Back to School Foot Health – Guidelines for new shoes

Here we are again, quickly approaching the start of a new school year. Teachers are prepping, parents are shopping and kids are, well, GROWING. From toddlers to high school students, the one thing we can count on is that their feet have grown since the year before. It’s important to evaluate your children’s shoes before they go back to school, even if they are in their teens. Here is our back to school checklist/guidelines for both parents and teachers to consider when starting this new school year.

Back to School Check List/Guidelines

Buy shoes at night time- It’s a seemingly unimportant tip, but shoe shopping at night will give you the best gauge of what custom size and fit you really need. Our feet are the most swollen at night, therefore we can more easily detect foot and ankle pain. Shoe shopping at night will help you target which shoes just won’t work in the long run!

Detect if there is a longer foot- feet are seldom the same exact size. It is important to have feet measured while standing and then to purchase shoes according to the longer foot. Many people have a tendency of trying on only one shoe which can lead to the other not fitting properly.

Take a jog around the store- when purchasing sneakers or any type of active shoe, have the child (or yourself) take a jogging lap around the store to see how they feel when put into action. Sometimes this real life test can indicate issues with a shoe that are undetectable when sitting down or standing in place.

Custom Orthotics Scanning

Purge the closet- while most of us can’t afford to just throw away all of our shoes, when it comes to proper fit, it’s better to have one or two pairs that fit than ten that don’t. Before the school year starts, you and your children should try on every pair of shoes you have and purge each pair that does not fit properly. This way, you won’t be tempted to wear them or put them on your children when in a rush or during the school year. Please remember that any new or gently used children shoes that you are parting with can go directly to our non-profit organization Surgeons of Service to help children and families in need.

Enter our Vionic’s Giveaway HERE.

If you would like to have your or your children’s feet evaluated by one of our Da Vinci Foot and Ankle Doctors before the school year starts, you can make an appointment here. You can also call our offices at the numbers below:

Lake Oconee, GA  706.999.9994

West Augusta, GA 706.597.0102