How to Properly Break-In Shoes So They Don't Hurt Your Feet

Hurting feet from new shoes is so common that it has almost become a cliche. Fortunately, there are a number of techniques that you can use to prevent your feet from being hurt by new shoes that are easy and completely free.

First, when you purchase a new shoe, you should give your shoe a new shoe "massage". This massage will gradually break in the leather so that, when worn, the worst of the chaffing will be prevented. The massage should have the following parts:

* Sides: Press the sides of the shoe in and out several times, over a period of about ten minutes. You can do this by running your thumbs along the sides of the shoes up and down so that they slightly press into the middle of the shoe. Move from the back of the shoe toward the toe.
* Toes: You can also break in the toe of the shoe, but you need to be careful, as you could warp the weather. Rather then push from the outside, which could crush the toe, push from the inside, pressing around the inside of the toe of the shoe so that you can see your fingers pressing out slightly.
* Back: You also need to be careful about the back. Don't simply push into the shoe, as this can warp it. Instead, run your thumb and forefinger along the back of the shoe so that you move around the back of the shoe without actually crushing it.

Once you've massaged the shoe, you should then put it on for a "pre-wear" for about an hour. The goal of this pre-wear is to break in the shoes when you need it. Put on the thickest socks that you own and walk around in those shoes for about an hour. This will conform the shoe to your foot shape without damaging your feet. Don't worry if it feels tight; you didn't purchase the shoe to wear with thick socks.

If, after an hour, there are still a couple of spots where your foot feels tender, put some bandages on those spots when you first wear your shoe (assuming the bandages would be invisible). This will prevent the shoe from doing any damage to those spots and properly finish the breaking-in on your first wear.

Reed Gladwell, M.A., has been writing for the internet for over a decade. He is a great lover of everything to do with design. His latest website is called Clothing Design Software, and it has a page about CAD pattern making.

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