Anatomy of an orthopedic shoe

You’ll be probably surprised but not all parents even know how the separate elements of a child’s orthopedic shoe called, not to mention about knowing the real anatomy of such footwear. In this article, we tried to tell you about the most essential children’s orthopedic shoes’ details!

Sole

The sole should be flexible. This can be checked by bending the shoe. The sole should be non-slippery (a lug sole, for example). This applies not just to winter shoes, which have to be like this, but also to any other type of shoes.

Counter

The counter should be solid (without any cutouts) and stiff enough to hold the foot tightly and prevent it from slipping and twisting to the side. Pay attention that the counter has a rounded top and doesn’t cut into the bones located on the feet sides.

Heel

A small heel is necessary for gait development. Its height should be no more than 5-7 mm.

Instep support

For the prevention of flat feet, children's shoes often have instep support, which helps in the development of a normal foot arch. However, this doesn’t mean that the absence of instep support will necessarily result in flat feet. The instep support should be flexible so that it squeezes and straightens under the foot pressure. The instep support shouldn’t be too large, otherwise, this can lead to foot development disorders, and the child will twist his feet outwards.

Fastener

The fastener should be adjustable in order to fix the shoe on the foot well. Even a one-year-old baby can take off and put on Velcro shoes, so choosing such models indeed makes sense.