Shoe Sizing for New Shoes

Are you wearing the same size shoe you have worn since high school? Do your feet run off the side of the shoe after you’ve worn them a short time? Do the tips of your shoes point up instead of straight ahead? Do you get blisters in new shoes? How about ingrown toenails, toe fungus or Morton’s neuroma?

Why am I asking these questions? Because these are all indicators you wearing the wrong length and/or width shoe.

There is no standard for sizing in shoes. Every shoemaker makes it up themselves! Add in different shapes, different purposes for the shoes and different materials, and what you have is 89% of the population wearing shoes that don’t really fit them. And they don’t even know it!

Here are some guidelines for making sure you get into the right length and width shoe, regardless of what the sizes are:

Use a measuring device. You take the measurement standing. Size to your longest foot, including the longest toe (it may not be your big toe). Use the width measurer too. Girth of the foot cannot be measured so if you have significant edema in your feet, you will only know the length of your foot and then go from there. Remember that the measurement is where you start, not where you end up.

Next you need to know the arch type of your foot. Digital scanners do this very well as do some mats that are very low tech. Certified Pedorthists can do this for you and some running stores have the equipment to do it too. When you know this, you can know what kind of shape shoe will go best with your feet.

When you put your foot into a shoe, it should slip in without much effort, even though you may use a shoehorn. If you have to push too much, the shoe is too short or too narrow. If you get into the shoe with no effort at all, the shoe is probably too long or wide.

Next, you stand up. Your longest toe should be about 3/8 inch from the end of the shoe. If it is more, the shoe is too long. If it is less, you will feel you toe hitting the end of the shoe and that means it is too short.

For width, there should be no pressure across the top of the shoe. On the sides, your foot can be touching the shoe but should not press hard against it. If either occurs, the shoe is too narrow. If there are gaps between your shoe and foot, it is too wide.

As you walk, it is permissible for the heel to be a little loose (not so you walk out or if it is uncomfortably loose). That means your foot is moving in the shoe. It is commonly thought that a loose heel will cause blistering. It is the opposite actually. A shoe that is too short or narrow will cause blistering at the heel.

As for the shape of a shoe (called the last), you have to turn the shoe upside down to see if it is straight, slightly curved or curved a lot. We can all wear any of these shapes - for a time anyway. Our goal is to know what shape goes best with our feet and wear those shoes when we work on our feet, walk any distance, or exercise.

If you have a flatter foot, a straight last works best. If you have a medium arch, a slightly curved last is good. If you have a very high arch, the curved last fits best.