Video on the Shoe Flexion and Torsion Tests when Stability Important

With the big push in the shoe industry to make lighter and more flimsier shoes, I thought it only appropriate to show the how a podiatrist, physical therapist, and good shoe store manager would evaluate a shoe for stability. A shoe must bend at the exact spot that your foot bends across the metatarsals, thus the shoe industry has gone to great effort to get this right per size. Being a size 15 shoe myself, I find it a big disservice to stop making 1/2 sizes at 13. Definitely, the shoe should never bend mainly at the arch or plantar fasciitis and other problems may occur. The torsion test makes sure that the shoe has some stability across the arch area. For those with foot problems, some disabling, this stability as crucial. But, research out of the University of Virginia documenting the importance of arch stability to knee problems also. Sore knees, perhaps it is from the poor support you get from your shoes!! Here is a lasting shot of a store front ad in Barcelona where my wife and I were vacationing. The ability of the shoe to bend like this was being portraited as something good, but I doubt it!!

Shoe Evaluation: Shoe Flexion Test

The Shoe Flexion Test checks flexibility of the front of the shoe. You are testing whether the shoe bends correctly or in the wrong place. As you walk or run, you need to bend your foot in the metatarsal or ball of the foot area as the heel lifts off the ground. This easy motion is called propulsion or push-off. It should occur only at the right place or injuries may occur. Grab the shoe again (like the post of Shoe Torsion Test) firmly at the heel. Then, grab the toe area and simulate toe bend by bending the toes upwards. The second photo demonstrates the shoe easily bending, not at the ball of the foot, but at the arch. This is how injuries to the arch, or plantar fascia, can occur. The shoe actually forces the foot to bend at the wrong place. Ouch!!! Combine the Shoe Flexion Test with the Shoe Torsion Test with Heel Verticality Test from other posts and you are beginning to have a clear understanding on how evaluate the safety of the shoes you buy. Good Luck!