When was the last time you had your feet measured?

[happyshoeshappyfeet]

Calling all parents - if the answer to the above question is "when I was a child" then I really need your help!

My name is Denise and I am launching a national awareness campaign called 'If the Shoe Fits...' to encourage everyone, young or old, to start thinking about the health of their feet.

As parents, we do our utmost to ensure our kid's feet are healthy but don't really spare a thought for our own.

Did you know that a YouGov survey on behalf of the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists done earlier this year found that 75% of women and 65% of men in the UK are suffering from foot problems and 70% of problems were most likely caused by ill-fitting shoes in childhood? Scary, isn't it? But it is not too late to reverse this trend! So how can you all help?

Well, I am going to add this post to every parenting/social forum site I can find - and ask the same, simple question:

'Was the last time you had your feet measured when you were a child?'

I am looking to see just how many adults in the UK will give a YES reply. With this information, I will be able to get an overall national picture of how many people are wearing the shoe size they think is correct - despite not having their feet measured since childhood.

Therefore, I would be really grateful if you could spare two minutes to reply to this post - even if it is just a Yes or No. And, as I will be posting this on all the forums etc., please only respond once otherwise my data will be skew-whiffed! I will stop counting the responses at the end of Sunday 19 September, to give everyone who wants to take part in this most worthwhile of studies, the chance to do so.

Once I have collated all the information, I will add a new post to let you know how we got on. This is a huge issue for all of us and one that can no longer be ignored. So please help with this key research and enjoy being a 'statistic' for a change!

Thanks so much. Look forward to hearing from you soon!

Kind regards

Denise

I had mine measured when I was about 17 and not since unfortuantely. but that was only because i worked in a shoe shop!

Not since I last went to Clarks at the age of about 11.

Annoyingly my feet got bigger during pregnancy and have stayed the bigger size but it is very much a case of shove your foot in a shoe and see if it hurts!

I don't mean to sound harsh, but if you mean to do anything meansingful with this data, then you need to learn how to do surveys properly.

You're obviously putting lots of work into this

Not sice i was a child agree with Rockbird shove your foot in a see if it hurts

Haven't had them measured since i was a child.
I always try sizes before buying so i know they are comfortable.

I think they were last measured when I was at school.

I'd feel like a tit if a shop assistant fitted shoes for me. I know if shoes are too loose or tight, and the assistant would only ask 'How do they feel?' to judge if they fit. One of the voices in my head does that for me when I'm shoe shopping.

Same as Rockbird not since I was about 15. But I do have foot problems and my feet were always correctly measured and I wore
correct shoes ( to my disgust) until they stopped growing. Second pregnancy stuffed that up however and now I have odd sized feet and also regulat foot / feet problems,

Yes I was a child. I would look and feel a total tool asking to get my feet measured in a shop, when I can perfectly well ask for a size 3.5 and then decide whether it is too loose/tight and ask for a different size accordingly.

I wore properly fitted shoes for my entire childhood but I don't see what that has to do with getting my feet measured now?

Yes., the last time I had my feet measured was when I was a child. But, since I have counted myself as an adult I have felt capable of trying on shoes and deciding if they fit or not. Depending on the shop, that may mean I buy a 5 1/2, or a 6, or a 6 1/2 - or quite often none at all because I can't find any which I am happy with the fit of.

I don't see how problems with ill-fitting shoes in childhood (which I don't think I ever had, we were a Clarks/Startrite kind of family!) have any bearing with any need to have you feet measured as an adult.

Why would I need my feet measured, it is very easy to try a shoe on for size, how odd.

I'm assuming this is a sort of pilot study, if it is just wanting an answer to the question then I answer no. Otherwise I have some feedback .

I worked in a shoe shop fitting childrens' shoes and we were actively discouraged from measuring adults, or people whose feet have stopped growing. The shop measuring gauge adds on growing room you don't need and is to ensure the shoes last on growing feet, not appropriate for adults. Properly fitted shoes would never include high heels (foot slides forward), Uggs, pointed shoes, ballet pumps... is the sizing the best place to start, especially given how much it varies by brand and the higher instance of problems for women might suggest shoe type?

I also don't think you specify "child" very well considering that the average age feet stop growing is 11 for women. They have therefore had their adult length measured as a child (albeit bigger for growing room than their adult size). It is also confusing to simultaneously claim we focus on our childrens' feet at the expense of our own, but attribute the resultant problems to shoes worn in childhood. Which is it?

If this is marketing for a store that measures adult feet then I think you might run into trouble with the way you are presenting your figures. However, if this is genuinely to help people foot-wise, then good luck!

"it is very much a case of shove your foot in a shoe and see if it hurts!" Me too!!

The last time I had my foot measured would have been when I was in secondary school.

Probably in 1975 when I was 15

"Properly fitted shoes would never include high heels (foot slides forward), Uggs, pointed shoes, ballet pumps" Are these shoes all bad for your feet then?

Could any of these be properly fitted or are they bad for your feet as well? They look a lot sturdier than the usual flimsy "ballet" pumps you can buy.

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You can't really fit high heels as your foot position can't be replicated on the measure. The other shoes don't come in widths for a start, and most don't come in half sizes. You should also fit childrens' shoes in a way to put the foot in the right position and that can't be done. You could fit, as in make the best possible choice but I would be willing to bet there were no significant differences between that and the ones people think fit using their own judgement. You could stick an insole in an Ugg boot and make a lot of difference to some people though (I wince when I see people walking on the side of them from rolling their insteps - but that is a post shoe shop hang up).

Whether they are therefore bad for you is another argument, depends on your own feet and wearing them appropriately or in moderation. Do you call it bad for you if you are more likely to roll your ankle but otherwise ok? I personally think adults can make these decisions for themselves and should seek advice for pain but otherwise just get on with their lives and choose shoes they like.

It is vital to measure adult feet. Feet do not continue to grow in adulthood but they do change shape especially during pregnancy. In some of my patients I note that they go up one full size during pregnancy - and never go back down a size. This happens due to the ligaments of the arch softening along with other ligaments. A good footbed or shoe helps prevent this. We do this for all our mums in our Brighton clinicwww.sundialclinics.co.ukbut if you are out of the area go to a outdoor walking store as they may have a measring device. Most shoe shops don't even have the adult foot measuring device!

Is the average age for girls feet to stop growing really 11? that would mean dd is destined for very little feet!