Outdoor footwear fitting becomes more complicated when a customer walks into the shop and says:
“I have plantar fasciitis.”
Or:
“I have Morton’s neuroma.”
The role of the footwear fitter is not to diagnose either condition. The customer may already have been assessed by a GP, physiotherapist, podiatrist or other healthcare professional.
The fitter’s responsibility is different.
It is to understand what the customer’s known condition means in terms of footwear, use the available foot-measurement data intelligently, and find footwear that accommodates the customer’s foot without unnecessarily aggravating their symptoms.
Modern 3D scanning systems such as Volumental provide considerably more information than the traditional question:
“What shoe size are you?”
But technology does not replace the skill of footwear fitting.
The scanner measures the foot.
The fitter interprets the information.
A Shoe Size Is Not a Foot Shape
One of the most important concepts in footwear fitting is that shoe size primarily describes length.
It does not adequately describe the three-dimensional shape of someone’s foot.
Two customers with feet of approximately the same length can have very different:
- forefoot widths;
- heel widths;
- instep heights;
- arch characteristics;
- overall foot volumes;
- and left-to-right asymmetry.
This is where 3D foot scanning becomes particularly useful.
Rather than seeing a customer simply as a “size 9”, Volumental allows the fitter to consider the relationship between measurements such as foot length, width, instep height, arch height and heel width.
That information should influence which footwear last is selected, not simply which size is brought from the stockroom.
The Importance of the Last
The last is the three-dimensional form around which footwear is designed and manufactured.
Different manufacturers use different lasts.
More importantly, different footwear within the same manufacturer’s range may use different lasts.
Consequently:
“I’m always a size 9”
should be considered a useful starting point rather than a definitive fitting instruction.
A customer might have:
a broad forefoot + narrow heel + low instep
while another customer of exactly the same foot length might have:
a narrow forefoot + broad heel + high instep.
Both could nominally be the same shoe size.
They probably should not be wearing the same footwear.
Professional fitting therefore involves matching the shape of the shoe to the shape of the foot, rather than simply matching a number on the box.
Understanding Morton’s Neuroma
Morton’s neuroma involves irritation and thickening of tissue around one of the nerves running between the metatarsal bones, most commonly around the third and fourth toes.
Customers may describe:
- burning pain;
- shooting pain;
- tingling;
- numbness;
- pain underneath the forefoot;
- or the sensation of having a pebble underneath the foot.
For the footwear fitter, the important concept is:
Forefoot compression
Footwear that compresses the metatarsal region can aggravate symptoms.
When a customer tells you that they have Morton’s neuroma, therefore, pay particular attention to the width and volume around the forefoot.
This is where the Volumental scan becomes valuable.
Look at the customer’s:
forefoot width, overall volume, heel width and left/right differences.
A particularly important foot shape is:
Broad forefoot + narrow heel
Simply putting this customer into increasingly larger footwear may eventually create enough room across the forefoot.
But it can simultaneously create excessive length and poor heel retention.
The better solution may be a shoe built around a different last — one that naturally provides greater forefoot space while still holding the heel correctly.
The Bigger-Shoe Trap
One of the most common mistakes in footwear fitting occurs when a shoe feels too narrow.
The solution becomes:
“Let’s try half a size bigger.”
If that remains tight:
“Let’s try another half size.”
Eventually the customer reports:
“That feels much better.”
But what has actually happened?
Increasing shoe size doesn’t merely add empty space in front of the toes.
When footwear is graded through its size range, the dimensions of the last change. As the shoe becomes longer, other dimensions generally increase as well, increasing its overall internal volume.
Going up half a size may therefore make a tight shoe feel more comfortable because the customer has obtained additional volume.
But they have obtained that volume by changing the geometry of the entire shoe.
This creates a fundamental fitting principle:
Never routinely solve a width problem by adding length.
If the correct-length shoe is too narrow, investigate:
width → volume → last → alternative model
before simply increasing size.
The Forgotten Measurement: The Flex Point
Increasing the size of footwear has another consequence that is frequently overlooked.
As the shoe becomes longer, the anatomical and structural features designed into the shoe move forwards.
That includes its flexion or break point.
The human foot has its primary forefoot flexion around the metatarsophalangeal joints — effectively the ball of the foot.
A correctly fitted walking shoe should allow the customer’s foot and the footwear to work together.
In simple terms:
The flex point of the shoe should correspond appropriately with the ball of the foot.
Imagine a customer whose foot length indicates an 8½.
The shoe is too narrow.
They try a 9.
Still uncomfortable.
They try a 9½.
Suddenly:
“That’s much better.”
The extra internal dimensions may indeed have relieved the pressure across the forefoot.
But the customer’s foot hasn’t become longer.
The ball of their foot remains in essentially the same place.
The shoe’s geometry has moved forwards.
The fitter may therefore have solved:
Forefoot compression ✓
while potentially creating:
Excessive length ✗
Poor heel retention ✗
Excess internal movement ✗
Incorrect flex-point position ✗
This is why checking only the amount of space in front of the toes is inadequate.
“A Thumb’s Width” Is Not a Complete Fitting Method
Toe clearance is important, particularly in walking footwear where the foot may move forwards during descents.
But a boot cannot be declared correctly fitted simply because there is approximately a thumb’s width between the longest toe and the end of the shoe.
The fitter should consider the entire foot:
Heel → Instep → Arch → Forefoot → Ball of foot → Toes
and how those structures correspond with the footwear.
A technically good fit requires an appropriate relationship between:
length + width + volume + heel retention + ball position + flex point + toe clearance.
Understanding Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis typically produces pain around the underside of the heel and arch.
Customers often report that it is particularly uncomfortable during their first few steps after getting out of bed or following a period of rest.
Again, the fitter isn’t diagnosing or treating the condition.
The important question is:
What does this customer’s existing condition mean for their footwear?
They may have been advised to look for:
- supportive footwear;
- cushioning;
- greater stability;
- a particular footbed;
- heel support;
- or a prescribed orthotic.
The fitter should work with those requirements.
But there is an important misconception to avoid:
Cushioning and support are not the same thing.
A highly cushioned shoe may feel exceptionally comfortable during a short walk around the shop.
That doesn’t necessarily mean it will provide the most appropriate footwear for several hours of walking over uneven terrain while carrying a backpack.
Cushioning, stability, stiffness, support, heel-to-toe drop and rocker geometry are different characteristics.
The footwear must ultimately be appropriate for both:
the customer’s foot AND the intended activity.
Orthotics and Aftermarket Footbeds
A customer with plantar fasciitis or Morton’s neuroma may already have a custom orthotic, heel cup, metatarsal support or aftermarket footbed.
If they intend to use it, ideally it should be present during the fitting.
Why?
Because replacing the manufacturer’s footbed changes the internal environment of the shoe.
A thicker orthotic can raise the foot within the footwear.
That can:
- reduce available internal volume;
- reduce toe-box depth;
- increase pressure across the instep;
- alter heel retention;
- change forefoot pressure;
- and change how the foot sits relative to the structure of the shoe.
Consequently:
The orthotic cannot be treated as an accessory added after the footwear has been fitted.
The fitting system is:
Foot + sock + orthotic/footbed + footwear.
All of them need to work together.
Using Volumental Properly
A Volumental scan should not become an automated shoe-size generator.
Its real value lies in allowing the fitter to understand the customer’s three-dimensional foot morphology.
When reviewing a scan, consider:
Length
What are the actual lengths of both feet?
Which is longer?
Width
How broad is the forefoot relative to its length?
Is one foot wider than the other?
Instep
Is the foot relatively high or low volume through the midfoot?
Heel
Is the heel broad, average or narrow relative to the forefoot?
Arch
What does the scan tell us about the geometry of the foot that may influence how particular footwear and footbeds feel?
Asymmetry
Perhaps most importantly:
Are the two feet actually the same?
Frequently they are not.
One foot may be:
longer but narrower
while the other is:
shorter but wider.
This can explain the customer’s familiar complaint:
“The right boot always feels fine, but the left one doesn’t.”
There may be a measurable reason.
Volumental Does Not Replace the Fitter
Technology can provide extremely useful measurements.
It cannot completely determine whether a particular shoe is correctly fitted.
The process should therefore be:
SCAN → INTERPRET → SELECT → FIT → VERIFY
SCAN
Obtain objective measurements of both feet.
INTERPRET
Look beyond nominal shoe size.
Consider:
Length | Width | Instep | Arch | Heel | Volume | Asymmetry
SELECT
Choose footwear whose last and construction are appropriate for that foot and the intended activity.
FIT
Fit the footwear using the socks and any orthotic or footbed the customer intends to use.
VERIFY
Physically assess:
heel retention → instep → forefoot width → ball position → flex point → toe clearance.
Then allow the customer to walk in the footwear and reassess.
Foot Condition + Foot Shape + Intended Use
Perhaps the most useful model for non-medical outdoor staff is:
1. What has the customer told us?
“I have Morton’s neuroma.”
“I have plantar fasciitis.”
“I’ve been prescribed these orthotics.”
2. What does the scan tell us?
What are the customer’s actual dimensions and proportions?
3. What are they doing?
Walking the Camino?
Climbing Kilimanjaro?
Walking the dog?
Carrying a heavy backpack?
Standing at work all day?
Walking technical mountain terrain?
The same foot may require very different footwear for different activities.
4. Which last accommodates that combination?
Only then should size become the final part of the selection.
What Staff Need to Remember
Staff do not need to become podiatrists.
They need to become better footwear fitters.
The essential lessons are:
The customer supplies the diagnosis. You supply the footwear expertise.
A shoe-size number describes only part of the foot.
Use Volumental to understand the shape and dimensions of both feet — not simply to generate a size recommendation.
Length, width and volume are different fitting considerations.
Going up half a size changes more than length. The overall geometry and internal volume of the footwear also change.
As shoe size increases, the designed flex region moves forwards.
The ball of the foot should correspond appropriately with the shoe’s flex point.
Do not routinely solve a width problem by adding length. Change width, volume, last or model instead.
Fit orthotics and aftermarket footbeds as part of the complete footwear system.
Do not confuse softness with support or immediate comfort with long-term suitability.
And above everything else:
Don’t make the foot fit the shoe.
Find the shoe that fits the foot.
A Volumental scanner provides remarkably sophisticated information about the customer’s feet.
But the screen cannot replace product knowledge, understanding of different lasts, observation, questioning and physical fitting.
The technology tells us what the foot looks like.
The customer tells us what is wrong and what they intend to do.
The skill of the outdoor footwear fitter is bringing those two pieces of information together and selecting the footwear that works with both.
