Our feet suffer a great deal of punishment each day – they deserve our respect! They support our weight and carry us from place to place, protected from the ground beneath by our shoes.

But we may choose shoes that are not right for the size and shape of our feet or for our activities. Many people do not give much thought to shoe selection and if you only consider style and not the fitting when buying shoes, you are inviting problems with your feet, either immediately or later in life.

Are they a good fit for you?

Shoes should fit snugly around the heel and mid-foot so that your heel is not slipping as you walk and your foot is not sliding from side to side. Make sure that the space where your toes are is deep and wide. A thumb’s width should fit between the toe of the shoe and your longest toe, and the back of the shoe, or the heel counter, should be rigid, but the sole of the shoe at the ball of the foot should be flexible. Don’t forget your arches, either. There are three types of arches: high, average and low. People with high arches should look for a cushioning shoe; people with average arches should look for a stability-type shoe; and those with low arches should choose motion-control types of shoes. Your shoe store staff will be able to tell you what type of shape your foot is and help fit you accordingly.

Judge a shoe by its fit, not its looks

Judge a shoe by how it fits on your foot not by the marked size or its colour. When the shoe is on your foot, you should be able to wiggle all of your toes. Shoes should feel roomy and comfortable from the start, don’t expect to "wear them in". Most high heeled-shoes have a pointed narrow toe box that crowds the toes and forces them into an unnatural triangular shape. As heel height increases, the pressure under the ball of the foot may double, placing greater pressure on the forefoot as it is forced into the pointed toe box. High heels are like treats: not too much, nor too often! Many people feel that a shoe needs to be tight on the heel when they are new, but there is no such thing as "heel width". This myth causes many people to buy their shoes too small because the fact is that a properly fitted shoe may slip on the heel slightly when new. Because soles on new shoes are often stiff and resist bending of the foot, heel slippage happens – it’s natural. Don’t buy a size too small because of it.

Things to look out for in shoes

• What are they made of? The best materials are good quality supple leather or synthetic mesh materials; avoid cheap, stiff leather or plastics that aren’t flexible or do not breathe
• Try them on. Shoe sizing is not uniform across different brands so one shoe’s size nine may be another’s ten. Also, remember to wear the socks that you intend to wear with the shoes
• Have your feet sized while at the store. Many people have one foot larger than the other and you should size your shoes to fit the larger and use an inlay in the smaller foot
• Beware of high-heeled shoes: women are at risk of developing a foot and posture problems as a result of wearing high heels

Like having a good mattress, good shoes are important to one’s well-being, because – just like a bed – many hours will be spent in them. Yet people frequently buy badly fitted shoes for fashion or price, or other reasons. The damage that an improperly fitted running shoe can do, or a precariously high high-heel can cause on your foot could mean months of repatriation for your feet. Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you are having your shoes fitted, look for the right size, the right materials and keep in mind that cheap shoes aren’t always a real bargain.