<!-- VIEWPOINT --> <img class="size-full wp-image-187763 alignright" src="https://opedge.dev/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/AndreaS-2017.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="255" /> When I was in my late teens and early 20s, I selected leisure footwear primarily on the basis of its attractiveness. I did own practical shoes-having spent those years in Colorado and Minnesota, known for their cold, snowy winters-but a good amount of closet space was taken up with three-inch-plus spiked pumps and strappy sandals. Like a lot of women, I still like cute shoes. But these days, old ankle injuries and good common sense have forced me to place comfort and practicality high on the priority list when choosing footwear. Thankfully, there are many options to choose from that can meet my preferences, as pointed out by the pedorthists Maria St. Louis-Sanchez spoke with for "<a href="articles/2016-11_01.asp">Keeping Feet Healthy and Fashion Forward: The Intersection of Function and Fashion in Your Retail Pedorthic Business</a>." Pedorthists have the skill and knowledge to explain foot problems, help customers select the most appropriate footwear, and suggest possible shoe modifications. This, combined with the ever-increasing options in comfort footwear offered at pedorthic retail businesses, help them to maintain an edge over their general fashion shoe brick-and-mortar and Internet competitors in coupling customers' desires to be chic and have their specific foot issues addressed. Equally important as an appropriate shoe, some may argue, is an oft underappreciated piece of footwear-the sock. In "<a href="articles/2016-11_03.asp">Safe Socks: What Your Mother Never Told You</a>," Judith Philipps Otto explores why selecting the proper interface between the foot and shoe or orthosis can significantly impact foot health. From socks designed to help people with diabetes recognize and avoid foot ulcers to sport-specific socks to compression socks, the experts interviewed for this article offer tips to help you and your patients choose the right interface to keep feet comfortable and healthy. Even for individuals in which there is no readily apparent underlying cause, the deviation of toe walking can create a number of orthopedic problems if left unaddressed. Phil Stevens, MEd, CPO, FAAOP, examines two different recent orthotic recommendations in treating this condition in children in "<a href="articles/2016-11_02.asp">How Much Is Enough? The Orthotic Management of Idiopathic Toe Walking</a>." While neither method is conclusively superior, the research does indicate that changes in biomechanics and sensory input offered by orthotic management may be helpful to address toe walking of unknown etiology. No matter your specialty, I hope this issue will cause you to take a moment to reflect on the role the right sock or shoe can play in your or your clients' foot health. Happy reading.
