How to pick shoes for developing teen feet
By Striperpedia staff
With fall sports already under way and winter sports approaching, teens (and their parents) are venturing out to find the right footwear for their sport of choice. When developing feet are involved, finding the right fit takes on added significance.
That’s because teenage feet don’t stop developing until growth plates close at the conclusion of puberty, according to Carolyn McAloon, DPM, Vice President of the California Podiatric Medical Association. “For girls, that’s 14-16; it’s 16-20 for boys.”
“It is critical to select the correct shoe type for the foot type and the activity chosen,” she told Striperpedia. “Runners should bear in mind their foot type when selecting a running shoe. After asking their podiatrist to determine their foot type, then they can select a shoe for their foot.”
The “Wet Test” (video here) is a quick and easy way to see if one has high or average arches, or flat feet. Arch height is an indicator of how much someone will pronate (roll their foot inward). Runners who overpronate roll their foot inward after their heel lands. Those who underpronate tend to roll their foot outward after heelstrike. Both can lead to discomfort and long-term injury, McAloon said, and so benefit from a shoe that helps to straighten out a runner’s stride.
Those whose feet roll inward – those who usually have a lower arch – will look to a stability shoe to support the inner part of the foot. These are examples of stability shoes:
• adidas adiStar Salvation 3
• ASICS GEL-Kayano 17
• Brooks Trance 10
• Nike Zoom Equalon+ 4
• Saucony Hurricane 13
Runners whose feet roll inward significantly will want a support shoe, which is built up more substantially under the arch. Here are some support shoes:
• ASICS GEL-Evolution
• Mizuno Wave Alchemy
• Saucony ProGrid Stabil CS 2
And those whose feet roll outward will want a cushioned shoe to settle that type of foot fall. Here are examples of some cushioned shoes:
• adidas Supernova Glide 3
• ASICS GEL-Kinetic 4
• Brooks Glycerin 9
• Mizuno Wave Creation 12
• Nike Zoom Vomero+ 6
• Saucony ProGrid Triumph 8
McAloon sees teen athletes commit five common mistakes that often result in foot problems:
- Wearing running shoes for too long: “Running shoes need to be replaced every 500 miles or so,” she said. “You may not be able to tell from looking at an athletic shoe that its mid-sole is worn out. … Non-runners should replace their shoes at least every 12 months (unless of course they are a young person and have outgrown them).”
- Wrong shoe for the activity: “It is important to remember that running shoes are made for forward motion and would not be appropriate for a side-to side motion sport such as tennis,” McAloon said. “Basketball requires side-to-side motion, but also jumping and landing – high risk for ankle sprains and thus the need for high-top shoes in that sport.”
- Wrong shoe for the foot type: Check on your arch type and whether your foot tends to roll inward, outward or stays stable. A Foot Locker associate can assist with this.
- Wrong shoe size: “Feet can grow fast during growth spurts, and shoes need to keep up,” McAloon said. “Also, running shoes tend to run smaller, so if you wear an 8 in your normal shoe, you probably need an 8 ½ in your running shoe.
- Forgetting the orthotics: “Those with custom-prescribed orthotics: Forgetting to wear them or not getting checked by their podiatrist to see that they still fit,” McAloon said.
But the evolution of the foot doesn’t stop there. “That does not mean that our shoe size does not get larger over our lifetime because as we get older and heavier our feet do collapse and splay, which requires a bigger shoe.”