As we approach the business end of the footy season, the last thing you need is to develop niggles in the lower legs and feet that stop you from performing at your best and helping your team win crucial games.
Making sure that your footy boots are appropriate could be the difference between starring in the finals or watching from the sidelines. Common conditions that inappropriate footy boots can contribute to the development of include:
We know it can be tricky to find the right footy boots, particularly when appearance is equally as important as comfort! Getting the fit right is absolutely essential. Here are some tips that you can use to assess the fit of your footy boots.
LENGTH
Wearing footy boots that are too short or long can result in the development of ingrown and/or bruised toenails. Therefore, it's very important to get this right. How do you check if the length is right?
Make sure you have half to a full thumb's width of space between the tip of your longest toe and the end of the footy boot
Remember that your big toe may not be your longest toe!
Make sure you wear footy socks when trying on footy boots as they’re generally thicker than your regular socks
WIDTH
Footy boots tend to be narrower than runners. Blisters, big toe joint pain and ball of the foot pain are more likely to arise if your footy boots are too narrow or wide. The easiest way to check the width is to:
Take the shoe liners (insoles) out of your footy boots and stand on them
Have a look to see if your feet are hanging over the edges of the shoe liners
If this is the case, your footy boots are too narrow for you!
HOW CAN WE HELP?
There are many ways that we can adjust your footy boots to make them more comfortable and reduce your risk of injury including:
Altering the lacing pattern
Applying a pad to a shoe liner
Grinding down a prominent stud
Inserting heel lifts
Inserting orthotics
Hopefully, these tips help to keep you on your feet and performing at your best. Keep an eye out for our next blog post which will cover the footy boots that we recommend. For individual advice regarding your feet, feel free to contact us or book an appointment online. Good luck for the rest of the season!
Author: Dion Vallianos