My sneakers are killing my feet. Looking for ideas.

[midnight armadillo]

Cheap thin Teva Hurricane sandals: wear all day, all terrain, no problem. Bare feet: ditto. moderately new New Balance running shoes: worn for a few hours apple picking, the result is aching, sore feet.

This is nuts. I cured my plantar fascitis a few years ago by buying a shoe with the thinnest, most flexible sole I could find. I think I need to start doing the same with sneakers and some other shoes for the cold weather. I am open to suggestions that will fit my size 13EEE clown feet. I can't do the Nike Free due to width, nor the Vibram Five Fingers due to a weirdly bent 4th toe (congenital, harmless) and an XL-size big toe (same). How 'bout dressier shoe options suitable for the office? I could do sandals with socks and no one would even notice, but I dunno.

[RagAss]

1. Converse All Stars.

[Schema Thing]

10. this is probably the answer

something with plain, flat, relatively thin soles that don't try to change anything about the way your foot strikes the ground.

[Heidi]

14. Totally agree.

If I'm not barefoot, I'm wearing Converse All Stars

[struggle4progress]

2. Best pair of shoes I ever had was an old pair of high top sneakers after the rubber soles wore thin.

Could almost feel the grass underfoot in them

In year four or five, the rubber finally tore through and I had to toss them: it was heartbreaking

[vixengrl]

3. Your problem might just involve your instep--

I have wide feet myself. I love flats--flatter the better. My wide feet take care of any balance issue I might have. Most New Balance shoes offer what is familiarly referred to as "support" but this actually might give your arch/instep too much of a "rise". I know that those kinds of walking shoe often leave me with toe cramps because my bent little toes slide downwards into the toe box and wind up rebelling. And toe cramps are evil.

If you can afford to invest in better shoes--

http://www.footsmart.com/Default.aspx

These guys have some solutions for bent toes, bunion pads, and some better shoe selections for wide and unhappy feet.

Otherwise, if your office has good benefits, it doesn't "hurt" to see if a podiatrist can make sense of your aches--depending upon your pronation, walking habits, etc, sometimes inserts to alter your support might be recommended.

[realisticphish]

4. hmm

I would have said New Balance, but obviously not...

And you think YOU have foot size troubles; I wear 15W, though I can cram my foot into a 14W if the toe is blunt enough

[Grey]

5. I am going to quote mimitabby

linking the whole thing for Cuteness....

"mimitabby (1000+ posts) Fri Sep-03-10 03:16 PM
Original message
my "hippy dippy shoes"

I work with a group of very conservative people. You all know the story...

Yesterday one of my coworkers; I'll call him Bob said to me, " you sure got hippy dippy shoes"
I smiled at him like always because we work as a team and getting along is pretty important to me
"yes" I said, "I guess they are"
he remarked to the guy next to him "she didn't take that as an insult, I guess"
the other guy responded "I think she took it as a compliment."

Bob continued with his poor choices of words and wit, and I went back to my desk but then a little light came on...


"uh, Bob," I asked, "where were YOUR shoes made?"
he took his shoe off and responded "China"
"Well, MY shoes were made in Corvallis, Oregon, see, it says right here, 'Made in the USA' "

soft star shoes

http://www.softstarshoes.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=categ...

they are soft star shoes,

[midnight armadillo]

7. I just found those!

I was just looking at the "Adult Rambler" shoe. Water resistant, sheepskin...hmmm...also their RunAmoc has potential too. Our boys wore the Robeez-type shoes a ton when they were little and they always looked so comfy.

After a lifetime of boring ordinary footwear, maybe I should mix it up a little.

[marzipanni]

6. I would take your New Balance shoes back to the store where you bought them

or one of their Pro-fit stores--->>> http://www.newbalance.com/total-fit/

Since NB stresses proper fit, and trains the people who work at these stores to help people find the right shoe for their feet and purpose. If those make your feet hurt, perhaps they can figure out why and suggest what to look for in a shoe, even if you don't buy more NBs.

[midnight armadillo]

9. I'm a cheap bastard

I get them at the New Balance factory outlet in Brighton, MA...when I can get ahold of a 40% coupon (for NB employees...I have a source) and can combine it with 10-30% off sales. yes, those $80 sneakers can be had for $20. I also stock up on athletic shirts and socks there. However, there's no fit services or anything to be had at the outlet.

[Gormy Cuss]

27. Bring them back,

As others downthread have written, NB has different lasts and it sounds like you picked a model that doesn't work for your foot. Can't hurt to bring them back and complain. I used to shop at the Brighton store too and I'd have to try on many pairs of NB walking shoes before I found one that felt comfortable on my feet. I bought Dunham shoes there a few years ago and they're the most comfortable walking shoes that I've had in years. They're also a bit more stylish for work than most athletic shoes.

I have different foot issues than you and am cheap as hell but I finally made the choice to spend a bit more on shoes because I was tired of having shoes that hurt my feet.

[grasswire]

8. crocs?

some good-looking syles for men at http://www.crocs.com/mens-crocs-footwear/men-footwear,default,sc.html?sz=124

[Iggo]

11. Go wide.

[smalll]

12. Sorry, you have an additional problem. Your profile tells us you're "male" --

You have to stop wearing the sandals. Do you need sneakers that won't kill your feet? You betcha! Because you need to start wearing them outside the house on a regular basis. Men should never wear sandals, flip-flops or anything else pedally revealing. No-one wants to see that. Keep in mind, we're not Repukes. We are supposed to believe in the concept of "society." Cover your feet dude, seriously. Stop off-loading that aesthetic externality onto your fellow human beings.

[midnight armadillo]

16. LOL

I wear my callousy feet with pride!

[whistler162]

18. Just wear socks with the sandals....

that should satify the anti-male feet people.

My New balances took awhile to break in.

[Submariner]

13. Barefoot Running May Have Health Benefits

You may not be running in them, but just wearing them can do harm according to these guys.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/28/health/webmd/main6150557.shtml

"Cushioned running shoes, which date back only to the 1970s, may seem comfortable but may actually contribute to foot injuries, according to a new study. Running barefoot causes less collision force to the feet than running in cushioned shoes, the study found." (AP (file))

[whistler162]

19. They make me look even funier when I go out to run

http://funanimalslippers.com/category/30378951221/1/Animal-Paw-Slippers.htm?gclid=CLrCmM2K86MCFdhA2godnx-W2A

[JCMach1]

15. Adidas climacool

They are extremely light, comfortable and allow air in. Get some Crocs for gardening and puttering in the yard.

[revolution breeze]

22. When I am not at work

Tiddies are on my feet. http://mytiddies.com/ I was introduced to these by another person suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis in her feet! Love, LoVe LOVE THEM!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

24. Ah yes, Tiddies. born in Pasadena, Texas.

My original stompin' grounds.
I think they were started by a couple of doctors' kids who were playing with foam rubber and surgical tubing.

Now made in Houston.

[Sanity Claws]

17. Adidas makes some thin soled sneakers

You could get a pair in a dark color so that it looks dressier.

BTW, I have a pair of Nike sneakers with a very solid heel. My feet feel tired and sore after wearing them. I don't feel that way after wearing my thin soled Adidas sneakers.

[GoCubsGo]

20. NB has many different "lasts"--depending on foot shape and shoe type

You may have just gotten the wrong model for your feet. Check out this chart: http://www.newbalance.com/product_sizing.php#/lasts

I have on-again-off-again plantar fascitis, as well. My problem is an extra high arches, wide ball, narrow heel. NB's "SL-2" last fits my feet best. I once bought a pair that were "SL-1" last (really good sale), and I can't wear them for very long before my feet hurt.

It doesn't matter what shoes I buy, I still have to take out the insoles and put in some with more arch support. One of the few exceptions is Birkenstocks. They have nice, high arch supports. There are other, mostly German/European manufacturers, that make similar shoes to Birks, such as Haflinger. They work just as well. Both Birkenstock and New Balance make insoles to replace those that come with any shoe, so one can wear dressier shoes of other brands and still feel like you're wearing Birks or NBs. Of course, if you go to NB's web site, you'll see that they also make some pretty nice casual and dress shoes. So does Birkenstock, BTW., although I think the Birk shoes are kind of ugly.

[A Cooper]

21. Crocs

I have small narrow feet and sometimes it is hard for me to find shoes. My first pair of crocs was like walking on marshmallows.

[dembotoz]

23. get fitted by someone who knows what they are doing

store in the next town has a reputation for putting comfortable shoes and people together.

my dogs were barking all the time so i finally gave in.

did a bunch of tests-step on this,
walk back and forth etc

Long story short

have a pair of Brooks addictions in speacial insoles
severe pronator????

anyway instant and continuous relief.

[jobycom]

25. Seconded.

New Balance makes a wide range of shoes for different feet shapes and postures. I have a severe pronating walk, and anything without strong stability control kills my feet and shins. If you are most comfortable in thin or flat shoes, then you may have a very flat foot, like my oldest kid, who wears Chuck Taylors easily. I get shin splints just looking at her Chuck Taylors. If she tried to wear my shoes, it would kill her feet (assuming she survived the smell). My guess is that you got the wrong type of New Balances.

Find a store that can fit you. One bit of advice--they have to see your walking gait to properly fit you, so avoid the stores that just have you stand on a scale-type device and get a readout. Those are right only about half the time, because your walk is more important than the shape of your arches when you stand. For instance, my feet pronate, meaning they roll inward when I walk, but I have high arches, so the old conventional wisdom was that I supernated, which means my feet would roll outward. Only by watching me walk (and knowing what to look for) can they really get the right shoe.

Find a specialty running store, get advice from them. Then you'll know what kind of shoe you need. If you don't like the prices, go to a discount store with your new knowledge and get the right shoe. I got to say, though, I've found that if I spend 120 on a shoe instead of 40, it will not only last my three times longer, at least, but it will make a big difference in how my feet hold up during the day. I can save the extra money on cheap jeans or not eating out a few times.

[blue neen]

26. Custom orthotics.

Trust me. It is the answer to your problems. Your doctor can write you a script (hope you have insurance).
:)