By Nadia Arden-Scott
Leonardo Da Vinci was amazed by them and is quoted as saying...
"The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and artwork"
26 bones, 33 joints, 10 tendons, 19 muscles and 107 ligaments in each foot!
Yet we humans tend to neglect this essential part of our bodies until that is, something goes wrong! Foot pain like teeth problems can be debilitating and really can make us feel miserable so why do we neglect this essential part of our bodies?
Many adults believe their feet have stopped growing, but actually our feet, like our bodies change throughout our lives for one reason or another. So we should always be getting our feet checked as we do for our eyes and teeth. Unfortunately, as with clothing there is no standardisation for sizes - this is because shoes are produced all over the world and different factories use different lasts (the mould to make the shoe) and a leather shoe is different in its pattern and make up to a fur lined boot or a pair of trainers. Lace up shoes will fit differently to velcro ones, the number of eyelets affects the fit as does the shape of the shoe.
With our customers in store we educate as much as possible on the benefits of being measured and fitted properly, as there is a high percentage of people wearing the wrong size. This also includes opting for the correct style.
When it comes to measuring we are not just looking at the numbers on our gauges we are also looking at your feet. Are they wide, deep, have a high or low arch, are the heels narrow, is the ankle bone high or low, are toes long or short in relation to the length of the foot, do they pronate (roll in) or supinate (roll out). We also will be thinking about what brand or style of shoe will suit the foot shape as we spend as much time dissecting and looking at footwear as we do feet.
We are here to help so pop in and let us measure your feet and offer you free advice on how to choose the right footwear!