Vincent is a young medical representative who visits my clinic every month. One day he asked me sheepishly, “Sir, my feet really hurt at the end of the day. How can I choose a right shoe which can help me deal with this pain?"

There are lots of people like Vincent who either have to walk a lot or need to stand a lot while working. I observe routinely that my patients hardly pay attention to which kind of footwear they wear. There are patients who really have bad feet. They have deformities and loss of arches and what not. I tell them to go and get customised footwear. They go to the orthotics shop and come back to complain! Doc, the speciality shoe costs more than 5000 rupees! 5000 for a pair of shoe?

We typically are not very keen to spend money on our footwear. Many of us buy footwear from the street vendors.

If you remember the famous second law of Newton “Action and reaction are equal and opposite,”, then you will realise why the footwear is so important. Every time you strike the floor with your foot the floor will impart an equal force to your foot and thereby to your knee and the hip as well. The better cushioning you have at the sole the better it is.

This is what I told Vincent:

  1. Shoes are better than chappals as they provide a 360-degree support to your feet.
  2. Always buy your shoes in the late afternoon period. Our feet are largest in size by then and what fits you in the late afternoon will fit you well.
  3. Always buy from a good store where the staff is knowledgeable.
  4. Try and bend the shoe in your hand. It should bend easily at the junction ball of your feet. It is the natural junction and if the shoe is stiff it will cause pain.
  5. Then find the “heel counter,” a stiff cup sewn into the back of the shoe to provide heel support. Squeeze this cup into the shoe. It should be very stiff and not collapse inward easily.
  6. Allow 1/2 inch (or the width of your index finger) between the end of your longest toe and the end of the shoe. If one foot is larger than the other, buy the larger size.
  7. Wear the same weight of socks you intend to use during activity. Socks with high cotton content retain moisture and cause blisters more easily. Look for socks that are made with synthetic fibres such as acrylic, polyester. It will also matter which part of the country you are from!
  8. Walk around in the shoes to determine how they feel. Is there enough room at the balls of the feet? Do the heels fit snugly, or do they pinch or slip off? Don't rationalise that the shoes just need to be "broken in." Find shoes that fit from the start.
  9. Trust your own comfort level rather than a shoe's size or description. Sizes vary between manufacturers. And no matter how comfortable an advertisement claims those shoes are, you're the real judge.
  10. You can also look at your old shoes for clues to the shape of your foot. Bring your old walking shoes with you when you shop for a new pair — most shoe professionals can give you some tips on what to buy based on the wear of your old shoes.