We know it’s tempting to self-diagnose your foot problems by going to your favorite online medical source. While this may give you some ideas on what could be causing your problem, serious foot pain deserves a full medical analysis to determine an exact diagnosis.
We recommend you see your family doctor or a podiatrist first, and then let Peterson Shoes be your partner to provide the footwear and foot care solution they suggest.
Exactly what is a Certified Pedorthist? A Certified Pedorthist (C.Ped.) is a specialist in using footwear, including shoes, shoe modifications, and other pedorthic devices, to solve problems in or related to the foot. These experienced professionals are trained in evaluating feet and fitting footwear. All of our trained shoe fitting professionals look forward to working with you!
Peterson Shoes carries a wide variety of over-the-counter orthotics that can help ease your foot pain. Here are some of the most highly recommended orthotics we stock:
Superfeet - Green, Blue, Orange, Berry
Spenco Total Support
Powerstep
Birkenstock
We also carry an extensive line of Pedifix products, including callus and corn protectors, toe protectors, and bunion guards. Come in to see our full selection of foot care products!
Requires a prescription from your doctor.
Full Sole Lift
Wedge
Flange
Flare
Interior Heel
Techniques – sliplasting, injection molding, welting, stitching, cementing, and so on – create differences in a shoe that don’t “show” to the average person. Quality of construction is also a consideration.
The components of a shoe affect its firmness, flexibility, breathability, weight and functionality.
The shoe’s shape must match the foot’s shape. Otherwise, discomfort and eventually damage can result.
When walking barefoot, the heel normally rises about 2 inches during each step; the front of the foot provides the push-off motion that propels the next step. In a flat-heeled shoe, the heel continues to rise naturally, and the foot gives a normal push-off. In a higher-heeled shoe, natural movement is altered. The initial effect is redistribution of weight; an enormous amount of pressure is redistributed onto the forefoot, affecting the ability of the toes to push off and changing a person’s gait. With long-term usage, higher heels also have a ripple effect on the upper body: pressures on the feet create pressures on upper joints, muscles and tendons.
Feet lengthen, shorten, expand and contract during motion, thousands of times a day. They also get longer and broader as people get older. But while your feet change continuously, your shoes don’t. That’s what makes it important to get your feet measured each time you shop for shoes; it provides the salesperson with a “baseline” that allows her/him to match your foot’s characteristics with shoes designed for those characteristics. Foot length, width, girth, arch height and natural padding are all factors. So is the activity for which you’re buying the shoe.
Shoe “sizes” are not standardized, which means a shoe labeled “Size 8” by Manufacturer A will be very different from ones that other manufactures call “Size 8.” That’s because shoes are built on models – and a model’s dimensions are proprietary information, not an industry-wide standard. What is standard about size is the difference between a whole size and a half-size: one-third of an inch. Be prepared to shop for shoes within a small size range. If you wear a size 8 in one brand, you might need a 7 ½ or 8 ½ in another brand.