Health feet start with good footwear - Adaptive Technology

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Back to school footwear needs for active students

Sep 18, 2019 | 2:15 PM

It’s that time of year kids dread and many parents crave.

Most families have finished the back to school shopping which, no doubt, included new school shoes – usually with the school requiring a separate pair reserved for gym use.

“Shoe choices for kids are a very important component in your child’s overall foot health and should be chosen carefully” says Emilie Soper, Certified Pedorthist at Adaptive Technologies.

“A lot of shoes are chosen quickly based on size or price but that can affect your child’s growth in a negative way,” continues Soper.

The most important part of a good shoe is obviously a proper fit but there are many other factors as well.

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“First, the shoe should have some structure to it and shouldn’t be able to roll into a ball. Secondly, the heel counter around the back of the shoe should be stiff to ensure that the heel is held in a neutral position. Thirdly, a straight last which means there is a good base of support so that the arch is supported.”

Finally, laces are generally better as they make the fit of the shoe much better and snug the heel back so there is less slippage.

As parents, we all want what’s best for our children so Adaptive is trying to educate parents on making good buying decisions with their kid’s shoes.

“We see lots of cases where proper shoe choices and some physiotherapy can help fix improper alignment,” says Koji Duncan, Certified Orthotist.

“There are occasions where orthotic interventions are needed to help even more with improper alignment, but simple shoe choices make a huge difference.” Says Duncan.

“After all, this pair of shoes will probably not last the year, as growth spurts generally happen even before the shoes wear out,” laughs Soper.

“Even with my own kids, I’ve bought new shoes and two months later they are already too small.”

However, school years are critical growth periods for children and improper footwear can set them up for problems later on. Definitely take time to look at all the options when purchasing new shoes for your child throughout the year.

There’s a good chance the variety of shoes on the market will offer an option that will fit your budget. For what to look for when purchasing news shoes, Emilie Soper offers the following insights:

Adaptive Technologies is located near the Casino, on 41 street south. It’s a 2700 square foot facility that features four patient rooms so they can provide services related to prosthetics, orthotics, and pedorthics. Most impressively, they use state of the art technology to manufacture individual prosthetics, orthotics and pedorthics right there – in house!

If you have questions or are looking for a special fitting, Adaptive Technologies can help you. Give them a call at 403.381.9501.