Pre-World War II, hand-me-down clothes existed in a lot of families. Articles such as shirts, pants, coats and shoes if in good condition would be given to younger family members to wear. The practice today is not as prevalent, but occasionally still exists. While articles such as pants, shirts, and coats may be advisable, I strongly discourage handing-down of shoes of any type.
While the individual receiving the shoes may have the same foot length, very rarely does the person have the same foot width and/or height. Shoes when broken-in conform to the initial wearers foot architecture. This can cause foot problems to the second person that can lead to foot pain, change in foot structure and even serious foot injury. Many of these problems are muscular in nature and generally can be resolved but discontinued use of the "hand-me-down" shoe. But if structural changes occur, sometimes the only resolve is to perform reconstructive surgery.
I notice this quite frequently in athletic shoes. Cleated shoes are especially a big culprit for causing foot problems in hand-me-down shoes. Also, it is advised to change running shoes about every three to six months depending on usage.
Spend the time and the little bit of extra money and insure that your child or young adult has adequate shoes for their particular foot architecture and the environment where they will wear the shoe.
"The journey of life is taken one step at a time... none of them should be painful." G.M. Barclay, DPM, AACFAS
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