Athletic Shoe Guidelines
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- Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction (PTTD)
- Accessory Navicular Syndrome
- Common Disorders of the Achilles Tendon
- Achilles Tendon Rupture
- Diabetic Complications and Amputation Prevention
- Ankle Arthritis
- Ankle Fractures
- Chronic Ankle Instability
- Ankle Pain
- Ankle Sprain
- Arch Pain
- Arch Supports
- Athlete's Foot
- Baseball Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Basketball Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Soft Tissue Biopsy
- Black Toenails
- Bone Healing
- Bone Infection
- Bone Tumors in the Foot
- Brachymetararsia
- Bunions (Hallux Abducto Valgus)
- Bursitis
- Calcaneal Apophysitis (Sever's Disease)
- Fractures of the Calcaneus (Heel Bone Fractures)
- Calf Pain
- Callus
- Capsulitis of the Second Toe
- Cavus Foot (High-Arched Foot)
- Charcot Foot
- Clubfoot
- Cold Feet
- Compartment Syndrome
- Contact Dermatitis
- Corns
- Cracked Heels
- Crutch Use
- Custom Orthotic Devices
- Cyst-Ganglion
- Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
- Dermatitis
- Diabetic Complications and Amputation Prevention
- Diabetic Foot Care Guidelines
- Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
- Diabetic Shoes
- Drop Foot
- Dry Heels
- DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis)
- Eczema of the Foot
- Equinus
- Extra Bones
- Fallen Arches
- Field Hockey Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Fifth Metatarsal Fracture
- Flatfoot-Adult Acquired
- Flatfoot-Flexible
- Flatfoot-Pediatric
- Flexible Flatfoot
- Foot Arthritis
- Foot Bumps
- Foot Drop
- Foot Fracture
- Foot Lumps
- Foot Odor
- Foot Rash
- Football Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Fracture-Ankle
- Fracture-Foot
- Fractures of the Calcaneus (Heel Bone Fractures)
- Fractures of the Fifth Metatarsal
- Fracture-Toe
- Frostbite
- Fungal Nails
- Ganglion Cyst
- Gangrene
- Golf Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Gout
- Haglund's Deformity
- Hallux Rigidus
- Hammertoes
- Heel Bone Fractures
- Heel Cracks
- Heel Fissures
- Heel Pain (Plantar Fasciitis)
- High-Arched Foot
- Inflammation: Actue
- Ingrown Toenails
- Instructions for Using Crutches
- Intermetatarsal Neuroma
- Intoeing
- Joint Pain in the Foot
- Joint Swelling in the Foot
- Jones Fracture
- Lacrosse Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Lisfranc Injuries
- Lumps
- Malignant Melanoma of the Foot
- MRSA Infection of the Foot
- Orthotics
- Os Trigonum Syndrome
- Osteoporosis
- Osteoarthritis of the Foot and Ankle
- Osteomyelitis (Bone Infection)
- Osteopenia
- P.A.D. (Peripheral Arterial Disease)
- Pediatric Flatfoot
- Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.)
- Peripheral Neuropathy: Diabetic
- Peroneal Tendon Injuries
- Pigeon-toes
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Plantar Fibroma
- Plantar Wart (Verruca Plantaris)
- Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction (PTTD)
- Pump Bump (Hallux Rigidus)
- Puncture Wounds
- Rash
- Raynauds Phenomenon
- Restless Legs
- Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Foot and Ankle
- R.I.C.E Protocol
- Rugby Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Running and Track Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Running Injuries
- Sesamoid Injuries in the Foot
- Shin Splints
- Shoe Inserts
- Skin Cancer of the Foot and Ankle
- Smelly Feet
- Soccer Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Soft Tissue Biopsy
- Softball Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Sports Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Staph Infections of the Foot
- Stress Fracture in the Foot
- Sweaty Feet
- Swollen Ankles
- Swollen Feet
- Synovitis
- Tailor's Bunion
- Talar Dome Lesion
- Tarsal Coalition
- Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
- Tennis Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Thick Toenails
- Tingly Feet
- Tired Feet
- Toe and Metatarsal Fractures (Broken Toes)
- Toe Walking
- Turf Toe
- Ulcers/Wounds
- Varicose Veins
- Volleyball Injuries to the Foot and Ankle
- Warts
- Weak Ankles
- Webbed Toes
- White Toenails
- Wounds/Uclers
- Wounds-Puncture
- Yellow Toenails
Athletic footwear should be fitted to hold the foot in the position that's most natural to the movement involved. Athletic shoes protect your feet from stresses encountered in a given sport and to give the player more traction. The differences in design and variations in material, weight, lacing characteristics, and other factors among athletic shoes are meant to protect the areas of the feet that encounter the most stress.
Well-fitted athletic shoes need to be comfortable, yet well-constructed and appropriate for a given activity. A good fit will mitigate blisters and other skin irritations.
Sports-specific athletic shoes are a good investment for serious athletes, though perhaps a less critical consideration for non-athletes. Don't wear any sport or other shoes beyond their useful life.
A running shoe is built to take impact, while a tennis shoe is made to give relatively more support, and permit sudden stops and turns. Cross training shoes are fine for a general athletic shoe, such as for physical education classes or health club exercising, such as on stair machines and weight-lifting because they provide more lateral support and less flexibility than running shoes. They also tend to be heavier than running shoes, but most people don't need light, flexible shoes for cross-training. If a child is involved more heavily in any single sport, he or she should wear shoes specifically designed for that sport.
Our practice recommends sturdy, properly fitted athletic shoes of proper width with leather or canvas uppers, soles that are flexible (but only at the ball of the foot), cushioning, arch supports, and room for your toes. Try a well-cushioned sock for reinforcement, preferably one with acrylic fiber content so that some perspiration moisture is "wicked" away.
Athletic shoes need to be replaced after one year, whether or not they are worn, and after a certain amount of repetitive load is placed on them and wears them down. The American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine advises replacing running or walking shoes after 300 to 500 miles of wear, and replacing aerobic, basketball, and tennis shoes after 45 to 60 hours of wear. Athletic shoes should also be replaced if they show signs of unevenness when placed on a flat surface, display noticeable creasing, and/or when the heel counter breaks down.