A Step-By-Step Guide To Measuring Your Feet For Buying Insoles Online
The majority of online shoe stores provide detailed information on how to measure your feet to get a good fit. While these guides can be helpful, they may not provide all of the information that you need. It is important to actually take measurements of your feet before buying shoes rather than just going with your normal size and hoping for the best.
Even if you are confident that you know your shoe size, you should still measure your feet if you are planning on buying insoles through the Internet. This is especially true if you are purchasing a brand that you have never worn before. Having the exact measurements of your feet to refer to will make it much easier for you to find orthotic inserts that fit. Keep reading for some helpful tips on how to correctly measure your feet for insoles.
The shoe size that you wear is determined by the length of your foot. To determine your size, your foot is measured from the very front of your longest toe all the way to the back of your heel. Keep in mind that your shoe size doesn't take the width of your foot into account.
When measuring for insoles, follow these steps:
Start by gathering together your materials. Along with a pair of shoes that fit you perfectly, you also need a flexible measuring tape.
To get an accurate measurement, position the end of the measuring tape inside the shoe, with the end of the tape touching the tip of the shoe. Straighten the tape out in the bottom of the shoe, pressing it down flat until you reach the back of the heel. This process will provide you with the exact measurement that you need for insoles.
According to Orthotic Shop this measurement should be taken in centimeters. If the distance falls somewhere between two sizes, always round up to the closest half-size. For instance, if your actual measurement is 17.25 centimeters, you would round it up to 17.5 centimeters.
For half insoles, you will need to take a different type of measurement that is known as the heel-to-ball ratio. This measurement is also good to know if you are going to be buying special athletic insoles.
In order to obtain a correct measurement, you will need help from another person.
Begin by laying a blank piece of paper on the ground. Stand on the paper with your heel at the very back edge. Make a line across the back of your heel that extends as far out as your foot on either side.
Next, have your assistant help you mark the area where the ball of your foot comes in contact with the paper.
As long as you don't have fallen arches, finding this spot is relatively easy. You just have to look for the area where your foot begins touching the paper again at the front of your arch.
If you have flat feet, on the other hand, you will need to take a slightly different approach. Use your hand to locate the ball of your foot. Position your finger directly next to the beginning of the ball of your foot and use that as a guide for marking the paper.
Once the sections have been marked, you can then measure the distance between the two lines. This will give you your heel-to-ball ratio. This process will need to be done on each foot individually since your feet may be different sizes.
