Finding a pair of shoes that fits properly may seem like a no-brainer. You go to a department store, sit on one of those benches with the mirrors below the sitting area (if you ever wanted to know what the world looks like to a cocker spaniel just go shoe shopping for an hour), hook the legless nylon stockings over your toes, across your arch and over your heel, and, if you're lucky, get a sales clerk to push his thumb against the thick leather toe box and tell you whether your toes have room enough.

This process of trial and error is hardly scientific. And if you've spent any significant time staring at your feet as if they are foreign growths somehow fastened to the rest of your body (as I must admit I have), you'll understand what I mean when I say that it's hard to imagine these funny, knobby things fitting into anything. What with their scooped out shallows, delicate arches, bumps and bulges, it is a miracle that the shoe fits at all!

Let's start with the Ugly Step-Sister's complaint: ?This shoe is too tight!? While we might be tempted to hack off our toes, as dear ol? Step-Sister does in Grimm's more bloody telling of the fairytale, in order to fit into that beautiful designer heel, most of us know from experience that a too tight shoe ? no matter how exquisite ? is not worth the pain. Blisters, calluses, corns, foot ulcers, bunions, hammertoe, plantar fasciitis (heel spur) and hallux rigidus (stiff big toe), to name a few common foot ailments, can range from minor annoyances to serious medical problems that result in permanent foot deformity when left untreated. Tight shoes apply unnecessary friction and pressure on the foot. The foot is particularly vulnerable along the sides and at major weight-supporting areas such as the ball of the foot and pad of the big toe.

A shoe that is too loose brings with it its own host of problems, despite my mother's declaration that it is always better to buy a shoe that leaves you room to grow. If the shoe does not hold the foot firmly in place, then the shoe and foot will not move in sync. This allows the shoe's material to rub against the foot causing blisters, calluses and corns. While you may be spared from some longer lasting deformities such as hammertoe which leaves the second joint of the toe permanently bent, your feet will still be suffering! And they will most likely not be receiving the proper orthopedic support.

A shoe must hold the foot in place without constricting or cramping it. It must lend itself to the proper alignment of the foot and ankle and provide the necessary cushioning and protection for the body's joints. It is possible that you may require two different sizes for your two different feet, or want to invest in orthotics (orthopedic insoles) and other extra-support devices. There may be no perfect fit, but you can come close.