I have been selling shoes since the week of my sixteenth birthday, 26 years ago. Unfortunately, for the first ten years of my career I knew nothing about the biomechanics of the foot or how the foot worked in relationship with the shoe I was providing. Even worse as a young shoe salesman I was ill with “the-customer-is-always-right-flu epidemic” of the 1980’s.
Foot pain is the most common physical complaint of mankind. It's very doubtful if there is a perfectly matched pair of feet anywhere. The National Prescription Footwear Association completed the measurement of 6,800 pairs of feet; there was not a single perfectly matched pair.

The answer is shoes are made in standard sizes and feet are not. When shoes fail to fit properly they can cause abrasions and contusions that develop into painful corns, calluses, hammer toes and bunions. If shoes fail to support the foot's skeletal structure properly, many additional problems result. Perhaps the worst problems are high pressure areas caused by tight shoes or extreme pressure on joints.

We consider ourselves “straight-shoeters” who will not compromise on informing you how a shoe should fit. However, we are not so rigid that we cannot negotiate a fit in hope that the customer overtime will understand that the foot should not be bound daily by restrictive footwear. You should not be rushing home at the end of the day to pry your shoes off. If your shoes have been fitted properly you should virtually forget that they are on. This cannot be accomplished if our customers do not trust that the fitting process will help them in the long run…or in the gym.

This article is based on the writings of Dr. William Rossi entitled, “The Arches: Some Controversial Views", Podiatry Management

Presented by: Luke MacDonald
Aerobics First
6166 Quinpool Road,
Halifax NS – 902.423.1470