Fun Facts About Shoes for National Measure Your Feet Day
At Pasco-Hernando Foot & Ankle, a health observance we’re excited about is National Measure Your Feet Day which falls on January 23rd. Did you know that wearing shoes that fit properly is the number one way you can be proactive in improving your podiatric health? And yet, studies estimate that as many as 85% of adults are wearing the wrong shoe size.
It’s not unusual for your foot size to increase as you age. Pregnancy and weight gain can also necessitate buying shoes in a larger size. The consequences of wearing shoes that fit poorly include:
Blisters
Increased risk for falls
Foot pain
Corns and calluses
So start the New Year off right by discarding any footwear that is showing signs of wear or hurt your feet when you wear them. And, go to a reputable shoe store to get your feet measured to ensure you’re wearing the right size shoes for your feet. If you have special concerns about footwear fit due to a chronic foot condition talk to our podiatrist, Dr. Lawrence J. Kales by contacting our Hudson office at 727-868-2128 or 352-683-5799.
And now enjoy these trivia tidbits about footwear and shoe size measuring:
The oldest pair of shoes were discovered in Fort Rock Cave in Oregon. They were sandals made of sagebrush bark and date back to between 7,000-8,000 B.C.
Footwear size was originally measured in barleycorns. King Edward II back in 1324 decreed that the diameter of one barleycorn would equal a full shoe size.
Shoes didn’t always have a right and a left. It was the ancient Romans who first designed specifically left and right shoes. Before that shoes could be worn on either foot.
The “wedge” heel was created because metal was unavailable for high heels during World War II so designer Salvatore Ferragamo experimented with Sardinian cork and the popular wedge made its debut.
Back in 1925 Charles F. Brannock invented the “Brannock Device,” the metal foot measuring tools used to this day in shoe stores.