How not to choose orthopedic shoes!

You can read  a lot of articles on the Internet with advice on how to choose orthopedic shoes for a child. I hate to disappoint you, but most of them are just content to make the seller's website appear higher in search results. No more, no less.

Such articles are often written by people who are very far from the shoe theme.

We can boldly declare: we have eaten our teeth on whatorthopedic shoes should be.. Thousands of children tried them on before our eyes, thousands of mothers and fathers gave us feedback on various models. Hundreds of our customers have made comments on specific models, and we, in turn, together with the manufacturer from whom we place orders, have made adjustments. Yes, we have had some less than successful models. However, a large number of models are in great demand. Some successful examples have become real bestsellers. Our competitors have even tried to copy them! (In vain, by the way.)

In short, we have experienced the joys and sorrows of successful and not so successful experience in selecting shoes for a large number of retail and wholesale customers. And we are ready to share our experience.

Practitioners are more likely to start from negative experience than positive. This in itself is not bad, since progress is moving forward. For example: we tried to do it this way and realized that we no longer need to do it this way. The further narration will be conducted based on the paradigm of such experience, and you, as one famous doctor says, will draw the right conclusions. So…

Story #1

Mom decided to buy Vanya Sivkovich sandals for growth. Vanya's feet are 14 cm long. Mom bought two pairs of sandals with insoles of 16.5 cm and 16.3 cm. While walking, Vanya tripped over the toes of his long shoes, one foot caught the other, and the boy fell. Our smart body adapts to external conditions. And in order to compensate for the length of the sandals, the boy's gait changed a little - he began to put his feet inward - like a clubfoot bear.

What didn't Vanya's mother know? That the allowance should be from 0.4 cm to 1.1 cm.

Now you know this story and won't make a mistake, like Vanya's mother.

Story No. 2

Once upon a time there lived a grandfather. Also a pediatric orthopedist. Many people know him in one good city as a specialist of the old school. The grandfather-orthopedist has time-tested methods of treatment. His wife is a pediatrician. A little younger than him, but also of the old school. Grandfather is sure that orthopedic shoes should be very hard - like plaster. And he recommends that any child with complaints of foot deformities wear only such shoes.

And his wife treats most children's acute respiratory viral infections with antibiotics, prescribes analgin and diphenhydramine injections for fever, and forbids opening windows in winter. And when examining newborns who have arrived home from maternity hospitals, she scares already frightened mothers. She claims that their children have conjunctivitis, which needs to be treated with ointments, that their stomachs are too hard, they have a torticollis, and that everything is wrong with them, and that all this needs to be treated.

Many patients love Grandfather the orthopedist and his pediatrician wife, including Stasik Avilov's mother. After all, they are real doctors - they prescribe things that you immediately feel. It is immediately clear - the child is being treated. And these two also treated Stasik's mother, and nothing - she's alive.

But I sincerely dislike this family... After all, it is logical and understandable that if you do not give the muscles a natural load - which happens in extremely hard shoes - then the muscles will not work fully. Yes, orthopedic shoes should be securely fixed on the foot. But the rigidity should be moderate. Practice has already shown: with valgus positioning, moderately rigid shoes, with good fixation, with the correct shape of the last and insole, even with a not very high back, but, nevertheless, comfortable for the child - work. That's it.

What didn't Stasik's mother know? That in the vast majority of cases, orthopedic shoes should be comfortable. Demi-season orthopedic shoes or slippers, sandals or boots - should not hinder the child's movements.

We have seen this more than once. Should we take our word for it? Of course not! You need to see for yourself. How can you do this? Empirically :) Try on the shoes you like on your child. He walks during the fitting. It is comfortable for the child. Do you notice positive changes in the position of the foot? Great - you can take them! If you see positive dynamics in the fight against deformation during wearing, you have made the right choice.

Do you still believe doctors with archaic approaches? Don't be like Stasik's mother - turn on your own brain and experiment.

Story #3

Ksyusha Kondratyuk's mother believed in magic shoes and looked for peace in life. Generally speaking, Ksyusha's mother believed that pills help with health. And when Ksyusha got sick with a common acute respiratory viral infection, the first thing her mother did was urgently look for a pill that would help her daughter. After the girl swallowed the medicine, her mother always calmed down, because she had a sense of accomplishment.

The same thing happened with shoes. Ksyusha was bought orthopedic shoes. And everyone immediately calmed down. But shoes do not make feet stronger. Physical exercise makes them more trained and resilient: special gymnastics, walking on uneven surfaces. Shoes help to correct the position of the foot, but do not make it stronger. By the way, if the shoes are uncomfortable, the child will be less willing to run and jump. So, when buying orthopedic shoes, you should take into account the convenience of the person who will wear them.

What did Ksyusha's mother do wrong? In vain did she believe that the mission of correcting and maintaining the foot in a healthy condition ends with the purchase of shoes. The fact that she bought good shoes is really good. But she should also have taken care of Ksyusha's lifestyle. Teach the girl to run barefoot when possible, and preferably on uneven surfaces. Buy a massage mat for home and do exercises on it. Perhaps buy a Swedish ladder. Go for active walks with your daughter, encourage her desire to run and jump. And don't scold her when the child wants to climb a tree.

Perhaps some of you recognized yourself or your loved ones in the heroes of the stories. Well, we are all human, and we are not perfect. And there is no point in reproaching yourself for the mistakes of the past. We need to draw conclusions and act, including based on these mistakes. The main thing is to acknowledge them.

…All three children from the stories told here have already grown up. It looks like they have a bright future ahead of them.

We still have plenty of interesting stories about how not to do things :) And we, people who do not want to learn from other people's mistakes, are often the main characters in these stories…