Athletic Shoe Fit, Modifications, and Prescriptions

Abstract

Whether treating the feet of professional athletes or weekend warriors, it is critical that patients are wearing shoes that correctly fit. Some foot care physicians fit patients with shoes themselves. Others prefer to refer patients to stores for others to decide what is best. Either way, patients’ needs are best served by the sports medicine specialist assessing the functional biomechanics of the lower extremity, identifying its structural requirements, and creating a plan for the therapeutic objectives to be achieved. There are four simple yet key considerations about athletic footwear, orthoses, and shoe modifications for achieving best clinical outcomes. Sports medicine professionals can best help their patients if they address the foot to shoe relationship with respect to “size, shape, stability, and style”.