It is both possible, and desirable, to minimize the negative effects of soft foot. While it may be difficult to completely get rid of soft foot, it can typically be reduced to a few mils, if the following techniques are used.
Soft foot is a common issue when aligning rotating equipment. It is a major cause of repeatability problems in shaft alignment measurements. In addition to alignment quality and repeatability problems, it can be a cause of machinery vibration, reduce life in electric motors, and cause internal clearance problems in gearboxes and pumps.