https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Tue, 14 Apr 2026 23:50:15 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1955520 Tue, 11 Sep 2018 17:26:27 +0000 Christina F. 1955520@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><div><b>Aquamarine</b> - it's okay. I may give those shoes away, as you say, but it costs me nothing except a bit of space to keep them on for now. It's only 3 pairs I'm unsure about, and 2 take up very minimal space. I'm sorry you're struggling with dress shoes. :(</div><div><br /></div><div>My update is that&nbsp; shoes with the insoles added are actually not so comfortable on softer surfaces, like the carpeting in my office. So I really do need indoor and outdoor shoes; I noticed this a bit in the summer when I walked with the Vionics on a dirt path rather than pavement. This means the very flat dressy shoes I'm unsure about may end up living at work, after all. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I've also ordered some Danskos, since some other clogs I tried on at DSW that seemed like they may work. These are the NAS Danskos that are now 60% off! They and my other Danskos will need to be tested outside, of course. <br /></div> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954787 Sun, 09 Sep 2018 19:41:33 +0000 Aquamarine 1954787@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I’m sorry you are going through this. Back pain is the worst, and the shoes we choose are so important. Not sure how to advise you, but I have found that once I put shoes away for ‘when I get better,’ I almost never want to wear them again. </p> <p>As an aside, I have been searching for a dressy shoe for a wedding and on a whim ordered $350 AGL heels (2.5 inches so not exactly high!) and found them so uncomfortable for my back and not near enough padding under the ball of my foot. Even if I’m willing to spend some (for me) serious money, I still can’t find truly comfortable dress shoes. Boo. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954760 Sun, 09 Sep 2018 17:42:27 +0000 Christina F. 1954760@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Taffy, I love the Eccos and had always wanted to duplicate them. Otherwise, I don't think I need more sneaker options (if you look at the photo I posted in the comments, you'll see why). The New Balance I just bought are doing well as replacement for the bright pink memory foam Sketchers, my previous walking sneaker. I think so far they are offering a similar level of comfort as the Vionics and Naots did. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954450 Sat, 08 Sep 2018 20:13:22 +0000 Taffy 1954450@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Christina, I have been in a similar boat all summer and delaying the inevitable fall/winter adjustment. I have the gold quilted Ecco that you posted. I’m uncomfortable with the sneaker trend bc I’ve always worn dressier shoes, but grateful that it’s going on right now..and trying to feel out the new look.</p> <p>I have the gold quilted Ecco that you posted, and they’re pretty great. The don’t have a very tall (in height) shoe box though, which flattens my toes uncomfortably. So I wear them a bit, but can’t wear them all the time.</p> <p>I just tried the SAS freestyle that Angie had blogged about, and they are pretty great. Maybe you could give them a try? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954414 Sat, 08 Sep 2018 18:17:40 +0000 Angie 1954414@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Some great advice, and wishing you luck with finding solutions. I get how important walking is. MUST have happy feet.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954283 Sat, 08 Sep 2018 11:31:03 +0000 Christina F. 1954283@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks, Becky and Joy - you are both right. </p> <p>FashIntern, the flat shoes are perfectly comfortable indoors. I really have no trouble with them. It’s when I get on the pavement that I really feel my injury. Walking around d the city is my main form of exercise, That said, I intend to move away from those shoes, for sure. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954216 Sat, 08 Sep 2018 06:50:15 +0000 Stagiaire Fash 1954216@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You have some great shoes. I can see why packing them away is preferable to purging, and why not, if you have reasonable expectation of further recuperation? </p> <p>I do believe you can fully recover. My trainer (who’s online) has a lot of clients who are coming back from back injury; i think that’s how most of us found her. I had pulled my psoas; walking was so painful that I preferred crawling around our apt on hands &amp; knees. I’ve lost 40 lbs since then. There are some amazing stories of not just coming back but winding up in better shape, feeling healthier overall, than they were before. </p> <p>On to the shoes. I agree with everyone who says not to grin and bear it—wear shoes that are pain free. To my mind, this nixes the idea of keeping shoes at work, because they’d be ones that weren’t all the way comfortable. </p> <p>On the Naturalizers with loafers—remember Angie said in her recent trends report that socks are getting to be “in”. </p> <p>Good luck with your continuing recovery! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954205 Sat, 08 Sep 2018 05:13:31 +0000 Anonymous 1954205@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>The most important thing is to stay pain free. You may need to spend more and have fewer pairs of shoes, but saving your back would be worth it, as well as staying off pain killers. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954169 Fri, 07 Sep 2018 23:56:09 +0000 Becky 1954169@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm finding that as I grow older, my feet are less and less tolerant of shoes without ample cushioning. I am at the point of totally ditching any shoes purchased for work (I am on my feet all day long) that don't feel good all day. I just don't reach for them when I know I'll be hurting if I wear them. I find that my turnover time for shoes worn, say, twice weekly is two years at the most. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954162 Fri, 07 Sep 2018 23:10:53 +0000 Christina F. 1954162@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>The NB shoes above work great with the insoles. I need closed toe walking shoes for tomorrow, and didn’t quite want to pull out my hiking boots, so I’m happy I found them today. </p> <p>I also tried in all my sneakers with and without insoles, out on the pavement. I found that the slip on rose gold memory foam shoes shown above don’t work. They are going into holding, along with another pair (New Balance mint green fashion sneakers). I also purged some walking shoes (also memory foam, Sketchers) as well as some slip on Keds that worked but looked too worn. Keds overall work well. I kept some Sperrys that are okay. The picture shows my differing “piles,” though the light blue Keds near the bottom have gone for purging. The new NB’s with insoles are the clear winners. </p> <p>I will repeat this process with dress shoes and booties in the coming days. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954067 Fri, 07 Sep 2018 18:45:00 +0000 Christina F. 1954067@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have sought out and found some athletic shoes that seem to have a thick sole and support. I still need to try them on pavement. This way, if I leave some of the thinner shoes at work, I have a fallback thing to walk in; my current athletic shoes aren't really going to cut it. I hope this one shoe purchase will enable me to keep most of my problem shoes for now, though I still have my eye on the blush loafers. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954031 Fri, 07 Sep 2018 16:28:57 +0000 Christina F. 1954031@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><div>Thistle, everyone is different, and I'm not ready to accept chronic pain quite yet. My PT thinks the pain may fade completely as I get stronger. I do understand that it may be the case that things will never be quite the same, or that at the very least the recovery time will be a quite a while, and that my shoe choices will help me avoid relapses.&nbsp; So I&nbsp; know I need to follow your advice to cycle the less supportive shoes out and gradually replace them. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>&nbsp;I wish I could purge and start over, but finances don't allow that. The flat shoes are just fine indoors, anyway.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Even more frustrating - I didn't really have one big injury moment. It just sort of came on gradually and was exacerbated by how my hips are set up (wide and kind of splay legged). I can't ever ignore strength training again, in order to deal with this. Ironically, I think the original small injury was from strength training. :P<br /></div> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954027 Fri, 07 Sep 2018 16:10:30 +0000 Thistle 1954027@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My $0.02 as someone who has injured her back.</p> <p>Yes, it heals. But, it will never be the same. Sorry :(</p> <p>Your chance of reinjuring is also much higher, even if it's just "small" pulls that only hurt for a week or two.</p> <p>Long term, you are probably going to need to replace any shoe that isn't supportive or that you can't use with a supportive insert. Which shoes will work for you and support will take time to figure out.</p> <p>I know. I'm sorry.</p> <p>In the shorter term, you'll have to decide how much you want to carry your current shoes with you to work, or sneak a few pairs into your bottom desk drawer. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954023 Fri, 07 Sep 2018 16:03:49 +0000 Kathie 1954023@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I really like the loafers- a nice change from the booties and fashion sneakers in the first post, but still supportive. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954020 Fri, 07 Sep 2018 15:49:43 +0000 Christina F. 1954020@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p> <div>Diana - thank you. I will look into those as I need more insoles, as I'm sure I will. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Kathie - I don't have early morning meetings outside my office, so I'm good there. If I need dressier shoes on the weekend, I will usually have some advance warning. I think I too will have to move away from completely flat shoes, at least for wear outside. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Gretchen - I'm betting I will have a similar timeline to being 100%. PT has gone a long way towards making me better, but insurance cut me off of it. Fortunately, I was at the point where what's helping the most are the exercises I know how to do at home on my own, anyway. My mobility is much improved, but I think it will be a long time before that twinge of pain is gone, and the shoe choices I make day to day still have a decent-sized effect on how it's feeling. I like your suggestion of evaluating the shoes gradually. That way, I can replace one at a time if I need to. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I have added the finds for the shoes I'm currently eying. The black Eccos would be a duplicate of sorts. The blue and blush loafers could fill in if I purge the blue ballet flats (and maybe the red flats, though blush is not the same as red, of course, but may be more versatile anyway). <br /></div></p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954015 Fri, 07 Sep 2018 15:33:41 +0000 Gretchen 1954015@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Fellow back injury sufferer here - so sorry you are dealing with this.&nbsp;</p> <p>If you have room to keep the shoes you aren't wearing right now, I'd suggest you do a purge based on wear or fit with your wardrobe, but keep the rest.In my experience, it was about 18 months from the injury to feeling back to normal (including able to return to my normal heels). So I'd suggest hanging on and trying a different pair every month or so to see if they might work.&nbsp;</p> <p>Good luck in your recovery!</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954013 Fri, 07 Sep 2018 15:17:39 +0000 Kathie 1954013@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>My work life (academic professional staff, urban, public transportation and walk everywhere) and my home life (mom-on-the-go, driving to soccer games far out in the 'burbs) are fairly different, so I generally don't need the same shoes in each location. A couple times each month, I do to take a pair from work to home, or vice versa, to cover the odd 7am meeting (when I'm not stopping by my office first) or because I went straight home from an evening event. My work shoes are all still pairs that I could wear for a mile of walking, so chunky heels, shooties, heeled Oxfords, and booties dominate my work shoes. I'm just starting to branch out beyond Dansko's and running shoes for weekends. Personally, although I did PT back in my 20s, I've found that focusing on shoes that fit well, are the right height (which is not actually flat for me) and the top quality that I can afford has gone a long way in not aggravating my SI issues. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954007 Fri, 07 Sep 2018 15:07:26 +0000 Diana 1954007@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I pretty much only wear shoes (with the exception of sandals) that I can add supportive insoles to. This means mostly boots and oxfords, but that’s mostly in keeping with my stylistic preferences anyway. I’m lucky that my feet are low volume so there’s usually room for insoles. I like the 3/4 length black superfeet as they leave more room for your toes.<br /> <a href="https://m.zappos.com/p/superfeet-easy-fit-womens-dusk-black/product/8173869/color/427959" rel="nofollow">https://m.zappos.com/p/superfe.....lor/427959</a></p> <p>These Naot footbrds are expensive but great if they fit in your shoes - I put them in my fashion sneakers and some boots.<br /> <a href="https://m.zappos.com/product/7666767/color/401?ef_id=W5KTwgAABNUlZv18:20180907150538:s" rel="nofollow">https://m.zappos.com/product/7.....07150538:s</a> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954003 Fri, 07 Sep 2018 14:30:54 +0000 Christina F. 1954003@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><div>Kathie! I have Dansko clogs but left them off because they're a question mark right now. They're higher than my other shoes. So even though they seem like they should work, every time I put them on, my back seems to hurt and off they go. I need to try them outside. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>My issue is the SI and the hips, as well. The tightness is mostly gone but the original injury (pain around my upper glute) lingers a bit. I'd wear the Vionic sandals to work each day if I could, as they cause the least pain, but that won't be possible within a month or so. You make an excellent point that I should check how worn each shoe is. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Do you find yourself missing the shoes you've left at work, on the weekends? That's my only hesitation on that strategy, but I think I'd get by with booties and fashion sneakers most weekends, anyway....<br /></div> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1954002 Fri, 07 Sep 2018 14:26:17 +0000 Kathie 1954002@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I keep shoes at my office, switching them out with the seasons. I do it for comfort as well as preventing wear on my better shoes. For my daily commute, I’m usually in Dansko clogs or Keen sandals. It does involve a bit of planning, if I have early work meetings, or evening events.</p> <p>As for your shoes, if you don’t mind storing them (either boxed up at home, or in your office,) I’d get rid of the ones that you think are worn/older and keep the rest. And pass on anything that you think might cause a re-injury. I do find that some of my shoes, as they get older, get worn down enough that my SI joint/hips aren’t in the best alignment. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1953998 Fri, 07 Sep 2018 14:06:07 +0000 Christina F. 1953998@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p> <div>Here are the shoes I can't really wear right now. I have already purged a couple of others I'm leaving out. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'd be most inclined to keep the newer ones - the two mules, and the black Botkier flats. The Naturalizer loafers are practically brand new, but I already know the insole makes my heel rub. They may be okay with dress socks or knee his?<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The first pair have a slight hidden wedge; I may have to experiment with the insole with them. Otherwise, they're among the oldest and I'd be happier purging them, though I have no problem keeping as I like them. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The red Boden flats are also my only red shoes. They're not comfortable enough to be super practical, though they're not awful to wear. But they can't really work with an insole.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm most include to purge the blue ballet flats. That's not a lot to purge<br /></div></p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/fall-shoe-and-back-problems#post-1953996 Fri, 07 Sep 2018 13:59:54 +0000 Christina F. 1953996@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>As of today, Fall weather is here. And so is a problem I’ve put off solving. </p> <p>I’ve had a back injury that is a lot better but healing only very slowly. All summer long, I’ve only had two pairs of sandals I could reliably wear out on the NYC pavement without pain. I’ve also had a couple of others I do okay with. The shoes that work are Vionic and Naot. I seem to need arch support and a wedge or thicker sole </p> <p>I’ve purchased some Vionic insoles. They work okay in shoes that already have some support and thickness of sole (shock absorption, basically). Today, they are in my metallic Ecco sneakers, so the shoe crisis is averted for now. </p> <p>However, I have plenty of flats with very thin soles and no arch support. This includes the Naturalizer Emilines, which don’t play well with the insole as they make my heels rub. Sob. </p> <p>Going forward, do I:</p> <p>1. Box the thin flats up till next year and hope they can be worn. Storage space is always an issue for me, but I’m already storing them. </p> <p>2. Purge some under the idea that I need to move away from shoes with little support, anyway. (I usually need support for long walking days, but these used to be fine for going to and from work.) Purging a bunch of shoes at once would be painful, and some are fairly new anyway (sunk cost fallacy?). Plus I’d need to fill out the collection a bit with dressier shoes I can wear. </p> <p>3. Keep some/all and just carry thinner shoes to work (I despise doing this), or else leave many of them there (that’s possible).</p> <p>I am including in this post finds for the non-gear, non-formal shoes I think I can wear with or without insoles (With one exception, I’m leaving out sandals). Most are booties or fashion sneakers. I’m going to have to take them all outside and test each pair to be sure, though, when I have a nice weekend day. I will post the shoes I think I can’t wear at all, or only indoors, in comments.  </p> <p>I need your help figuring out what holes I have and which of the above strategies to pursue. </p> <p>If I do add shoes, I need to be careful about it. I may duplicate the Eccos, maybe in black. And Vionic has some blush loafers that are spendy but appear to have the right kind of support. Naturalizer also has loafers in blue with a thicker sole that may work. And I can add wedges, as I don’t like the ones I have except for job interviews or something. They don’t fit my style anymore. I can’t replace ALL the shoes, though! </p>