Podiatrist Tested exists because of a question I get several times a day, in an exam room, from someone in pain: what shoes should I buy?
For years I did what most podiatrists do — named a couple of brands and hoped for the best. That answer is not good enough. Brands change their shoes every year, so the model that worked for a patient in March is a different shoe by November. And almost everything written about footwear online is written by people who have never examined a foot, working from manufacturer copy, ranked by whoever pays the most.
So I started buying the shoes, measuring them, wearing them, and publishing what I found.
Who I am
I’m Tom Biernacki, DPM, FACFAS — a board-certified foot and ankle surgeon practicing in Howell and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. I treat feet for a living: heel pain, bunions, neuropathy, diabetic wounds, flat feet, the whole range. I also make and dispense custom orthotics, which is relevant enough that I disclose it on every page where it could matter.
What this site is
An independent footwear and orthotic testing publication. Not a clinic site. Not a blog. Every shoe here has been measured with a caliper and worn on real feet, and every number is labeled with where it came from. The full method is published at How We Test.
We take no money from footwear or orthotic brands — not for a test, not for a score, not for the seal — and that is a permanent commitment, not a current policy. Brands sometimes send us shoes, which we disclose at the top of the page and which has never changed a score. We earn affiliate commissions when readers buy through our links, disclosed on every page and never a factor in a ranking.
Credentials you can check
Anyone can call themselves a foot expert online. These are verifiable by a third party, which is the only kind of credential worth printing:
- Tom Biernacki, DPM, FACFAS — Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, double board-certified in foot surgery and in reconstructive rearfoot and ankle surgery by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery; Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.
- NPI 1821330051 — the national identifier issued to licensed U.S. clinicians. Look it up in the federal NPI registry.
- In active practice at Balance Foot & Ankle in Howell and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan — clinical bio. Feet are seen every week, not remembered from training.
Podiatrist Tested is an independent publication of Foot & Ankle Web Services LLC. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by the American Podiatric Medical Association or any other professional body.
What this site is not
It is not medical advice, and reading it does not make you my patient. Footwear is one part of treating a foot problem and usually not the most important part. If something hurts for more than a few weeks, if you have diabetes or numbness, or if you see a wound, see a podiatrist in person — including one who is not me.
If I get something wrong
Tell me. Corrections get made on the page with a date on them, not quietly. Contact me here.