Shoe Guides: Footwear Advice From a Foot & Ankle Surgeon

Written and medically reviewed by · Last reviewed 3 October 2026

Model-by-model scorecards are in testing. Until a shoe has been through the full protocol we do not publish a score for it — see How We Test. What we can publish now is the part that decides most purchases anyway: the clinical criteria that make a shoe work for a particular foot or a particular job, written by the foot and ankle surgeon who does the testing.

Every guide below is organised the same way: what the foot actually needs, the features that deliver it, what to stop wearing, and who each category is wrong for. Where a number comes from a manufacturer or an independent lab, it is attributed. Nothing here is scored, and nothing here carries the seal — those come only after a pair has been on the bench and on the road.

Precision measuring instruments laid out on a dark surface — podiatrist-written shoe guides, Podiatrist Tested
Every guide on this site is written from the same nine criteria and the same instruments — the numbers come from the pair, not the product page.

Prefer to watch? Explore Dr. Tom’s video library for shoe reviews and foot-health explainers, with links to related written guides.

Three questions

Which guide do you need?

Answer what you can and this points at the guide written for it. Every guide names who should skip each pick.

What bothers you
Width
Mostly for

Start here

  • Anatomy of a shoe — every part named in plain language, and the four that actually decide how a shoe feels — each with a five-second test you can do in the shop.
  • Psoriatic arthritis — dactylitis is a volume problem, not a width problem, and the roomiest shoes are the wrong ones for an inflamed Achilles.
  • Best shoes for plantar fasciitis — the four features that reduce plantar fascia load, why heel pain is worst in the first steps of the morning, and a 30-second test you can run at the shoe wall.
  • Best walking shoes for plantar fasciitis — walking is the activity you cannot stop when your heel hurts; seven shoes sorted by heel drop, and the popular picks whose own spec sheet argues against them.
  • Best running shoes for plantar fasciitis — why the shoe is only the third lever after training volume and cadence, then six trainers shortlisted by drop.
  • Best tennis shoes for plantar fasciitis — answers both meanings of the phrase: everyday sneakers, and the harder compromise if you actually play on a court.
  • Best shoes for standing all day — what twelve hours on a hard floor does to a foot, and the cushioning-plus-stability combination that survives it.
  • Wide toe box shoes — the difference between a wide shoe and a wide toe box, why the label on the box does not tell you what you need, and how to measure your own forefoot.
  • Find my shoes — four questions about your feet, your activity and your fit, and you land on the guide that matches.

By condition

  • Shoes for Haglund’s deformity — the bump at the back of the heel hurts because a shoe rim presses on it, so the heel collar decides this one, not the cushioning.
  • Shoes for peroneal tendonitis — outer-ankle tendon pain, missed far more often than it should be, and the one free check (your own outsoles) that beats any purchase.
  • Shoes for sinus tarsi syndrome — pain in the canal on the outside of the hindfoot, usually caused by motion on the inside, and why the heel drop printed on the box is not the one in the shoe.
  • Plantar fasciitis and heel pain — heel stack, heel-counter stiffness, torsional rigidity and forefoot rocker — the four that matter, and the ones that do not.
  • Plantar fasciitis, for women — last shape, feet that changed after pregnancy, the dress-code problem, and what years of heels did to your calf.
  • Plantar fasciitis, for men — the shoes are usually too old, body weight changes the maths, and the calf is normally the real culprit.
  • Flat feet — the ten-second heel-rise test that tells you which kind of flat foot you have — and why more support is not better.
  • Overpronation — why it is a description rather than a diagnosis, why the wet-foot test misleads, and when it is actually worth addressing.
  • Bunions — toe-box width measured in millimetres rather than letters, upper materials that give, and why the shoe that hurts is often half a size too short, not too narrow.
  • Neuropathy and diabetic feet — protection you cannot feel working: seamless interiors, depth, and the feet that should not be in retail shoes at all.
  • Lymphedema — volume, not just width: a shoe that opens wide and adjusts through the day, and why the barefoot hours matter.
  • Parkinson’s disease — freezing gait, shuffling and a shortened step, and the outsole and closure choices that make a fall less likely.
  • High arches and supination — why a rigid, supportive shoe is usually the wrong answer for a high-arched foot, and what to look for instead.
  • Tarsal tunnel syndrome — controlling the hindfoot position that compresses the nerve, and the shoe features that do it without a brace.
  • Turf toe — forefoot stiffness and rocker geometry — the two things that let a painful big toe joint get through a day.
  • Plantar fibroma — offloading a nodule in the arch without building a shoe that pushes straight into it.
  • Stress fractures — what to wear during and after a bone stress injury, and when a stiff-soled shoe beats a cushioned one.
  • Heel fat pad atrophy — the other cause of pain under the heel, and why a taller shoe is not a softer one.
  • Tailor’s bunion (bunionette) — the bump on the outside of the foot, and why going up a width fitting so often fails to help it.
  • Shin splints — why medial shin pain is usually a load problem before it is a shoe problem.
  • Ingrown toenails — toe-box pressure is the mechanism — depth and width matter more than anything else.
  • Back pain — what footwear can and cannot do for a problem that starts further up the chain.
  • Charcot foot — a condition where footwear is prescribed, not chosen — and what the warning signs are.
  • Sciatica — shoes do not treat sciatica — but foot drop and a numb foot change what you should wear.
  • Sesamoiditis — taking load off the two small bones under the big toe joint.
  • Morton’s neuroma — width is the whole game: measured toe-box figures, metatarsal pad placement, heel height and lacing.
  • Metatarsalgia — the rocker, forefoot stack and toe-box width that unload the metatarsal heads — and where the met pad actually belongs.
  • Arthritis in the foot — a stiffer sole and a rocker, not a soft bendy shoe. Big toe, midfoot, ankle and inflammatory arthritis each covered separately.
  • Achilles tendonitis — insertional and mid-portion pain want different shoes. Heel drop, heel counter, rocker and heel lifts.
  • Heel spurs — spurs turn up on X-rays of painless feet. The real causes of heel pain, and the four shoe features that help.
  • Plantar plate tear — why a forefoot rocker offloads a torn plate, and where the rocker break and the met pad belong.
  • Sever’s disease — heel pain in a growing child: what the trials show about shoes and heel lifts, and the red flags that mean see a clinician.
  • Supination — neutral, cushioned and flexible — stability shoes make it worse. Includes the wear-pattern test you can do at home.
  • Diabetes — depth, seamless linings, removable insoles and no break-in period, plus how the Medicare shoe benefit works.
  • Knee pain and knee osteoarthritis — flat flexible shoes were the standard advice until the trials tested them. What to buy instead.
  • Coming out of a CAM boot — the limp a boot leaves behind, why a shoe balancer matters, and shoes with published specs.
  • After an Achilles rupture — five published rehab protocols compared, and why heel drop matters more here than almost anywhere.
  • Shoes after a Lisfranc injury — the midfoot wants motion taken out of it, not held up, so a sole that refuses to bend beats any amount of cushioning.
  • Shoes for extensor tendonitis — top-of-foot pain is a pressure problem, which is why the lacing pattern fixes more of it than the midsole does.
  • Shoes for foot drop — a light shoe helps you clear the ground and a brace needs a deep one, so this one is a trade-off before it is a recommendation.
  • Shoes for midfoot arthritis — the midfoot joints object to bending, so stiffening the sole does more than cushioning it.
  • Shoes for accessory navicular syndrome — it hurts two ways, the shoe rubbing the bone and the tendon pulling on it, and the usual fix for one aggravates the other.
  • Shoes for tarsal coalition — a coalition is a rigid flat foot, so a motion-control shoe controls nothing; what the midsole absorbs is the decision.
  • Shoes for Baxter’s nerve entrapment — heel pain from a pinched nerve rather than the fascia, which is why the plantar fasciitis playbook keeps missing it.
  • Shoes for cuboid syndrome — outer midfoot pain with no confirmatory test, where torsional rigidity matters more than cushioning.
  • Shoes for hip pain — the largest trial found supportive shoes no better than flat ones for hip arthritis, though they did help the knee.
  • Shoes for hallux rigidus — big-toe arthritis hurts when the joint bends, so a forefoot that will not fold and a rocker sole do most of the work.
  • Shoes for gout — no shoe treats gout; during a flare the job is keeping pressure off an inflamed big toe joint.
  • Shoes for posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (PTTD) — not the same as flat feet, and the stage of the tendon decides the shoe.
  • Shoes for hammer toes and claw toes — the bent toe rubs on top, so height over the toes matters more than width across them.
  • Shoes for leg length discrepancy — an in-shoe heel lift runs out of room before most differences do, so depth under the insole decides the shoe.
  • Shoes for Freiberg’s disease — a collapsing metatarsal head, usually the second; a shoe can only change how far the joint bends, so this is offloading, not treatment.
  • Shoes for Morton’s toe — a second toe longer than the big toe is a foot shape, not a diagnosis; the fitting rule that measures the wrong toe, and how to size from the longest one.
  • Shoes for a tailor’s bunion — the bunionette presses on the little-toe side, where the usual big-toe ranking does not look; 34 shoes re-ranked where it presses.

Insoles and orthotics

An insole is only as good as the shoe it fits into, so these are written around volume as much as shape. Every shoe we test reports an Orthotic Volume Rating — a 1–5 measure of whether a real custom orthotic fits once the stock insole is out. It is the number that decides whether the device you already own will work in the shoe you are about to buy, and nobody else publishes it.

By fit and foot type

  • Wide feet — width is a letter on a box; what your foot needs is a measurement.
  • Running with wide feet — what 2E and 4E change underfoot, and the three models that give women less width than men.
  • Basketball with wide feet — the sport where the width letter barely exists, and what the lab says a roomy hoop shoe really measures.
  • Running with flat feet — when a stability shoe earns its place, and when comfort is the better guide.
  • Ankle support — what a shoe can genuinely do for an unstable ankle, and what needs a brace instead.
  • Pickleball — lateral load is the whole problem, and running shoes are built for the wrong axis.
  • Orthopedic shoes — what the word actually means, and what it does not.
  • What podiatrists actually recommend — the criteria behind the recommendation, rather than a brand list.
  • Arch support — what a shoe can and cannot do for an arch, and where the support has to come from.
  • Zero drop shoes — the case for and against, and a transition protocol that does not injure you.
  • Wide feet or narrow feet? — how to tell at home, what each width letter means for men and for women, and why a shoe sold as wide is not always wider.

By job and situation

  • Nurses and healthcare workers — twelve-hour shifts, hard floors, fluid resistance and the trade-off between a clog and a running shoe.
  • Work shoes for women — support that survives a dress code, and the compromises that are and are not worth making.
  • Walking shoes — what separates a walking shoe from a running shoe, and why most people should buy the running shoe.
  • Higher body weight — midsole compression, durability and the reason a shoe that felt great in month one stops working in month four.
  • Soccer cleats with plantar fasciitis — the hardest footwear problem in this list, and the realistic ways to make a stud plate survivable.
  • Basketball shoes with plantar fasciitis — seven models cut in half and measured by RunRepeat’s lab, and why the 8–12 mm drop rule borrowed from running does not survive contact with the category.
  • Weightlifting with plantar fasciitis — why the flat, hard sole that is right for the bar is the wrong one for the walk to the gym.
  • Teachers — all-day standing inside a dress code that rules out most of the good options.
  • Bartenders with plantar fasciitis — a wet, hard floor, eight hours without sitting, and a slip-resistant sole that still has cushioning in it.
  • Concrete floors — why the problem is repetition rather than impact, and what actually survives it.
  • Walking shoes for men — a men’s medium is a D, not a B — and width availability filters the shortlist before anything else.
  • Work boots, with plantar fasciitis — a boot has the stiff shank a fascia wants and a flat footbed that undoes it. The insole swap explained.
  • Older feet — how feet change with age, and what that means for fit, stability and fall risk.
  • Walking shoes, women over 50 — feet get longer, wider and less padded after 50 — and maximal cushioning can cost you balance.
  • Waterproof walking shoes — membranes keep rain out and sweat in, and grip, not waterproofing, is what prevents falls.
  • Slip-on walking shoes — a slip-on cannot be tightened, so the heel counter does all the work.
  • Slippers, with plantar fasciitis — what a slipper needs on hard floors, why memory foam fails, and the morning habit that cuts first-step pain.
  • Sandals, with plantar fasciitis — the four features that cut plantar fascia load, and a 30-second test to do in the shop.
  • Shoes for Disney World — seven to twelve miles a day in Florida heat, and why the shoe that fits at breakfast rubs by mid-afternoon.
  • Shoes for servers and restaurant workers — a wet, greasy floor and an eight-to-twelve hour shift ask for grip and cushioning at once.
  • Shoes for treadmill walking — almost any cushioned shoe works on the flat; steep incline walking is what loads the Achilles and heel.
  • Shoes for volleyball — most ankle sprains happen landing on another player’s foot at the net, which is why a brace matters as much as the shoe.
  • Shoes for HYROX — eight kilometres of running and a heavy sled push want opposite things from a shoe; the answer is a firm, wide middle ground.
  • Doctors — a physician’s day is not a nurse’s: what the operating room demands, the clog question, and a shortlist by where you spend the day.
  • Walking in Europe — cobblestones and long days on foot: the five things the shoe has to do, and stylish choices for women and for men.
  • Hiking sandals — Teva, Chaco or KEEN: what a sandal cannot do on a trail, and who should not hike in one.
  • Weightlifting shoes for women — why squatting in running shoes is the real error, what the raised heel is for, and why many women’s lifters are downsized men’s.
  • Hiking with plantar fasciitis — descent, not distance, is the load; why a stiff forefoot helps, and a ninety-second test to do in the shop.

By brand

Brands solve the same problems in different ways, and the differences are structural rather than cosmetic. These read a whole line and say which model suits which foot — and who the brand is wrong for.

  • HOKA for walking — why the rocker does more work than the foam, and why a high stack is the wrong answer for an unstable ankle.
  • Saucony for plantar fasciitis — which Saucony actually holds a heel that hurts, and what PWRRUN changes once the fascia is already irritated.
  • Brooks for walking — structure without the height, the one Brooks that passes a dress code, and why width beats model choice.
  • HOKA for plantar fasciitis — which models in the line actually help heel pain, and why.
  • KURU — a podiatrist reads the brand’s claims against what the design can actually do.
  • Vionic — what built-in arch support genuinely does, and where the “podiatrist-designed” claim outruns the design.
  • Altra — a foot-shaped last is the best thing you can do for a bunion or a neuroma — and zero drop is a separate trade-off that harms some feet.
  • New Balance for women — the width system explained, and why your feet stopped fitting the size you always bought.
  • On — two very different shoes sold under one look, and the fit issue to check before ordering.
  • Skechers Arch Fit — what “podiatrist-certified” means in practice, and what it does not.
  • Skechers — soft is not the same as supportive — where the brand wins, and which feet should choose otherwise.
  • Brooks walking shoes, for women — Brooks’s published specs hold up under lab measurement. Which model suits which foot, and the toe-box catch.
  • HOKA walking shoes, for women — two HOKA models measured roughly double their stated drop. What HOKA does well, and when to skip the brand.
  • New Balance walking shoes, for women — 2A, B, D and 2E in women’s — width beats cushioning for most hard-to-fit feet.
  • Dansko clogs — the open-back trade-off, why only the XP 2.0 takes a custom orthotic, and how long a clog really lasts.
  • Vivaia — what the APMA Seal on these knit flats does and does not mean, the toe shape, and where a flat falls short.
  • Kizik — hands-free entry and the heel counter question, the rocker sole, and a warning for anyone with neuropathy.
  • Xero Shoes — barefoot shoes: where the design helps, the transition evidence most reviews skip, and who should not wear them.

Every measured review, brand by brand: Altra, ASICS, Brooks, Dansko, HOKA, KURU, New Balance, On, OOFOS, Orthofeet, Saucony, Skechers and Vionic.

Head to head

Two shoes, or two insoles, compared on the criteria that actually separate them — and a clear statement of who each one is wrong for.

  • Hoka Bondi vs Arahi — maximum cushioning against built-in stability, and how to tell which one your foot is asking for.
  • HOKA Bondi 9 vs Bondi SR — the same name on two different shoes: the SR is a leather occupational shoe about 100 g heavier per shoe, on a lower, firmer platform.
  • Topo vs Altra — the same foot-shaped toe box in the lab; the difference is the drop, a median 6.6 mm against 1.1.
  • Altra Torin 8 vs 9 — zero drop on both; the 9 measured wider at the ball of the foot but narrower at the big toe.
  • HOKA Arahi 8 vs 9 — the same frame and drop on paper; in the lab the 9 needed about 40% less force to twist.
  • Kayano 32 vs 33 — ASICS kept the 8 mm drop; a lab found the 33 about 3 mm lower and a fifth softer.
  • KURU vs HOKA — the ATOM 2 and the Bondi 9 cost about the same; a lab found near-identical heel heights and a 6 mm gap under the forefoot.
  • New Balance 860 vs 880 — same price, same eight widths, so the usual tie-breakers do not break the tie; what is left is one structural difference and 32 g.
  • Saucony Triumph vs Guide — the same question inside one brand: neutral max-cushion or a support shoe.
  • On Cloud 6 vs Cloudrunner — a lifestyle shoe and a running shoe that look alike and behave nothing alike.
  • CURREX RunPro vs PowerStep — which over-the-counter insole suits which arch, and when neither is enough.
  • PowerStep Pinnacle vs ProTech vs SlimTech — three insoles from one brand, and the volume differences that decide whether they fit your shoe at all.
  • HOKA Bondi 9 vs Clifton 10 — max cushion against the lighter daily, within one brand.
  • Brooks Ghost 17 vs Adrenaline GTS 24 — neutral against stability, where the support shoe measures wider at the toes.
  • ASICS Gel-Kayano 32 vs Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24 — the two most-prescribed stability trainers, and the drop gap is all forefoot.
  • PowerStep Pinnacle vs Maxx vs Pulse — only the two Maxx models carry a heel post, and it is 2°, not the 4° or 7° quoted elsewhere; all seven models sorted by foot.
  • Brooks walking shoes for women — the one brand whose spec sheet survives lab measurement.
  • HOKA walking shoes for women — excellent rocker; two models measured roughly double their stated drop.
  • New Balance walking shoes for women — four women’s widths — and the version change that catches people out.
  • PowerStep vs the Good Feet Store — a $40 insole against a four-figure package, on the evidence.
  • Dr. Scholl’s vs Powerstep — a foam insole against a semi-rigid shell, decided on what each brand publishes rather than what the box claims.
  • HOKA vs Brooks — one spec sheet survives lab measurement and the other does not. Drop, stack, toe box, and which brand suits which foot.
  • Brooks vs On — Brooks publishes stack, drop, weight, four widths and a removable insole. On publishes none of those — and charges more.
  • Brooks Beast GTS 26 vs Adrenaline GTS 24 — support, weight, drop, widths and orthotic fit, read off both published spec sheets.
  • New Balance 860 vs Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24 — two stability shoes on support type, drop, stack, weight and widths.
  • HOKA Gaviota 6 vs Arahi 8 — same H-Frame, same widths, same 39 mm heel — and the Arahi is lighter, cheaper and APMA-accepted.
  • HOKA Arahi 8 vs Saucony Guide 19 — two light stability shoes at one price, built on opposite theories.
  • HOKA Bondi SR vs Brooks Addiction Walker 2 — cushioning versus control for people on their feet all day, and the 9.5 mm between them.
  • Brooks Ghost Max 4 vs New Balance More v6 — published stack, drop and weight — and which of those numbers changes how a shoe feels.
  • Saucony Ride 19 vs ASICS Gel-Cumulus 28 — 4 g and 0.5 mm apart, so the numbers cannot pick a winner. What should.
  • Brooks Ghost 17 vs Ghost 18 — an upper update on Brooks’ own sheet; 1.8 mm more drop and a firmer midsole on the lab’s.
  • HOKA Clifton 10 vs Clifton 11 — the same stack on HOKA’s sheet; lower, softer and 2.2 mm narrower at the big toe on the lab’s.
  • Brooks Adrenaline GTS 24 vs GTS 25 — the drop came down 3.3 mm, the foam softened and the heel widened: a different prescription, not a refresh.
  • HOKA Arahi vs Clifton — stability against neutral, though in the lab the Arahi 9 twisted as easily as the Clifton 11; the Arahi suits a foot that rolls in a little, the Clifton a neutral foot with a sore heel pad.
  • OOFOS vs Crocs — the heel strap settles it: a Crocs Classic Clog can hold your heel, an OOFOS OOahh slide never will.
  • Brooks vs New Balance — neither brand publishes a stack height for any of the six shoes compared, and what that means when you choose between them.
  • HOKA Clifton 9 vs Clifton 10 — the lab measured the 10 almost 12 mm taller at the heel, with twice the drop and a softer heel: the better Clifton for heel pain.
  • HOKA Bondi 8 vs Bondi 9 — the 9 absorbed about 17% more impact at the heel and measured roomier in the toe box, and its measured drop rose by 2.9 mm, to 9.1 mm.
  • HOKA Gaviota 5 vs Gaviota 6 — both listed at 6 mm of drop; the lab measured 2.2 mm on the 5 and 7.3 mm on the 6, the better Gaviota for an Achilles or calf problem.
  • HOKA Mach 6 vs Mach 7 — little changed underfoot; the 7 measured wider at the big toe but narrow at the ball of the foot, and both measured about 9.5 mm of drop against HOKA’s listed 5.
  • Brooks Ghost 16 vs Ghost 17 — the drop came down from 12 to 10 mm with more foam under the forefoot, but in the pairs measured the 17’s toe box was 2.5 mm narrower at the big toe and 2 mm lower.
  • Brooks Glycerin 22 vs Glycerin 23 — the lab drop fell from 10.3 to 8.2 mm, and the 23’s toe box measured 4.1 mm taller at the same width: the better Glycerin for hammertoes.
  • ASICS Gel-Nimbus 27 vs Nimbus 28 — both listed at 8 mm; the lab measured 8.3 mm on the 27 and 5.2 mm on the 28, whose stiff forefoot makes it the better Nimbus for a stiff or arthritic big toe.
  • Saucony Ride 18 vs Ride 19 — the 19 is softer, but measured 23 g heavier and took about 74% more force to bend at the forefoot: the better Ride for a stiff or sore big toe joint.
  • Saucony Guide 18 vs Guide 19 — both listed at 6 mm; the lab measured 8.3 mm on the 18 and 6.0 on the 19, whose toe box measured 7.5 mm lower: the 19 for heel pain, the 18 for toes that need height.
  • New Balance 1080 v14 vs v15 — a new foam, Infinion: in the lab the v15 came out the softest of the shoes reviewed here, 30 g lighter and 3.4 mm wider at the big toe than the v14, and the least resistant to twisting.
  • On Cloud 5 vs Cloud 6 — the 6’s base measured 10 mm wider at the heel, but the foam was as firm as before and the heel absorbed about 7% less impact, in a shoe 49 g heavier.

Model by model, for plantar fasciitis

  • Brooks Ghost 17 — it holds the APMA seal and runs a 10 mm drop, but the Ghost 18 supersedes it. Whether to buy the discount.
  • Brooks Ghost Max 4 — the design read against the 2023 clinical guideline — the rocker evidence, and a correction to its APMA seal claim.
  • ASICS Gel-Nimbus 28 — maximum cushioning is the whole pitch, checked against what has actually been measured about cushioning and heel pain.
  • ASICS Gel-Kayano 32 — the Kayano is sold on support, and support for plantar fasciitis was downgraded in 2023. What ASICS does not publish.

Reference charts

The numbers brands publish, the numbers independent labs measure, and the gap between them. These are the pages to keep open while you shop.

  • Shoe spec database — every published figure for every shoe on this site in one table, each with the name of whoever published it. Every brand publishes the list price; not one publishes the width of the toe box — every one of those figures came from a laboratory.
  • Shoe weight chart — every shoe on this site by published weight, and the finding that hardly any of those figures say which size was weighed.
  • Shoe price vs specs — list price against measured heel stack, forefoot stack, toe-box width and weight for 41 shoes. Price predicts almost none of it, and the $200 shoe has the narrowest toe box on the site.
  • Anatomy of a shoe — the vocabulary the rest of these guides use: heel counter, last, stack, drop, strobel, toe spring.
  • The Orthotic Volume Rating — the 1 to 5 scale for whether a shoe still has room once your orthotic goes in, and the sixty-second check that tells you before you buy.
  • Heel-to-toe drop chart — 44 shoes, with stated drop and available independent lab measurements clearly labelled. Nearly every shoe with a stated drop above zero has measured higher than the box says — and the first exception is named on the page.
  • Shoe width chart — what D, 2E and 4E actually add in millimetres — and the brand that admits its wide uses the same footbed.
  • Toe Box Width Chart — every shoe we hold a lab figure for, measured at the big toe and at the widest point, in millimetres, and why a 4E fitting does not predict a wider toe box.
  • Stack height chart — heel and forefoot stack for every shoe we hold figures for, with who published each number, and why the forefoot figure is the one to question.

Growing feet and pregnancy

Two stages where the standard advice is often the opposite of what the foot needs.

  • Shoes for kids — flexible, flat and wide. Arch support is not required for the ordinary flexible flatfoot, whatever the shop says.
  • Shoes for toddlers and new walkers — barefoot is fine indoors; what the first outdoor shoe actually has to do.
  • Shoes in pregnancy — the arch drop is often permanent, so the old size is historical information.

Footwear questions

Where the scorecards are

Individual shoe pages live in Reviews. Any page there that has not yet been through the protocol says so at the top, carries no score and no seal, and is kept separate from tested reviews. When a pair is measured and worn, its scorecard replaces the analysis on the same URL and the guide that recommends it is updated the same week.