Is it better to buy shoes that are too big or too small? How many times do you ask yourself that question? Or think to yourself "now that I bought these hot shoes, how can I make them fit and feel better?" These are questions that cross the minds of many women when purchasing the latest and hottest shoe styles.
In order to find your true shoe size when you are buying shoes use the Brannock shoe measuring device at the shoe store. That will give you both the width and length of your foot. There are many people who find, after measuring their feet, that they have one foot longer or wider than the other. This is a normal variant and there is nothing to worry about. One of the reasons why it happens can be genetic and you can blame it on mom or dad. The formation of bunions and tailor bunions are boney abnormalities that have a genetic predisposition and will change the anatomical boney alignment of the foot making it wider. Another reason could be because of a splay foot where the ligaments weaken and the foot can elongate and widen. Women during pregnancy may experience this type of phenomena because of the hormone Relaxin that is released to allow the ligaments in the pelvis to stretch during the time of delivery. The ligaments in the foot can also become affected and the foot can get wider and longer. However, once the foot gets longer or wider it does not go back to its original size.
The rule of thumb to live by when buying a pair of shoes is that there should be a thumb's width between the tip of the longest toe in your foot and the end of the shoe. The first, second or third toes are often the landmarks because they are usually the longest toes in your foot.
Always buy a pair of shoes that fit the bigger foot. The reason for this is that you can place an over the counter insole in the larger one to either take up some of the room or prevent foot slippage. Never force your foot into a shoe that is too small or too tight. Wearing ill-fitting shoes can cause foot, ankle, knee and low back problems. Shoes that do not fit properly can throw your balance off and make you walk funny. If the shoe is too narrow you can develop ingrown toe nails, corns on the top and side of your toes and irritate the skin resulting in blister formation.
The solution to these problems is to take your time when selecting a new pair of shoes. Try not to buy shoes on emotion only. Hint: buy shoes during the time of the day that you would be probably wearing them because feet can often swell during the day. If your feet are swimming around inside the shoe and slipping forward, place an insole or an arch support in the shoe to take up some of the extra room as well as prevent the slipping. If the arch in your foot is cramping when wearing shoes that are a little too big and going into spasm because the toes are curling up inside the shoes, my company makes an over the counter shoe product available to prevent that problem. The product is called Instant Arches. This oval shaped arch support product, one size fits all, will stop the foot from moving forward in the shoe and prevent skin irritation. They will also support the arch and eliminate arch cramps.
No matter what type of shoe you buy, find your true shoe size in order to walk happily ever after!
How to find your true shoe size video: