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Best Advice for Shoes for Children

What advice should parents be given for the fitting of footwear for children.

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Posted By Craig Payne
Jan 15, 2017

I caused a bit of a stir when I blogged about the evidence underpinning the advice given to parents on shoes for children here, especially in the context of there being $'s involved being given to the organization giving the advice. Responses were interesting, many missing the point.

Should the advice to parents be:
1) Firm heel counter, flexible at the toes and rigid sole?

or

2) Should not interfere with the function and development of the foot?

These two possible recommendations are not compatible. Which one should we give? What is the evidence for either? People have their biases. Set aside you biases and look at what is the evidence.

(1) above is an intervention. Interventions need evidence. Where is the evidence that a normally developing foot needs an intervention?

They are the issues to be considered.

We have had plenty of threads here at Podiatry Arena canvassing all views:
Toe allowance of children's footwear
iPad scanner for fitting kids shoes from Clarks
Foot motion in children shoes
Less foot injuries in rural Ethiopian school children wearing shoes
RiteFit app for fitting childrens shoes
Where should a school shoe provide flexibility and support?
Shoes damaging children's feet
Why don't childrens shoes fit?
A new approach to children's footwear based on foot type classification

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