wear shoes that fit, feel comfortable and don’t hurt. But picking the right shoe isn’t always easy. Below are some tips for sizing up the best pair.

• Buy shoes shaped like your foot. “Trace the shoes on a piece of paper,” suggests Arnold Ravick, a podiatrist in Washington, D.C. “Put your bare foot on top of the tracing. If your toes stick outside, you’ve got a problem.” Look for shoes squared or rounded at the toe so your toes have room to move.
• Shop for support. That means no mules or slip-ins, says orthopaedic specialist and physical therapist Sharon Feldmann. “Get a shoe with good arch support and a supportive layer on the top of the shoe – such as an athletic shoe.”
• Go for the rubber sole. The rubber will give you more cushion, says physical therapist Anastasia Willis. “Check to make sure the shoe is flexible at the ball of your foot, where you push off, not in the middle of the shoe.”
• Leave a finger’s width of room. “If you can’t stick your finger in between your heel and the back of the shoe,” says Ravick, “the shoe’s too tight.”

• Skip the high heels. A three-inch heel stresses your foot seven times more than a one-inch heel. And your toes are frozen in place. You might as well be in a cast.