The most common mistakes patients make in regards to wearing their running shoes 

The most common mistakes patients make in regards to wearing their running shoes

1) Their shoes don't fit. Wearing ill-fitted shoes can compress the toes together causing the big toe nail to grow into the skin and eventually resulting in an ingrown toenail. Ill-fitted shoes can also aggravate the symptoms and progression of bunion deformities as the shape of the shoe does not accommodate the normal structure of the forefoot. An ill-fitted shoe can also press up against the great toe pushing it over towards the second toe further exacerbating bunion deformities.

Have your foot measured with a brannock device for both length and width. It's important to remember that sizing can be different across different brands, due to their design and the materials used. Also keep in mind that the length and width of a person's foot tends to change over time due to ligamentous laxity that occurs over time leading to falling arches or because of hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy. Try at least three different shoe models; try two different models at the same time, wearing one model on each foot. The tip of your thumb should fit between the end of the shoe and the end of your longest toe. Make sure the toe box is wide enough to accommodate your toes; make sure there is enough room to slightly wiggle your toes. If you can't move your toes at all then the shoes are too tight and will eventually become painful.

2) They don't change their socks often enough. Once the socks have a hole from wear and tear then it is time to replace it. Socks should be changed regularly to avoid unpleasant smells and athlete's foot (a fungal infection). Fungus loves warm, damp and dark environments which makes your socks the ideal breeding place. My suggestion is to change your socks at least once a day. More than once if you are performing a high level of activities that make you perspire a lot.

3) The shoe or toe box is too narrow. Most of the problems that occur with our feet - particular for woman, and often for runners - are because our shoes don't have a wide enough forefoot. Bunions, hammer toes, neuromas, ingrown toenails, etc. are all caused if you don't have the wide forefoot. In order to determine whether the forefront is wide enough, I suggest that you trace your foot onto a piece of paper at the end of the day when your feet are most swollen. Then place the shoe over the tracing of the foot. If the tracing of the foot is external to the periphery of the shoe then you know that your shoes are too narrow.

Author

Dr. Miguel Cunha, Board Certified Surgical Podiatrist, founder of Gotham Footcare, and expert podiatrist in Manhattan is a highly trained and skilled foot and ankle surgeon with experience treating a wide array of foot and ankle conditions from minor problems to complex reconstructive foot and ankle surgery. Dr. Cunha takes pride in having a genuine interest in each and every one of his patients while providing them the utmost compassion and exceptional care.