A Guide to...

Trainers and Plimsoll's

Produced by The Society of Shoe Fitters

For more information contact The Secretary

Please note that the following has been written in response to some misinformed schools insisting that Plimsoll's are worn all day – often to protect their carpeting, and without regard to their student’s feet and foot health.

There is nothing wrong with Plimsoll's or trainers being worn in the right conditions and for the right purpose.  You should always “wear the right shoes for the right occasion” and then whatever the type of footwear, they will perform correctly and in accordance with their design and manufacture. Manufacturers of exercise footwear i.e. trainers, create them to be used in specific conditions for specific sports, and a tremendous amount of research goes into their design. However, because of sportswear becoming an integral part of “street fashion” and also that they appear to fit and feel comfortable instantly (due to the amount of padding inside them), their popularity has soared. It has been easy for “cheaply made / unbranded” trainers to fill any retail outlet that chooses to sell them, their accessibility increasing their popularity. The truth is that worn all day every day, they can be harmful to your feet and general health. Feet may widen and become flaccid, and should you wish to go back to wearing structured footwear, you may suffer for a while!

HOW MANY TEACHERS WOULD WANT TO WEAR PLIMSOLL'S ALL DAY, OR 

KEEP CHANGING THEIR FOOTWEAR?

Children’s health is more important than floors!

Well fitting shoes for all day please and Plimsoll's, trainers and wellies for sporting/occasional wear.

• Plimsoll's are only available in a single (average) fitting and in most cases, whole sizes only.
  
  

• Surveys indicate that only 28% of children have “average” fitting feet. Seven children in ten will therefore be forced to wear Plimsoll's that are too narrow, too wide, too short or too long.  Not detrimental for short periods like a P.E. lesson or exercising, but extremely unwise for longer periods.
  
  

• The soles of plimsoll's are not as strong as that of normal shoes. Sharp objects can potentially penetrate the sole, puncturing the foot which could lead to a serious infection.
  
  

• Most basic plimsoll's have elasticized gussets, rather than laces, to make it easier for the child or teacher to take them off or put them on. The lack of an adjustable fastening reduces the effective fit of the plimsoll's. This often means that the plimsoll's are purchased too tight or too large. Too large means the child will curl their toes (claw toes) to keep them on. Too tight means toes will be squashed together which will not only affect development of the foot but can lead to circulatory problems.
  
  

• Plimsoll's are rarely designed to include, nor will the style normally allow for “growing room”, usually built into children’s shoes.
  
  

• By school age a child’s foot contains 45 separate bone centre's. These bones fuse together continuously until at least the mid teens forming the 26 bones in a normal adult foot. The bones have not fully ossified (become completely hardened) until around the age of eighteen.
  
  

• Feet contain approx. 250,000 sweat glands - more per square centimeter than any other part of our body, and they release an eggcup full of perspiration each day, therefore the effects of wearing a plimsol or training shoe for prolonged periods are:
  
  a) Bacteriological breakdown of perspiration trapped in the thick padded lining of trainers, increasing foot and shoe odour.
  
  b) Hot wet feet - increasing the risk of skin disorders and creating ideal conditions for fungal infections to develop i.e. Athlete’s foot.
  

• Do up your trainer laces!!!! The fashion not to tie laces and merely tuck them behind the tongue has caused many serious accidents through tripping or getting them caught up. It is not cool to miss football practice with a broken arm or leg!!! Why slow yourself down?
  

If you like to exercise why not give your feet a ‘work out’? You won’t get out of breath if you try these exercises, and we can’t guarantee how many calories you’ll burn, but you will certainly give your circulation a healthy boost.  These exercises are also good for strengthening foot muscles for flat, flaccid feet, and for those with disabilities, to strengthen both tendons and muscles.

Lose your Marbles… 

Pick up the marbles with your toes one by one and pop them into a container – not as easy as it sounds! 
Different sized bottle necks or jars, makes it a skilful game.

Move over Monet!… 

Choose a subject i.e. animal, fruit etc. and holding a pen or chalk between your toes, see what masterpiece you can create. 
For younger children, take them outside with a bowl of water-based paint and an old roll of wallpaper and 
watch them make footprints and patterns with pieces of sponge.

Toe the Line… 

Children love to balance and will often copy circus performers walking the tightrope. 
Roll out a line of ribbon or string and ask them to tiptoe to the end…and then tiptoe backwards…
if you fall off you have to start again.  If you think that’s easy – you try it!

Picnic blanket… 

Lay a towel under your feet (sitting or laying) then gradually ‘claw’ it into a scrunched up heap. 
Find the corners with your toes and smooth it back out again.

Bath Time… 

Whilst sitting in the bath, pick up your sponge, flannel or anything else off the bottom.

SITTING FOR TOO LONG? ....

The following exercises are ideal whether in the office, watching TV or if traveling long distance in cramped conditions, to help avoid DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis)…

Around the Clock… 

Sitting or laying comfortably follow a circular motion with your foot – not your leg, clockwise then anti-clockwise. 
This will strengthen your ankle muscles.

Wiggle… 

Regularly wiggle and separate your toes one by one. 
Whatever time of day, wherever you are and whatever your footwear, 
you should always be able to wiggle your toes….hmmm enjoy!

Children's health is more important than floors!

Well fitting shoes for all day please. 
Plimsoll's, trainers and wellies for sport or outside occasional wear only.

 

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01 February, 2010 16:42