It’s back to school time! Hard to believe the summer break is already over! Parents – it’s time to check up on all things uniform based, seeing how much kids have grown over the break and whether or not they still fit in their shoes!

Getting the right school shoe can be tricky, some are too heavy, some are too bulky and some are too expensive. We’re here to help put you on the right track, to not only get the best value for money, but to get the right fit for your child.

Before you purchase the shoes, ask your child:

-How much running do they do in their shoes?

-How many days per week do they wear them?

-And how old are their school shoes?

It’s important to ask these questions, as shoe technology has improved significantly over the previous couple of years. Companies such as Ascent are making school shoes with running shoe technology to increase movement efficiency and decrease the overall weight of the shoe, whilst still sticking to uniform guidelines. The only issue is with these shoes is that they do wear out in less time than traditional shoes. So be aware when purchasing.

It’s common for parents to purchase shoes so that children “will grow in to them” which is a big NO! Having a shoe that is too big can lead to blisters and musculoskeletal conditions of the foot and lower leg, which can lead to big problems going forward. A perfect shoe fit is 0.5-1 size on top of your measured foot size to allow for the foot to swell during activity without restricting motion.

Key Features:

  • Rigid “heel counter” enabling the rear foot to be locked in to the shoe and prevent slippage
  • Fixation through laces, or velcro to prevent midfoot movement
  • Nil flexibility through rotation of the midsole. In simple terms: not being able to scrunch the shoe in to a ball. A little bit of flex is good, but it should be free moving.
  • Width across the forefoot – should not rub on the foot.

Remember to take care of those shoes, get them fitted properly by the experts, and if there’s anything we can do to help, come and see the Podiatry team here at CSSM.