I love my shoes but my shoes don't love me back :(

Irene

Stupid rant about shoes and fussy feet. I have too many pairs of sandals, and they are good quality shoes, but still they hurt my feet. No matter how soft the leather is, how flat or little heeled they are, how well the straps are located. They are still painful after a couple of hours. I have gladiators, two pairs, they hurt my feet because the sole is hard and too flat -I can't do hard soles since I lost weight and my feet got super bony-. Then there are the super comfy sandals with a 1inch heel, super soft sole and leather... so soft that my skin gets sticked to it, starts rubbing, and I earn a blister. Then there are the Clarks sandals, which are so so so pretty... and a torture. Then I have the pretty ones -high wedges, espadrilles...- that are a bit high-heeled and not that comfortable... but as comfortable as the flat ones, for the record!
I got a new pair today, and I'm actually a bit scared. I want a pair of shoes that I can actually wear for hours and that when I get back home I don't want to get rid off immediately!

Anybody else suffers from this? Not even sport-sandals -the ones meant for walking long distances in the mountain that you buy as gear- work for me

Oh, and just to share, new sandals pics! And they are NUDE. I normally prefer darker shoes for some strange reason, but these were only in black and in this light tan, so... I thought I should give it a try! I feel the color is a bit weird on my skin, but I saw them on another woman at the store and liked them better, then saw them on my mum and liked them too -she has the same skin-tone. They are bit high heeled, but still quite comfy. I think. I can't be sure anymore!

PS: The shoes on the carpet are the Clarks

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14 years ago

General

13 replies

Latest reply was from marianna

cloud9

Veteran

oooh.. super cute shoes. I love the "nude".

I hear ya.. I pretty much have the same problems as you. I can't do super flat, I can't do higher heels. I don't really have 8 hour shoes. Even if the shoes don't hurt me during my wear daytime, at night my feet/bone get sore somehow. I find that I have to have cushioned insole, at least 1/2 - 1 inch of heel. i have a couple of Clark Privo's with some soft but bumpy (like message) insoles, and they are slides with 1/2 heel (well, not a heel per se, but thick sole I guess). Those are the ones I can walk around in hours.

I also put on band-aid on my feet for new shoes if I feel some rub. After a few wearings they usually don't bother me anymore.

14 years ago

rae

(website)

Veteran

I'm so sorry to hear of your pain!

I found myself unable to wear completely flat shoes as well. I have a pair of cute turquoise sandals that never made it out of the house.

My new favorite brand is Softspots - I've yet to have to break a pair of sandals in.

In the past, I would sometimes apply rubbing alcohol to the inside of my leather sandals to stretch and soften the straps.

14 years ago

Louise

Veteran

Pretty shoes/ sandals that you can wear for hours are the holy grail and worth their weight in gold, I literally feel your pain my feet have got fussier as I've got older (or I'm just less prepared to put up with uncomfy shoes?)
I'm afraid to say that often for me I have to buy expensive shoes and I wear them round the house for several days before wearing them out to make sure there will be no major rubbing even then I occassionally get problems. I have a pair of shoes and 1 pair of sandals which I wore straight out of the box for 8 hours and they are both from Reiker and then another 2 Reiker pairs have need breaking in!!! x

14 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

You need to try out some insoles. They make invisible gel insoles that stick right to your sole that are perfect for sandals. They also have other special kinds for sandals. Try blister block stick, too.

14 years ago

Diana

Veteran

Naot shoes are the most comfortable for me - the leather is very soft and the footbed is moldable cork (like Birkenstocks, but they are much narrower and in my opinion a lot better looking. I agree with you in not liking the super squishy footbeds in a lot of comfort sandals - i too find them to be blister-causing and hot.

http://www.zappos.com/naot-foo.....ace-nubuck

Do you have moleskin? I always carry a piece of it around with me in my wallet. If there's a particularly irritating spot on the inside of a strap or something, a piece of moleskin (I prefer to put in on the shoe rather than my foot) will usually fix that right up.

I really like your new sandals! What are the brand/style? Here's hoping they are comfy.

14 years ago

JaneF

Active Member

Oh, I like the color of those sandals on you—perfect for summer! Fingers crossed they're comfortable.

I went for many years without finding really comfortable shoes until I decided to close my eyes and grit my teeth as I spent a little more. I now completely swear by the brands Cydwoq, Trippen, and Chie Mihara (heels that do not hurt—who knew?). I shop religiously at Ped shoes (http://www.pedshoes.com) because the owner will not carry anything that isn't crafted well and comfortable to wear. They are expensive, though. (They do have a sale going on now.) But my feet are so much happier. Here's the latest Cydwoq pair I bought, and they are HEAVEN on my feet! (The pic is from Ped—my feet are not quite that pretty.)

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14 years ago

journey

Active Member

crazy as it sounds, a really good chiropractor may be able to help. i suddenly found myself unable to wear heels, it would feel as if the bones of my feet were jaggedly poking right down into the sole of the shoes, causing excruciating pain. then it got so even flats were hurting so bad i could barely hobble. but one appointment with my husband's chiropractor and the pain went away. it was amazing! and after five visits i felt like i had brand new feet!

14 years ago

Irene

Veteran

Thanks for your advice girls I don't thing any shop in Spain offers the brands you told me about though, and I'm SUPER reticent about shopping online -I'll get there some day, I know, but I'm just not ready yet lol-. However, Spain is well known for its shoemakers -Camper or Wonders, for instance-. I've had them both, no luck. I mean, they are fine, way better than anything from Zara or idk, Payless, but not good enough to make it into 8-hour shoes. Clarks are just a pure disaster on my feet -I have four pairs of super expensive Clarks and the four of them torture my feet-. So I've really got fed up of very expensive shoes. Nowadays I try to buy cheaper yet well made Spanish/Italian shoes that maybe are not so fashion-forward but are comfier in the long run. They are usually made of soft leather and I try to find them with cushioning on the sole -except for the gladiators. I used to be very happy with my gladiators before my feet got even more problematic.

chewyspaghetti- I've tried silicone insoles, no luck with them, and they rub my skin even with socks on -I've tried them for high-heeled closed shoes-. Besides, insoles on totally flat shoes would only make it worse, I think. Blister block stick doesn't work on me either!

Diana- I've tried moleskin too, and it has worked for some pairs. I'm addicted to Compeed, but oh my, aren't those expensive!

Journey - A chiropractor might be a good idea, but idk... I already know -told by a doctor and a physiotherapist that I have a tendency for bunions -even though I don't wear high-heels nor pointy shoes, go figure- and that I don't have much cushioning on the foot-bed, which leads to the inflammation of the sesamoid bone. So basically he told me to wear flat not pointy shoes, and that's what I do... most of the time.

I know, I'm hard! If it is of any help, I don't go complaining to people when my feet hurt, I just eat it up and stay strong lol

14 years ago

rae

(website)

Veteran

Poor thing... my feet hurt just reading the thread.

Hm trying to think of some Euro brands for you. The Trippen brand JaneF mentioned amaaazingly beautiful shoes, but they are definitely expensive. I've had good luck with Worishofer orthopedic sandals, and they are not too badly priced.

14 years ago

Meka

Active Member

I have the same problem. I've suffered from chronic foot pain for years. I cannot tolerate flat shoes at all! I need a heel (up to 4") and I'm okay until the balls of my feet start burning.

I use moleskins to combat blisters. My friend used Dr. Scholl's product (it's like a very small stick of deodorant) to prevent blisters and she liked it a lot. I also use the foot petals to "attempt" to cushion my feet. Somehow, the petals end up hanging off the side or the front of my shoe, if I'm wearing sandals. I recently tried the Dr. Scholl's gel insert and loved them!

I just learned that I have a real medical condition which has caused my foot pain. My calf muscles are too tight and won't contract. Perhaps you should see an orthopedic surgeon?

14 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

High five about a million times, Airin. You have described my fussy sandal feet. Bony feet do not like sandal straps

So I stick to closed shoes. And if I can wear socks - so much the better.

14 years ago

Irene

Veteran

Angie: I suffer in wintertime too, because I have skinny wide feet. So, actually, straps have to be super tight to hold my foot properly, but when it comes to close shoes, they have to be wide and still tight, if that makes any sense.

14 years ago

marianna

Veteran

I feel your pain. Lately ALL my shoes hurt my feet terribly. I love pretty shoes but I can't stand the pain I am experiencing.

14 years ago

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