Footwear a key contributor to health and wellbeing
Australians are compromising their health and impeding their exercise and weight loss efforts by wearing poor fitting footwear, according to local podiatrists and footwear specialists.
Adam Wiles, the senior podiatrist at Joggers World's Podiatry First Sports consultancy, said while many people were aware of the health issues associated with ill-fitting dress shoes – a significant percentage of the population was unaware of the importance of correct fitting sports shoes.
As a result, he said more and more people were suffering from foot and leg injuries that in turn impacted significantly on their ability to exercise and achieve a general sense of wellbeing.
"Many people are simply unaware that the pain or discomfort they are experiencing during exercise isn't normal and can be related to their choice of footwear," Adam said.
"A large percentage of my patients come to me after wearing the wrong footwear – whether it be wrong for their feet or wrong for the activity they are undertaking.
"In turn, these people are experiencing discomfort or have lost their motivation to exercise, thus igniting further health issues including weight gain, poor self-image and a loss of general fitness."
Joggers World owner Gia Warhurst agreed that the wrong footwear choice can be detrimental to health and said foot comfort is of key importance during the decision making process - with colour, price and popularity taking a backseat.
"It can be a vicious cycle but once the problem has been found and the footwear has been corrected it can be smooth sailing," she said
"Many people are influenced too much by brand names and pricing, believing the most expensive shoe must be the best – but too many factors play a role in the correct shoe choice for the individual for this to be the case.
"We've seen many customers who have achieved great things as a result of switching to a new pair of shoes – one in particular hadn't exercised in several years as result of significant foot pain but after being fitted with the correct footwear started exercising and lost 35kgs!"
Gia said diabetes sufferers were particularly vulnerable when wearing the wrong shoe and that Joggers World was catering for this demand.
"In people who suffer from Diabetes, obtaining the correct fitting shoe with a seamless upper will help prevent diabetic foot complications," she said.
"We are hoping to raise awareness of this need and we're now specifically catering for diabetes sufferers with flexible footwear."
Joggers World is in the best position to assist as it boasts the largest range of performance footwear in SA.
"We are committed to raising awareness of the importance of good footwear as part of its broader mission to encourage South Australians to live more healthy and active lifestyles," Gia said.
"We have one set of feet and we need to ensure they are looked after."
For media inquiries please contact Samantha Firth at Michels Warren on 8267 6888.