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06 Sep 07 - 01:03 AM (#2142120) Subject: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: katlaughing A cautionary tale...if your feet are in pain, go find a certified pedorthist and get fitted with good shoes. It's amazing what an effect our feet can have on our entire body! Three years ago, or thereabouts, an O2 tank fell on my left foot. I think it was the same foot which I ran a nail all the way through when I was thirteen and the nail was attached to a heavy, rusted hinge. I also turned that ankle very badly about two years ago. I'd been to a podiatrist, my regular osteopathic doc, and an idiot of a physical therapist, none did me much good, all cost me money, AND none had any recommendations on what kind of shoes might be best and help. The podiatrist wanted to break my bone and reset it, plus put me in a half-arsed orthotic insert, the doc shrugged his shoulders, and the PT guy was a jackass I only went to once I was so under-impressed. I kept asking them all isn't it important to start with a good foundation, i.e. a "proper" shoe? No one knew much a'nothin'. Some girlfriends at the gym I went to suggested a "shoe guy" downtown, but they warned it was expensive, so I held off, muddling along with $95-130 (still expensive!) a pair shoes every 6 months or so, still in lots of pain and not getting the exercise I needed. Today, now that we are a little "flush" I said screw this and went to see the Shoe Guy. Wow! Walked out of there with two new pair of expensive shoes and virtually NO pain. They aren't the fanciest, but I was used to Birks etc. anyway and are they comfy! They look a bit like old lady shoes, no offence to those of you who are older **bg**, but I don't care. I can feel a better alignment in my hips, lower back, ankles and feet, of course. Besides that my friend says they will be all the fashion in a few years as baby boomers grow older and smarter! What do my new shoes look like? Well, here's my around the house, easy to get on and off pair: click for Finn Comfort slip-on sandals and click here for Erika by P.W. Minor Xtradepth. So, take care of your feet and don't depend on medical experts to know all they oughta. I'll tell you later what the Shoe Guy told me about the lack of docs recommending orthopaedic shoes and what caused it in the 1980's through now. kat |
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06 Sep 07 - 04:54 AM (#2142223) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: Llanfair They do look comfy, Kat, and I'm pleased you have found pain-free footwear. It gets to be a viscious circle, you don't take the dogs out daily because your feet hurt, therefore you put on weight, therefore your feet hurt more, and on and on. Although the sensory nerves in my feet are numbed with the diabetes, I still have deep pain, but it's been the crocs that have been my lifesaver. And they are ugly shoes, but reminiscent of the clogs we wore in the 60's-70's, so I wear them all the time. I think foot pain is almost as debilitating as back pain, makes you miserable, and needs a real specialist to make a difference. I've avoided the back troubles so far, not easy when you're a 6' 1" woman, and am grateful for that. Get out there and walk the dog, Kat.!!!!! |
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06 Sep 07 - 05:16 AM (#2142229) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: Linda Goodman Zebooker Great links, Kat. There's a place literally around the corner from where I live that sells these shoes. I've been put off by the price, but now think I'll go have a look. |
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06 Sep 07 - 09:15 AM (#2142333) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: wysiwyg GREAT news! [happy dance] And no PF from these either? ... don't depend on medical experts to know all they oughta ... The GOOD ones learn from US and are grateful and articulate about it. I take a show-and-tell item to every appointment with the fabulous "new" doc I've had for a year now-- things to illustrate what I have used to solve various chronic problems. Sometimes these are simple things and sometimes they are more complicated home-made items, but I always have at least one item (or printed 1-pager) to lay on the tiny desk where he will plunk down my chart to look at the notes from the last visit. As a result, every appointment goes more and more efficiently and cooperatively. And I am getting stronger and stronger, and healthier. ~Susan |
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06 Sep 07 - 10:15 AM (#2142389) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: Rapparee I've cleaned out a lot of shoes (off to Goodwill with ya!) this past year because they weren't comfortable. ANYTHING that isn't is going! It isn't worth my time to spend time in uncomfortable shoes. Right now, I have three (3) pairs of comfortable footwear: a broken-down pair of Topsiders, a pair of Peto (?) shoes, and, believe it or not, a pair of Justin roper-style cowboy boots. |
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06 Sep 07 - 10:16 AM (#2142390) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: GUEST,leeneia I'm happy for you, kat. I do want to say that the thing to do is to find shoes that are right for YOU. No one brand, no matter how sincere, suits everyone. I tried Finn shoes and they felt perfectly awful. Same with Birkenstocks. I have a friend who loves Finn shoes, and she seems to think I'm just being difficult when I say they don't fit me. However, I do well with my SAS shoes, so I'm sticking to them. I have a pair of crocs that I like too. Trouble is, crocs come in so few sizes. Basically, their sizing skips my size, but a saleswoman happened to know that the olive green ones were different from all the others. She insisted I try olive green, and they are very nice. You'd think, now that the sales of crocs have levelled off, that the company would come up with more sizes, but no..... |
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06 Sep 07 - 10:23 AM (#2142397) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: katlaughing Morning, all! I have been taking tylenol every night. Last night I didn't need any AND I slept the night through with NO pain in my shoulders, neck, back, hips, legs and feet. I knew feet were important, but had no idea everything else was so effected by poor footwear. (Forgot my days as a nurses' aide and EMT!) Rapaire, if they didn't cram my toes so much, I'd be wearing cowboy boots as I grew up in! I think it is the heel and ankle support that I like in them. Susan, sorry "PF?" Good for you with your new doc and all! Linda, make sure the people you buy them from know what they are doing. The Shoe Guy told me he had at least 17 different ways to change the width, depth, ankle support, etc. That's 17 ways for each of those, which involve different inserts, etc. Good luck. They are well worth the price, imo. Bron, I love crocs but they are no good for my feet. No heel support and not enough of an arch support. I am glad they are working out for you, esp. considering diabetes! Wow, I can go walk that dog now AND walk to my daughter's house. Amazing! |
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06 Sep 07 - 10:42 AM (#2142411) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: wysiwyg PF-- wasn't Plantar Fasciitis an issue at one point? Oh and I forgot to tell you this-- you may already know that the "rules" for "appropriate" footwear have expired. Yes, I agreed to stand in a fancy-dress receiving line when our new Bishop was "inducted" with Desmond Tutu and other national dignitaries in town for the occasion. Yes, I agreed to get hair and nails done, wear makeup, borrow killer jewelry, etc. But NO, I did not agree to be unable to walk the next day. I not only wore my comfiest orthopedic sandals under the long, formal black skirt, I took 'em off for the last hour of the line-job and greeted one and all in my tootsies. The only ones who noticed congratulated me, and the rest simply enjoyed being warmly greeted. Screw pumps! Even the comfy ones-- mostly don't wear 'em. Oh, I may carry them in an evening bag to slip on once I get to the head table, so they can be seen (kicked off) peeking under the table drapes-- but I am NOT gonna walk or stand around in 'em! :~) ~S~ |
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06 Sep 07 - 10:48 AM (#2142418) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: SINSULL I was having major pain in my knees, ankles and feet. I saw specialists, had therapy and took meds. Finally, a chiropractor worked on my back and all the pain went. Amazing. I used to wake up in the morning and walk around on tip toe because it was too painful to put my foot flat on the floor. 40 years of three inch heels does a job on your posture. Now I wear flats, sneakers, and one inch dress sandals. Life is too short to spend it in needless discomfort. |
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06 Sep 07 - 11:14 AM (#2142438) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: Stilly River Sage My son has to wear a brace for another year to treat a chest distortion (the cartilage grows too much during a teen growth spurt) called Pectus Carinatum. The treatment used to be heavy-duty surgical, but I heard about the brace, developed by the folks at Hanger Orthotics, in conjunction with the pediatric surgeons at Cincinnati Children's Hospital (my son was the first to wear the brace in Fort Worth 15 months ago, and now almost all children with this condition in FW are being treated with the brace). We've learned a lot through this process, and one thing is that places like Hanger Orthotic sell a lot of very specialized shoes and foot-support devices. Shoes are on display in some of the fitting rooms at the business. I don't know if you need an Rx to buy from them, but I think not if can just pay for them. The Rx might make your shoes cheaper, but if insurance doesn't cover it then maybe your pocketbook will? SRS |
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06 Sep 07 - 11:14 AM (#2142439) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: Becca72 Before I herniated the disc in my lower back I owned 47 pairs of shoes (yeah, I know...shoe whore). Now, 10 months post-herniation I own 3. The only brands I've found that work for me are Clark's of England, Dansko and Dr. Scholl's clogs. It's amazing to me that just 10 minutes in a pair of my old, cheap, unsupportive shoes will send my back into spasm. And since I never want to experience that kind of pain again, I'll spend a bit more $$$. |
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06 Sep 07 - 11:45 AM (#2142474) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: Liz the Squeak I've always hated wearing shoes and now I know why. For the last 20 years I've worn sandals for 9 months of the year and boots the other 3. My feet are feet shaped now, rather than shoe shaped, so finding shoes that fit is difficult. Doing a formal concert in proper heeled court shoes (or pumps) is murder on the back and I end up standing like a sack of shite, which does the breathing no good at all. Now, if I wear a long dress or am standing in the middle/back of the chorus, I'll slip my shoes off and do it barefoot. Otherwise it's a pair of toe loop sandals. I have a pair of beaded slippers but at the end of a long hot concert, it takes a crowbar and a pound of talcum to get the damned things off. Crocs and their imitators are fine for some people. Personally, I find they make my feet sweat prodigiously and have poor heel support. And I'm not fond of lime green or 'orrible orange. Congrats, Kat, on finding some proper shoes that make you feel so good. Looking after your feet is one of the major parts of healthcare and the one most ignored. LTS |
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06 Sep 07 - 01:38 PM (#2142566) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: Mr Red I wear Orthaheels insoles. They provide instep support and tilt your feet outwards. Good for the spine. I recommend the product but don't buy on-line if you don't want spam. No opt-out and they ignore all protestation. I dance in Crocs (ditto on-line) they do help a lot. |
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06 Sep 07 - 02:10 PM (#2142585) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: Stilly River Sage I just threw out my most comfortable pair of Clarks clogs--they were literally falling apart. I used them for yard work but would forget and wear them other places and they were really a sight. Very comfortable. SRS |
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06 Sep 07 - 02:35 PM (#2142604) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: katlaughing Susan, I think the PF was misdiagnosed in WY and it was years ago, if I remember coorrectly. At any rate, I haven;t worn anything, literally, but Birks in twenty years until three years ago. I even waltzed in them in Houston one time, with a very nice formal satin brocade dress! NO high heels for me, ever. I did my time in them in my twenties! Beccca, I know what you mean, my feet are feet shaped, too!:-) Thanks, everyone! They still feel SO good and no back pain!! Can you hear me singing at the top of my lungs?**bg** |
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06 Sep 07 - 03:06 PM (#2142633) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: wysiwyg So THAT's how one waltzes across Texas! :~) ~S~ |
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06 Sep 07 - 03:09 PM (#2142640) Subject: RE: BS: Finally, shoes feel good/feet don't hurt From: Rapparee Propet. That's the brand of shoes. And I have ropers because they DON'T have pointed toes and Cuban heels. |