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Finding the Right Pair of Sneakers

With so many choices in sneakers today, finding the right pair is a real feat.

Buying sneakers used to be easy. You either got red keds or blue ones. Now stores are wall-to-wall shoes and it can be a little bewildering… especially if you have foot problems. Here's janet vasil with things you should know before you even set foot in the shoe store.

Taylor Deboer's choice in sneakers is pretty straight forward.

"They are Iverson's. They're Alan Iverson's basketball shoes and they're used for basketball," said Taylor DeBoer.

His mom takes a more practical approach.

"Let's face it, they start at 50, 60 dollars and go on up to 100, 150 dollars. You don't want to spend that much money and not get something that's really good for your foot," said Penny DeBoer.

So how "do" you know which shoe is right? The first step is knowing your foot type.

"Are you a person that has a foot that tends to flatten when you walk? Or are you a high-arch foot person," said Robert Gotlin, D.O.

Flat feet need more support - while a high arch, especially if there's pain, needs extra cushioning.

If you have problems like bunions, look for a shoe with a wider toe area called a toe box. If you have weak ankles, ask for an reinforced "heel counter".

"An area of the back of the shoe is called a heel counter. Heel counters can be made to give increased stability to an ankle that's unstable," said Robert Gotlin, D.O.

Next, consider what you're using the sneakers for.

"The sales person told me what you really want is a cross trainer... that will work for walking, running, aerobic classes, stretching, toning," said Penny DeBoer.

Finally, you're ready to buy, but look for the right sales person to get you off on the right foot.

If you don't think the proper shoe is important, think about this: the impact on the sole of your foot when you're walking is 2.5 times your weight. In other words, a 150-pound person puts 3-400 pounds of pressure into the sole of his foot. So the proper cushioning "is" important.

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