Fit Fix: Too Small

Just because your toes are touching the end of a shoe doesn’t mean you should give up immediately. If the toe-box is non-rigid, try the rubbing alcohol stretching methods in Part 1. Gently massaging the toe-box out with your hands can help as well, especially for narrow toe boxes squishing the pinkie toe.

Using methods to help pull the heel back in the shoe, as mentioned in Part 5, can help alleviate the pressure on your toes by better distributing your weight and positioning in the shoe. It may be that the shoe is the correct size, but your foot is sliding slightly forward.

Overall, don’t push it. If the shoe is painful and your toes are feeling too crushed, it’s probably time for a different size. 

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Fit Fix: Too Big

If you’ve got a little extra space in your shoes, insoles are a great way to fill that space out. Superfeet insoles come in a variety of levels of support and cushioning, so, if you’re able, try a few different style and see which one offers the best fit. In the event that you cannot try on several styles, Superfeet Green is a good bet for shoes will a lot of extra space. They offer the most cushioning and high arch support, so they take up the most amount of room in a shoe.

If you’d prefer to avoid adding extra support, Foot Petals make adhesive cushions for underneath and around the foot, as well as Sock Free Saviors and Give ‘Em the Boot, flat, cushioned, moisture wicking inserts.

Don’t be afraid to use insoles in conjunction with adhesive padding. Oftentimes we’ll use a Heavenly Heelz in conjunction with an insole to get the right fit.

These tips are also great for people with narrow feet who fit in shoes lengthwise, but find that shoes are often too wide or vertically spacious.

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Fit Fix: Foot Sliding Forward

Heels are the most common culprit for this shoe dilemma. Because raising your heel up changes the position of the foot, your weight is redistributed forward. The extra forward pressure on the ball of your foot pushes your foot forward into the shoe. This can crunch the toes painfully in the top cap (making the shoe feel too small), or leave a gap around the heel cup, causing the heel to slip out of the shoe (making the shoe feel too big).

There are a few ways to fix this problem. A non-slip pad underneath the ball of the foot will keep the foot from sliding forward and improve fit, but won’t take much pressure off.

A high-heel insole by Superfeet draws the heel back in the shoe by redistributing your weight and stabilizing the heel. It’ll prevent your foot from sliding, and take the pressure off the ball of the foot. These insoles do take up some room in the shoe, however, so you might have to do some extra stretching. The insoles also raise up the heel a little in the shoe. If the heel cap isn’t high enough, you could slide right out! In that case, stick to the adhesive pads solution.

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Fit Fix: Need a Little Support?

Whereas there are a few shoe companies that bridge the gap between comfort and style (like Cobb Hill or Brako), many companies are focused more on style than comfort or foot health. But, before you swear off heels or resign yourself to tennis shoes, try out an insole or adhesives supports. Although you still might not make it all day on your stilettos, they’ll add cushioning where you need it (under the ball or heel of the foot, most of the time), or they can help redistribute weight so you’re not putting so much pressure where it hurts. Superfeet are a great option because they’re removable and washable so you can move one set of inserts from shoe to shoe.

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Fit Fix: Rubbed Ankles

A word of warning--rigid back shoes, like many women’s heels or men’s dress shoes, won’t get much, if any stretch in this area. That’s to say: don’t tough it out! If a shoe is cutting into your heel add some padding or moleskin to protect your feet. You’ll feel way better, and it’ll save you from limping in flip-flops a week later.

Shoes with softer heel cups will loosen with warmth and movement. Use your hands to kneed them out, or try the rubbing alcohol tip mentioned in Part 1.

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