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Dr. Damien Howell
Orthopedic Physical Therapist · Gait & Movement Analysis
Damien Howell PT
Damien is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with clinical and teaching experience in orthopedic physical therapy. His work includes gait and movement analysis, helping people understand how they move and what may contribute to recurring injuries.
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SIZE
Could your shoes be too big?
Damien explains why an oversized shoe is the harder mistake to catch, and the blisters, calluses, nerve irritation and misplaced flex point it can bring.
Dr. Damien Howell
Orthopedic Physical Therapist · Gait & Movement Analysis
WIDTH & FIT
Wide, narrow or unequal feet: why standard sizes can miss
Damien on wide feet sized up for length, narrow feet that cannot find a narrow width, and why one foot is often smaller than the other.
Dr. Damien Howell
Orthopedic Physical Therapist · Gait & Movement Analysis
FIT
Three checks for your current shoes, and their limits
Damien walks through heels-to-the-wall, the thumb-width test done standing and squeezing the upper for width, and why width is the hardest to judge.
Dr. Damien Howell
Orthopedic Physical Therapist · Gait & Movement Analysis
ARCHES
Does a flat arch automatically mean a foot problem?
Damien explains why flat feet and pronation are not diseases, what the military found across arch types, and why a high, rigid arch is the less forgiving foot.
Dr. Damien Howell
Orthopedic Physical Therapist · Gait & Movement Analysis
FLEX
Where should your shoe bend?
Damien shows why the question is where a shoe flexes, not how much: the flex point belongs under the ball of the foot, and he shows how to find it.
Dr. Damien Howell
Orthopedic Physical Therapist · Gait & Movement Analysis
ROCKER SOLES
What is a rocker sole, and what changes when its curve moves?
Damien on where a rocker’s apex should sit, what moves when racing shoes shift it back, the forefoot-versus-Achilles trade-off, and who should avoid a shoe that rocks.
Dr. Damien Howell
Orthopedic Physical Therapist · Gait & Movement Analysis
HEEL DROP
Is there one ideal heel-to-toe drop?
Damien explains why drop depends on your foot, what the 1970s negative-heel shoes taught about the Achilles, and a wet-footprint test for spotting a high arch.
Dr. Damien Howell
Orthopedic Physical Therapist · Gait & Movement Analysis
BUNIONS
Are bunions just about age and tight shoes?
Damien separates a bunion from hallux valgus, explains why he sees the condition as largely genetic and provoked, not caused, by narrow shoes, and why it shows up more in women.
Dr. Damien Howell
Orthopedic Physical Therapist · Gait & Movement Analysis
Educational information; individual needs vary.
More perspectives on your fit.
Hear different practitioners answer practical footwear questions.
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