TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS — An improperly balanced or aligned tire will wear unevenly. But few people bother to notice the wear on their shoes.

If your shoes don’t fit properly, chances are they’ll wear unevenly, too. However, if all of your shoes wear unevenly, despite changing the fit, it may be in the way you walk.

According to a report in the 2009 Farmer’s Almanac, pedestrians whose shoes wear unevenly generally fit into two categories: supinators and pronators.

People whose shoes wear out along the outer edges are supinators; those whose shoes wear out along the inside edges of the outer soles are pronators.

Supinators generally have a higher arch, and twist their ankles when they walk; pronators have a low arch that collapses when bearing weight, and have a tendency to carry their weight on the inside of the feet. The latter often throw their bodies out of alignment, which results in shin splints and knee and back pain.

Dr. Shannon Grimes, a Tahlequah chiropractor, often see patients whose aches and pains begin with foot problems.

“There can be many factors involved in aching feet,” said Grimes. “Weak arches, joint fixations from old injuries, even problems in the keens and hips can contribute – and vice versa – to foot pain.”

Grimes said the feet are akin to the foundation of a building. If they aren’t working right, they can cause problems from the toes to the head, and most commonly manifest in foot, knee, hip and lower back pain.

He also indicated shoes play a big role in foot health.

“[If shoes are] too tight, too loose, too little or too much arch support, they will likely contribute to aches and pains,” he said. “For example, someone with very flat feet has a higher risk of getting plantar fasciitis as tissues in the bottom of the foot are stretched too much when the foot does not have good arch support. Also common in bad arches is pain in parts of the feet, knees and hips because of the way it slightly changes how bones connect to each other.”

Grimes said the way a person’s shoes wear are a good sign of how the feet are working.

“They should wear evenly in the heel, but often, you will notice that the inside, or more commonly the outside of the heel is getting worn down,” he said. “These are signs of bad foot mechanics that, over time, can lead to joint stresses that can even develop into arthritis as the joints get extra wear and tear from being out of alignment. Think of it kind of like what happens to the tires on our car while the wheels are out of alignment.”

The Farmer’s Almanac gives recommendations for changes in footwear for both types of wear. For those who have high arches, shoes with a high-tech roll barrier in the heel will reduce the foot roll on the outside edge of the shoe; high arch support will compensate for a foot arch that is too high to balance the body’s weight.

For those with low arches, the Almanac recommends shoes with a high-tech roll barrier in the heel to reduce foot roll on the inside edge of the shoe, as well as cushioned support in the mid-foot area to reduce stress on the inside of the feet.

While shoes can be found most anywhere these days, doctors recommend investing in good shoes, and buying them in a store where a professional can check the fit.

Doyle Felts has been in the shoe business in Tahlequah for 35 years, and regularly fits customers for footwear.

“We’re one of the last sit-and-fit shoe stores around,” he said. “Most adults, men and ladies, aren’t interested in having their foot measured unless they’re experiencing foot pain.”

Felts spends the majority of his time measuring children’s feet.

“Which is really important,” he said. “Some parents may think they know what size shoe their child is wearing, but chances are, they just remember the size they bought last time. It’s always best to measure.”

Adults may be reluctant to have their foot measured, but at Felt’s, even if they choose their own size, a professional checks the final outcome.

“After they select their size, we still check to make sure they have the appropriate toe length and ball fit,” he said.

According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, approximately nine in 10 women wear shoes that are too small, and eight in 10 wear shoes that are painful. As a result, women are nine times more likely than men to develop a foot problem because of improperly fitting shoes.

Grimes concurs with the APMA’s findings.

“In some instances, women get a good deal of joint problems due to the shoes they choose,” he said. “Not to pick on the ladies, but men are less likely to wear an uncomfortable shoe for the sake of style.”

High heels can be blamed for many of these maladies, according to Grimes, as they “play all kinds of tricks” on the joints and muscles.

“Mostly, this is a problem for women who wear heels often, but men can be affected when they wear boots,” he said. “It is somewhat obvious to most how the foot position in heels can mess with the feet and ankles, but what is less understood is that it also puts a great deal more stress on the knees and lower back.”

Women who wear high heels regularly may benefit from checking the tightness of their calf muscles, said Grimes. If the muscles are tight, stretching exercises may reduce some aches and pains, as can stretching the hamstring muscles in the back of the thighs.

“As far as shoe fit is concerned, if the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t wear it,” he said. “It may look stylish, and maybe you want to squeeze into that one size smaller, but don’t. Cramping your feet into a small shoe will jam the bones together and keep them from moving correctly. Doing so is only inviting foot and back problems that can haunt you for years.”