12/03/2026
🔬 It’s National Science Week – and this year’s theme is Curiosity: What’s Your Question?
Here’s a question we hear often in clinic:
“Why do I need my feet measured as an adult?” 👞
It’s a great question, and the science might surprise you.
Most people think their feet stop changing once they reach adulthood. While the bones stop growing, the structure of the foot can still change throughout life.
Over time, several things can affect the shape and size of your feet:
👣 Soft tissues lose elasticity
The muscles, tendons and connective tissue that support the arch can gradually stretch as we age. This can cause the arch to flatten slightly, meaning the foot becomes longer and sometimes wider.
⚖️ Body weight and daily loading
Our feet carry us for thousands of miles over a lifetime. Increased load on the foot structures can slowly cause the ligaments and tendons to stretch, which can alter foot shape.
🤰 Pregnancy
Hormonal changes during pregnancy increase ligament laxity, and research shows this can reduce arch height and lead to a permanent increase in foot length in some women.
🦶 Natural structural changes
Conditions such as bunions, changes in foot posture, or general spreading of the forefoot can also alter how your foot fits in a shoe.
All of this means that the shoe size you wore in your 20s may not be the best fit decades later.
During appointments at Rushden Podiatry, we often advise our patients to have their feet measured when buying new shoes as ensuring the correct shoe size and fit is an important part of maintaining comfortable, healthy feet. You would be surprised how many people are wearing shoes too small!
So for National Science Week, our question to you is:
🔎 When was the last time your feet were actually measured?
If you’ve noticed shoes feeling tighter, rubbing more, or becoming uncomfortable, it may simply be that your feet have changed over time.
📍 Rushden Podiatry. Supporting healthy feet across Rushden and Northamptonshire.
