In ancient China, shoes were called “footwear”, and like our clothes, they are an important part of human dress culture. Over the years, various fashionable shoes have emerged to add luster to our lives. People want to wear a pair of beautiful shoes and wear a pair of comfortable shoes. But the more important role of shoes is to provide support for our standing and walking, and to absorb the external forces that the foot is subjected to during the activity, so that our body is protected from injury. According to the American Foot and Ankle Surgery Association, about 1/6 of people suffer from foot problems, many of which are related to improper shoe wear. Inappropriate shoes affect the development of the arch, so that the foot can not perform its normal function. Inappropriate shoes can change the shape of the foot and produce foot deformities. Inappropriate shoes can change the walking gait, cause foot pain, and even cause lesions in the knees, hips, spine and other parts of the body. Therefore, shoes are closely related to our health. Qu Xintao, Department of Orthopedics, General Hospital of Jinan Military Region The human foot has a complex structure to accomplish a variety of different daily activities. Each of our feet has twenty-six bones, thirty-three joints and more than one hundred tendons and ligaments. The various structures coordinate and cooperate with each other to complete the function of the foot in carrying weight and pushing the body to perform its work. The foot needs to have a certain degree of flexibility and stability when moving. When people walk, the first foot is relaxed, the foot followed by the ground, at this time the heel to withstand a large impact force, this impact can damage the heel, but also along the limb can reach the spine and brain, the heel of the shoe can help absorb these forces. Therefore, in some middle-aged and elderly people, the fat pad of the heel is atrophied, so the heel needs to have a certain thickness to absorb the force. After the heel is on the ground, it turns into a full-footed landing, at which time the sole feels the shape of the ground and adjusts the balance of each joint in the foot and ankle and the whole body. The sole of the shoe is too thick to accurately feel the ground. At the same time, the body’s center of gravity rises, but also unstable. Finally, the heel is lifted, the middle of the foot becomes stiff, the forefoot flexes and pushes the body forward. At this point shoes can play a role in assisting the propulsion. If someone’s propulsion is weak, the stiffness of the middle of the shoe helps the heel lift. The front part of the shoe can be flexed should be the same as the foot metatarsal toe joint flexion part, otherwise make people feel uncomfortable and easy to fatigue. So a good pair of shoes can effectively perform the function of people walking, so that people feel comfortable, not easily fatigued, and the body is not easily damaged. Although there are tens of millions of styles of shoes in shoe stores, it is still not easy for each of us to choose a pair of shoes that suits us. We generally just choose shoes based on the number of the shoe, but in reality, each of our feet are different, with different shapes and sizes, and different arch heights. Foot joint mobility, muscle strength, weight, foot disorders, etc. will all affect the choice of shoes. For young people, the flexibility of the foot is better, and the tolerance for shoes that do not fit the foot is greater. For middle-aged and elderly people, the joints, ligaments and other structures of the foot have degenerated to a certain extent, and wearing shoes that do not fit the foot can easily cause foot lesions. For some people who are extremely sensitive, even wearing an ill-fitting shoe once may cause damage to the foot. For people who prefer sports or athletes, there are even higher requirements for shoes. Even a small defect in a shoe can have a significant adverse effect on a foot that has been in motion for a long time. According to statistics, nearly 50% of sports injuries to the foot and ankle are related to improper footwear. Young women wearing high heels can make them look poseable and have a light gait. But after the heel is higher than 5cm, it will make the body weight too much extrusion to the forefoot, easy to make the forefoot deformation and injury. After the heel is raised, the forward shift of the body’s center of gravity affects the physiological curvature of the lumbar spine, increasing the weight on the waist, which can easily cause back pain. Some people are short and like to wear thick-soled shoes to increase their height, but thick-soled shoes have reduced perception of the ground, making it easy to fall and cause foot and ankle sprains and fractures. In addition, long-term wear thick-soled shoes, foot bones and soft tissues do not get sufficient stimulation, degeneration, affecting the normal function of the foot. There is also a popular high-heeled “muffin” shoes, making the center of gravity more unstable and prone to foot and ankle joint injuries. Some elderly people like to wear flat shoes, which are considered comfortable and convenient. But the elderly heel fat pad began to atrophy, in the step when the fat pad needs to absorb the impact of the ground on the human body stress, about 3cm height of the heel is good for the elderly. In addition, the elderly body regulation ability is poor, wear flat shoes in the start need more strength, so easy to sprain the foot. Shoes also play a warming role in winter, so it is best to have a certain thickness of the sole to maintain the temperature of the foot. Some people play sports with “one shoe for all”. But different sports also have different requirements for shoes, such as running shoes, the sole wear-resistant, good elasticity, the toe of the shoe to help the palm of the foot to the ground. Tennis shoes on both sides of the design must be conducive to the rotation of the foot, in order to play tennis when the left and right movement. And basketball shoes should have thick and wide soles to increase stability and high vamps to protect the ankle joint. Inappropriate sports shoes can also increase the chance of sports injuries. Shoes also have the role of preventing and treating foot diseases. For example, in many diabetic patients, there is neurovascular damage to the foot, deformities in the toes, and the foot cannot tolerate any confined pressure. Otherwise, it may cause skin ulcers, infection or even necrosis. Diabetic shoes have soft and smooth lining, large toe space, and sole padding that can disperse high pressure points and prevent ulcers from occurring. Some foot deformities, such as flat feet, high arched feet, sagging feet, etc., can make patients reduce foot pain, improve gait and return to work and life through some changes in shoes. For some patients with painful stiff bunions, choosing a shoe with a stiffer and upward bending forefoot can replace the flexion of the toes and reduce toe pain. What is a good pair of shoes varies from person to person. But the general requirement is that the toe of the shoe should have enough space to allow the toes to move. The forefoot of the shoe should be soft and conducive to the metatarsophalangeal joint flexion when the foot is pushing the body forward. The arch of the foot should have good support. The sole of the shoe should be soft and flexible so that the foot can bend with minimal force. For people with low mobility, hard and thick boat-shaped soles simulate the flexion of the toes when walking, making it easier for people to walk. The back of the shoe should be hard enough not to be squeezed, and the high back of the shoe should give good support to the heel. How can I choose a pair of shoes that fit? Paying attention to the following aspects may help: First, when buying shoes, you should go to a store to try them on and not choose shoes based on their size. Because different manufacturers produce shoes with the same shoe number, but the size of the shoe may not be the same. So the shoes selected by number may not be suitable. Secondly, do not choose shoes that are too narrow and small in the front, especially for the elderly, the front of the shoe should be wider so that it will feel more comfortable. Do not let the toes be squeezed, the long-term squeeze may make the foot produce deformity. Third, as age changes, the size of the foot will also change. So you can’t take for granted the same shoe size this year based on what size shoe you wore last year. It is best to try on shoes in the store when you buy them. Fourth, most people have two feet of different sizes, so when trying on shoes, you should use the larger foot to try them on, not the smaller one. Fifth, after a day of activity, the feet will have some mild swelling in the afternoon, and this swelling will become more pronounced in middle-aged and elderly people with poor blood circulation. So buying shoes should not go in the morning. Because the feet after a night’s rest, the swelling of the feet subsided. The shoes bought in the morning will be very crowded when worn in the afternoon and evening. Sixth, when choosing shoes, don’t just sit there and try them on, you should stand up and take a few steps to feel if they fit. The front of the foot to maintain a centimeter of space, not to make the toes squeezed insole is the most appropriate. Some people think it’s okay to buy shoes that squeeze a little. Wear them, and they will fit naturally. For the elderly this can be very dangerous, in the process of wearing and propping the foot out of the problem. Seventh, according to the different activities to choose different shoes. At present, some companies in foreign countries are already in a position to use high-tech means to measure and analyze the shape of the foot and walking gait to produce individualized shoes, just as they do for tailoring. This will be the best-fitting shoe. Of all the things in the world, people are the only ones who walk with shoes, and they need foot activity 80% of the time in the waking state. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the foot”. Some people have done statistics, we generally walk an average of eight thousand to ten thousand steps a day. And the vast majority of us cannot leave our shoes when we are active. I’m afraid it’s hard to count the number of shoes each person has worn in their lifetime. But do we value shoes? How much do we know about shoes? Health requires a reasonable diet, active exercise, and a good mental state, but a pair of scientifically designed, well-made, and individually appropriate shoes are also needed for human health.