Footwear-APR-MAY21-P20 Society Shoe Fitters_Footwear_Jan10_p30 21/05/2021 09:58 Page 20
SOCIETY OF SHOE FITTERS YOU CAN HAVE TOO MUCHOF A GOOD THING
During lockdown the Children’s Foot Health Register and SSF charity helpline were kept extremely busy with quite a variety of calls. As well as the usual ‘I am thinking of opening a shoe shop’ and ‘I would like to learn to fit shoes professionally’, a good many were not as cheerful:
• There were brands touching base concerned for their stockists, some saying they were also ‘bleeding money’ from their own retail stores.
• Retailers feeling completely desperate on various fronts – most obviously Covid-19 and how the rules affected them, but also the fear of unaffordable extra duty costs on products coming from Europe and could they have more time to pay their subscriptions.
• Numerous calls from the elderly, already struggling to find shops in the high street to cater to their needs (and these calls are heart- breaking and can take a considerable amount of time).
• Parents distraught at having to measure and fit their own children - and those who had bought gauges online but the gauge measurement did not reflect on the shoe size - had they done something wrong, were their children going to suffer? However, interestingly we had a flurry of calls
from parents whose infants had been born with extra toes and in once case fingers too. The tiny tots were ready for shoes but simply couldn’t find anything to fit and could we help? This is a big ask when Matt Hancock deemed shoe fitting non- essential and members were technically closed! Historically if a baby was born with extra toes
the extra toe/s would be removed immediately and not always with parents’ permission. Parents who were consulted were naturally afraid and some refused, but did not think of the
repercussions when the child’s feet developed and needed footwear, or the reaction shown when they bared their feet in front of other people. However, it seems that all of a sudden things
may have changed and instead of instant removal, babies are being left with the extra digits. So, what is the problem? ‘What they don’t know doesn’t hurt them’ pretty much sums up the situation. When it comes to needing footwear it is a huge issue. When a child stands on their own it is not just
their feet that are working hard, it’s their brain too. Before an infant can take their first step they are wavering and wobbling around like young flamingos trying to find their centre of balance and defy gravity, and the plantar surface of their pudgy little feet (primarily made up of floating cartilage and gristle) are using their nerve-endings to work out the safest and sturdiest area of their feet to stand up straight and take their first step. If there is an extra toe in the way, their brain will accommodate it and start to rely on it. This is not a huge problem because they will relearn once the toe is removed, but not helpful because the foot is starting to develop more quickly and strengthen, and now the area of removal has greater implications and not just for them. It means the NHS has to find a bed, offer several consultations and means giving the child an anaesthetic. Their parents also have months of worrying about the situation and when it comes to shoe buying it is almost impossible. The widest part of the foot is across from the
base of the Hallux (big toe) to the base of the 5th proximal phalanx (base of little toe) and this is normally where shoes are designed to bend, to allow the foot flexion for its next step. The upper leather is also cut to allow for the lines of stretch in the hide. It is not as simple as trying to get a wider or deeper shoe to accommodate the extra toe/s (although it helps), because the extra little
20 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • APRIL/MAY 2021
toe often comes beyond and above that point and into the ‘toe box’ of the shoe. Naturally this would be very uncomfortable and could lead to all sorts of issues i.e. blisters, hammer toe etc. and for a diabetic far more serious. Bespoke shoemaking is great for a mature problem foot, but an infant foot is growing so fast that by the time a Last is made they are likely to need the next size up. At least one of the families were told they would
have to wait two and half years before surgery and they were distraught. So how have we managed to help? We wrote to parents reassuring them they were not alone and that we’d had several similar messages. As well as giving them details of our Associate Member brands and our Qualified Shoe Fitters we explained about the structure of footwear and how the older the child becomes, the more difficult shoe buying would be, and we recommended they show the letter to their GP/Surgeon. Thankfully it has helped. The families are now being offered the necessary surgery over the coming months, and at least two have kindly given the SSF a donation in appreciation. But have we left it there? No. We have written to the CEO of The Royal College of Surgeons, The Royal College of Midwives, The College of Podiatry, Matt Hancock MP etc. to highlight this situation and how it would be best to advise and treat the situation immediately to save both parents and children going through unnecessary stress and ongoing costs to the NHS. Let’s hope that in our small way our trade charity has been hugely helpful.
If you can help support
the SSF and CFHR helpline, all donations gratefully received! Contact:
info@shoefitters-uk.org Charity Reg. No. 1178413
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