-
HEALTHY FOOTWEAR
Shoe Selection
Every pair of feet is unique to their owner and footwear will only provide good comfort and wear qualities if the fit is good. Users are encouraged to follow the advice below to help achieve a good standard of fit. A critical factor to achieve a good fit is a fastening with sufficient adjustment. Styles with a lace, touch and close fastening or buckle provide most adjustment and we advise purchasers to select footwear with this type of fastening where possible.
some users will have difficulty with lace, buckle or touch and close type fastenings and have included products that meet the guidelines and have elasticated adjustment. It should be recognized that elasticated fastenings cannot provide the range of adjustment of other fastening types but do provide a solution if managing alternative fastenings is difficult.
Healthy Footwear Guidelines
Toe box allows normal foot function
Adequate width and depth for foot function
Sole encourages normal foot function
Soft flexible upper and lining
Stable heel of approximately 25mm
In shoe climate which promotes a healthy environment within the shoe
Shoe provides reasonable cosseting
Shoe retains its’ fitness for purpose
Shoe must offer good foot retention
Availability of product advice
Out sole grip meets industry standardsfollowing points must be considered for purchase of a shoe:
Ensure both shoes are on, correctly fastened and weight evenly distributed on both feet. It is advisable to ask a friend or family member to help
If the purchaser uses any form of insert inside the footwear these must be in place before the fit assessment is conducted
There must be a minimum of 6mm, preferably 10mm, in front of the longest toe
The natural shape of the footwear forepart should not be distorted by the foot.
This may indicate pressure on the top or side of the toe and toe joints
When drawing a thumb or finger across the forepart of the footwear there should be a slight rippling of the material but not a significant crease that would indicate the shoe is too wide
The toplines of the footwear should be neatly against the sides of the feet with no pressure on bony protrusions such as the ankle bone or the top of the heel curve
Elasticated gussets or laces must be under some tension to grip the foot but not fully stretched The fastening must grip the foot and allow further adjustment if required
When walking check that:
The shoe grips the foot and does not slip
The sole flexes easily in the forepart
The heel provides a stable platform
The out sole does not slip on the surfaces the wearer will normally be walking on
The upper material flexes with the foot and returns to its original shape
No pinching or pressure is felt by the wearer whilst walkingwww.footweartrademart.com
