swelling of the first metatarsal joint (the “ball” of the foot). In more
extreme cases, inspection of your shoe will reveal wear and tear,
inside and out, as a result of the nail or front of the toe trying to push
out of the shoe, sometimes causing a hole in the shoe.
Looking inside the shoe helps diagnose the problem. If you have
a removable insole, take it out and study it. Look at the wear pattern
(especially the indentation made from the toes), and see if the areas
compressed by the toes are not completely on the insert, as they
should be. Toes that overlap the top of the insert obviously indicate a
too-small shoe.
The importance of proper-fitting shoes can’t be overemphasized.
Here are some tips on finding an ideal-fitting shoe.
Always measure your foot when buying shoes. After a certain
age, many people don’t have their feet measured when buying new
shoes, since they don’t realize their size could have changed. As a
result, the same shoe size is worn for years, or even decades.
Have both feet measured by a competent shoe-store salesperson,
in a standing position on a hard floor. Do this at the end of the day,
since most people’s feet are slightly larger then, compared to the
morning. (Of course, any meaningful daily size fluctuations must be
differentiated from serious health problems, such as edema and cer-
tain pathological changes.) Use these sizes only as a gauge — the
devices used for this measurement are consistent, but the sizes
marked in the shoes aren’t. A size 9 from one company may be more
like an 8 from another. Don’t buy shoes by their size but how they fit
each foot. Even the same company may be very inconsistent when it
comes to its own size standard.
Spend adequate time trying on shoes in the store. Find a hard sur-
face rather than the thick soft carpet in shoe stores, where almost any
shoe will feel good. If there’s no sturdy floor to walk on, ask if you can
walk outside. If this is not allowed, shop elsewhere.
Try on the size you think you normally wear. Even if that feels
fine, try on a half-size larger. If that one feels the same, or even better,
try on another half-size larger. Continue trying on larger half-sizes
until you find the shoes that are obviously too large. Then go back to
the previous half-size; usually that’s the one that fits best. You may
need to try different widths when available to get a perfect fit.
SPORTS SHOES: THE DANGER UNDERFOOT • 231