The size of your feet has absolutely nothing to do with the height that you are.
Your height is determined from the length from the top of your hip joint to the floor, regardless of what shoes you wear. This is a common myth, and in this article we'll explain why it's not true.
If you have any further questions or would like some more information on this topic, please get in touch with us by emailing support@rhinoshoes.com or by calling 01270 839 668.
If you're reading this, you're probably already aware of the fact that shoe size doesn't reflect the true inner-height of your foot.
There has been a considerable amount of research over the years in this area, and although it's still not completely understood exactly what determines the height of your foot, it is well known that there are many factors that contribute to how high your foot really is in relation to your heel. Let's look at them.
The first of these is the angle at which your foot is planted in a shoe. The angle at which your foot is planted changes slightly depending on the type of shoe that you are wearing as it impacts on the angle of your foot for a more natural stance.
More specifically, walking in a heel-toe position causes a greater change in direction than does walking with your toes front and centre.
You can see this difference if you try walking with both feet pointing forward and pull one heel inwards to give yourself a steeper angle of 9 to 11 degrees (1).
Another major factor is the length of your Achilles tendon. The Achilles tendon connects your calf muscles to the heel bone, and when you wear shoes it can constrict the natural angle of your foot to a certain degree.
Usually this occurs in high heels or with footwear that is too narrow for your foot, which is why it happens more frequently when you are wearing shoes with a heel as opposed to flat soles (2).
The last factor is related to the way in which our feet naturally spread outwards as we bear weight on them. When you stand on level ground, this spread happens subtly, but when you wear shoes it swings from side-to-side instead. This can be corrected for by wearing shoes that are broader in the toe-box area and also by wearing shoes that are made of a material that is more flexible, like a man-made leather. However, in general this is not something you can change. It's usually the case that you need to accept the natural way in which your foot spreads out when weight is placed on it (3).
The above factors make it clear that shoe width and shape aren't responsible for determining your inner-foot height, as they have almost nothing to do with what will happen when your foot bears weight on it.
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This leaves us with the length of your heel bone and the length of your arches to determine the height of your foot. In 90% of people, these two factors will determine your inner-foot height.
To work out a person's true height all you really need is their shoe size and foot length measurement in inches from their heel to their toe. You then have to convert that foot length measurement into centimetres (4).
For example, if a person has size 6 feet and their instep measures 6 inches from the heel to the toe (in other words, 34cm), then they will be 165cm tall barefoot.
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