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I was at this dance event lately where I offered some people some free footwear advice. I heard lots of foot related complaints. I also noticed a lot of similarities in the shoe habits of men and women who had foot problems like this. They were squeezing theur feet into short shoes. It’s a common complaint among people how badly their feet hurts after an extensive dancing session. Whether it will be the join of the big toe, or the balls of the foot, arch or heel pain and or blisters. The percentage of people I see for foot problems that are caused by misfit shoes is very high. That is why at Kenneth Cole shoes we make sure each piece fits correctly.

Since shoe fit affects foot function, the marriage between foot and shoe needs to be a harmonious one. Several individuals with foot problems are oftentimes those with shoe problems.
Shoes should allow the foot to do its job while still protecting it from the forces of walking 10,000+ steps you take a day. During this daily venture your feet will take on many tasks.

Your feet:

- help propel you;

- allow you to stand up straight;

- hold excess weight;

- take you a distance equivalent to at least eight times around the world during your lifetime;

- take you to places where you can interact with others;

-help you locate furniture in the dark.

Your foot needs to act as a loose, “bag of bones” when it hits the ground to adapt to uneven surfaces. Then, your foot will absorb shock equivalent to 250% of your own body weight, at times. It will then transform itself into a sturdy, propulsive lever to aid you to move forward. Your feet perform all these functions in a fraction of a second, thousands of times over. The shoes you wear can allow, or inhibit your feet from doing these functions efficiently. Check out other kenneth cole accessories to do away with these feet discomforts now.

How tight shoes affect the foot can be a through a multitude of conditions. Short footwear can bunch up your toes, causing them to curl or ‘claw’ while you wear them, and in the long run, they tend to permanently distort your feet. This position can develop corns on the tops of the toes, and calluses on the undersides of the toe pads, as well as across the balls of the foot.

Short shoes can actually contribute to bunions. They force the big toe to bend out towards the lesser toes, while at the same time putting pressure on the inside of the foot, on the big toe joint. It does this because short shoes put the widest part of the foot in a slightly narrower portion of the shoe, up towards the front. This is not the only reason why people get bunions, but it’s a sure contributor.

Short shoes can also affect how your big toe functions. When your heel lifts from the ground, your big toe raises. This is a moment when your foot must transform itself from a shock absorber, to a rigid propulsive lever. When your big toe lifts, it starts a mecahnism on your feet that raises your arch, locking the joints in the mid-foot, and prepare the foot to start becoming rigid. If your shoe is short, then the big toe joint (which is the hinge that raises the big toe) will not line up with the bending point of the shoe.

When getting the right size shoe, one should get their feet measured. Our feet actually have two length measurements. From heel to toe, or your “overall length,” and from heel to ball, or “arch length.” Let’s say a person has a size 10 overall length, but measures a size 11 arch length. This individual would benefit from wearing a size 10 shoe, even if their overall length is a 9, as the shoe size 11 will have to bend at the same point as their foot. this will provide an optimal situation for proper toe function. As far as the size 11 shoe then being 1 size bigger than the person’s overall length, there are far fewer problems associated with a shoe being too big by one size than too small.

As a shoe fitting guideline, you must have enough space in your shoe at the end of your longest toe to ensure that it fits the width of your index finger.

Narrow shoes push the balls of your feet together and pinch nerves in-between the balls of your feet which can cause painful “neuromas” in the forefoot. Neuromas are horribly problematic, and if non-responsive to conservative treatment, require injections, and/or surgery which results in loss of sensation to the affected toes and wrinkles on your face from the pain. Recurrence of neuromas is probable, as people who experience relief from invasive treatment will go right back to wearing the same shoes that caused the condition in the first place. The same is true with bunions.

So, what size shoes do I need? What kind of shoes? What shape?

When trying on shoes, you should try on both shoes and walk around. If the shoes are for dancing, do a little dance in the store. If a shoe fits, you should forget you even have it on. Believing a shoe should “break in”, only relates to any leather or fabric that needs to soften. This is true with some shoes. But NEVER buy a shoe that you know is constricting, thinking that your foot is going to make a short, narrow shoe fit better over time. You may as well be able to break a poorly fitted footwear, however your foot will always suffer. When choosing a shoe shape, try to pick something that is shaped more like your foot than pointy. Not all pointy shoes are bad, but many of them do force your big toe outward into a bunion shape. Be very aware of that. Your big toe is a hinge joint, designed to only move up and down. When you force it outward, but still demand it function normally, it has long term degenerative effects.

When buying a shoe, check the shape that’s right for you, take the shoes and put it right next to your foot and compare the shapes. Does the shoe look impossibly small? When you put the shoe on, is the leather or fabric around the front of the shoe super tight? It shouldn’t be. Have you got toe room? Can the piggies wiggle? They should be able to.

Use these guidelines to find a shoe that fits and functions well. There are some kind of shoes out there that will serve many purposes, from work to the dance floor in a club. you will be surprised what shoes can be found if you simply try fitting some on. Many social dancers adopt regular shoes as their weapons of choice, and have them sueded to give the adequate amount of slip on the floor. If you suffer, and you feel that your shoes are causing the problem, you’re probably right. You need to alter your shoe size and/or style to insure that your time dancing, and walking is a pleasure, and pain-free.

John writes about fashion blogs, about shoes, watches, bags, accessories and jewelry. You can read information on Kenneth Cole and other designers at his blog: Kenneth Cole Shoes dot org.