Lacing Techniques for Proper Shoe Fit

Certain lacing techniques for shoes can prevent injuries, alleviate pain and relieve foot problems. If you have specific foot problems, follow these lacing techniques to get a good fit with your shoe:

View fullsize

Narrow Feet

Use the eyelets farthest from the tongue of the shoes. This will bring up the side of the shoe.

View fullsize

Narrow Heel and Wide Forefoot

Use two laces. Thread through the top half of the eyelets and the other lace through the bottom half of the eyelets. The lace closest to the heel (top eyelets) should be tied more tightly than the other lace closest to the toes (bottom eyelets).

View fullsize

Wide Feet

Use the eyelets closest to the tongue of the shoe. This technique gives the foot more space.

View fullsize

Heel Problems

Use every eyelet, making sure that the area closest to the heel is tied tightly while less tension is used near the toes. When you have reached the next-to-last eyelet on each side, thread the lace through the top eyelet, making a small loop. Then, thread the opposite lace through each loop before tying it.

We are always here to help. whether be it in the correct shoe lacing techniques or in finding the correct footwear! Head over to our book online page to see our real time availabe schedules!

How to use others' perspective to help you see your vision and achieve your running goals

To achieve great things, we need to be surrounded by people who agree with our vision of the future. But not only do we need them to agree with our vision, we need them to share with us their own unique perspective of that vision, from their own unique position in their life, and in ours.

View fullsize

When talking about the literal use of the word perspective, as Podiatrists, we are experts in viewing human movement and considering its role in health and injury. So obviously, we literally view our patients from several perspectives to assess this. One of the most fun parts of our job is showing people how their own body moves, and showing them how problems with this movement can be a major part of what causes injury.

Just as a car with poor wheel alignment wears out tires, steering and suspension in a quarter of the kilometers, so too does a body with poor biomechanics wear out joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles at a rate that the body cannot endure.

The body is an amazing thing, and the foot itself is very remarkable. A quarter of the bones in the body are below the ankle, not to mention the hundred joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles that are there as well. The forces that act on the tissues in the foot are massive when you consider that your whole body weight is spread over these 5 small bones. And this movement is repeated 5 to 10 thousand times each day! It is easy to see why just a small amount of discrepancy in movement and tissue stress can add up and cause an injury, particularly when doing a very repetitive activity, like running.

Whether you're aiming at a 5k fun run, a 42k marathon, a 108k ultra marathon, our perspective at Pioneer Podiatry is that we are here to help you achieve that, without foot pain. We will find out what your vision is and share it, and give you our unique perspective.

How can Video Gait Analysis be beneficial to you?

Many professionals can benefit from gait analysis. A person's gait is a very powerful indicator of their health. Some people even say that walking speed is the 5th vital sign! That's a pretty powerful statement, but it's true - the speed and cadence of a person's gait can be very telling.

There are three basic stages to the human gait cycle, and it is impossible to view the details of this intricate motion with the naked eye.

With computerised video gait analysis, we are able to break each second of the gait cycle into tiny segments (frames), allowing detailed assessment of the patient’s foot position and overall posture.

Video gait analysis is particularly useful in helping to diagnose conditions associated with running or sport, as well as painful foot and leg conditions of an ‘overuse’ nature.

Using video technology to analyse how the feet responds to every step, our expert podiatrists at Pioneer Podiatry can assess how much your foot pronates - that’s the extent to which the foot naturally rolls inward when you run – and where your foot strikes the ground.