Educational Articles: Footwear: Solutions

In this video, Dr. Ray McClanahan, a sports podiatrist at Northwest Foot and Ankle and the inventor of Correct Toes, discusses how to select the healthiest possible footwear to support your child's growth and development. Choosing the proper footwear for your child early on can have an enormously beneficial effect on his or her foot and joint health later in life. Protecting the shape... Read more

We often receive the following question (or slight variations thereof) from readers and customers who are interested in determining the proper width of shoe to purchase: “I had my foot width measured at a local shoe store and was told that I need a wide shoe. Will the shoes you offer on your site work for me and my feet?” First, let me say that the foot width measurements... Read more

Selecting foot-healthy shoes—shoes that truly support long-term foot health—is one of the most important considerations in caring for your feet, as most foot and toe problems are caused by conventional footwear. Indeed, shoes that are generally regarded as appropriate (and even healthy) by many foot care professionals and society at large cause a variety of foot and toe deformities... Read more

When it comes to the health and well-being of your musculoskeletal system, few things are more important than what you put on your feet. Indeed, your choice of footwear affects everything from your joint health to your postural alignment to your walking and running gait, and more. Making sure your footwear is maximally foot-healthy is an essential part of avoiding foot,... Read more

Many people are aware that a transition period is required when switching from conventional shoes to minimalist shoes. In fact, this is one of the most common topics we hear about from patients and customers. Most people want to know the proper protocol for transitioning to foot-healthy footwear—shoes, boots, or sandals that are widest at the ends of the toes, have... Read more

To understand our arch support philosophy, it’s important to understand the architectural principle of an arch. Webster’s Dictionary defines an arch as “A curved structure that supports the weight of material over an open space.” Put another way, an arch is any curved structure that is able to bear weight over an open space by providing support on either end of that open space. An arch becomes... Read more

In this video, Dr. Ray McClanahan, a sports podiatrist at Northwest Foot and Ankle and the inventor of Correct Toes, describes the Shoe Liner Test  and explains why excessive pronation is such a common problem in our society. The Shoe Liner Test is a simple test that involves you pulling the liner out of your shoe (or a shoe that you are thinking of... Read more

In this video, Dr. Ray McClanahan, a sports podiatrist at Northwest Foot and Ankle and the inventor of Correct Toes, discusses the method that's historically been used for shoe sizing and why this technique falls short (and, in fact, often leads to a variety of foot and toe problems). He also demonstrates a better way to size shoes that respects the shape of the natural human foot... Read more

Attention and time given to natural foot health concepts and activities can yield profound foot health benefits, both for foot injury prevention and improved quality of life. Caring for your feet and allowing them to function the way nature intended can keep you pain free and performing the activities you love most. In most cases, the answer to long-term natural foot health is simple and... Read more

Being in the business of minimalist shoes and natural footgear, one question we're often asked by customers and readers of our blog is the following: “What do you think about those toe shoes?” Those toe shoes, of course, being the distinctive and famous Vibram FiveFingers! We have a long personal history with FiveFingers shoes that stretches back over a... Read more