This. I work in footwear and highly recommend Chaco sandals for their exceptional arch support. I wear them myself and can stand and walk on concrete for eight hours at work and feel fine at the end of the day. Although I don’t suffer from PF, I have suffered from lower back and leg pain previous to wearing only Chaco sandals or Dansko clogs at work.
I discovered Dansko Professional Clogs while working at Starbucks for several years. Best. Shoes. Ever.
Argh- PF… I don’t know about you, but I feel I’m much too young to be crippled by old lady feet. I wore birks a lot and often wonder if they contributed to the problem.
I buy good two pairs of good quality athletic shoes (not necessarily at the same time) and move the custom made arch support between the two pairs every couple of days.
I work 12 hour shifts and stand/walk a lot. I find my feet begins to hurt on the second to third day and that swapping the shoes will buy me another day or two. By then, I’m off for several days to recover, so all is well.
I still do the strectches and wear the boot at night, also. My podiatrist said I would need a year to heal completely. I’m two years out from the crippling pain of PF, and found his advice to be true.
My supports are two years old and I’m going to the pod to get some new ones soon.
I got PF real bad about a year ago that seemed to come out of nowhere. Could hardly walk in the morning. I read about all the stretching moves that could be done to alleviate the pain and that sorta helped.
Turns out it was the shoes I was wearing daily to work. Nice soft insoles but no arch support.
They’ve since been trashed and I got a different pair early this summer. Nothing special. No extra-high support, no inserts, no orthotics.
The PF is not “pretty much” gone, it is “completely” gone. Like I never had a problem to begin with.
Hi Scarlett67,
I’m sorry to hear of your foot pain.
Here’s a possible solution that I don’t think has been mentioned yet. I have experienced some pretty serious heel pain, and on a tip from my acupuncturist I bought some shoes that erase the pain completely while I am wearing them.
They also have the added benefit of strengthening your core muscles because they require a degree of balance to wear them.
They are called MBTs, which stands for “Masai Barefoot Technology”, and while they look strange from ground level, they are actually very comfortable and easy to walk in with a little practice (no one has ever noticed mine until I point them out.)
Now, you can’t wear orthotics with them; however, if you are strictly looking to get rid of the pain from either heel spurs or plantar faciitis, these are designed specifically to deal with these conditions, among others.
The shoes are not cheap at all (mine cost $300 CAD), but they are highly worth it, in my opinion.
See:
and also www.swissmasaius.com/MedicalTherapy.aspx
Good luck!
Thanks everybody!
I just wanted to pop in and say that I am reading and cogitating on all of your replies. It’s a little crazy here and I’m trying to get caught up. Will probably have time to reply more thoughtfully this weekend.
Fortunately (perhaps) I had to reschedule my appointment this Tuesday for December 2, so I’m not in a rush to buy new shoes; this will give me time for more research.
Ta for now . . .
TEVA sandals have a wonderful little donut hole in their heel cups. It’s wonderful for PF.
I have been wearing OOFO flip-flop sandals since diagnosed, & I love them. Haven’t had a flare-up in forever.