Foot pain

[harrisb1964]

Will be a single parent taking my 8 year old son to DW in 2/15. Everytime we have gone before, by about 5:00 or 6:00 my feet hurt so badly that I could barely walk back to the bus. At night I would dump a bucket of ice in the tub and soak my feet. Love DW but the foot pain is miserable. I want to be able to stay at the parks and not have to leave early because of this. Any suggestions on how to prevent this pain? I wear tennis shoes and don't think that 's problem.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I hear ya about the foot pain! I weigh 50 lbs too much and have bad knees which effect my gait and make the feet feel worse. I am working on losing weight, but in the meantime, I have found that taking mid day breaks helps. So does taking a whole day off between park days to rest by the pool. Also I eat plenty of bananas for the potassium when at Disney, take Advil every day, put my feet up when I can and I wear good quality hiking boots with TONS of support (even in the middle of summer). All these things help my feet last through the whole week and I'm not miserable due to pain.

You might also want to check to see (with a podiatrist or a good foot store) if you need something like orthotics in your shoes to help with the pain. Good luck!

 

[harrisb1964]

Thanks! I love DW, but dread the foot pain. And I want to last at least to the fireworks for my 8 year old son!

 

[ZoZo]

I also deal with foot pain (have had surgery on both of my heels the past five years). I used to have so many problems with all of the walking involved with a WDW vacation - limping, dealing with swollen feet. It was awful!

I tried some new shoes for my February trip, and they worked like a charm! They're Skechers with memory foam; they make them for both men and women. They're amazingly comfortable! It's like walking on squishy marshmallows! They make tons of different styles.

I even made the classic "rookie" mistake on my February trip - I didn't give myself any time to break them in ahead of time - the first time I wore them was at WDW! (I had brought a couple of other shoes as a back-up, just in case.) Well, I wore them for the entire trip, and never had a bit of foot pain!

Give 'em a try!

 

[harrisb1964]

Thanks, will definitely check into these!

 

[AngiTN]

One of the things I do to alleviate some of my foot pain is wear different shoes each day. Somehow a change in what I am walking on refreshes my feet, at least a little bit.

Another tip I picked up to try on our next trip is to bring or pack a tray, like one of those aluminum roasting pans, and Epsom salts and soak your feet at night. I intend to try that on our trip next month. I figure I can pack the tray in the bottom of the suitcase and just pack the clothes inside it.

 

[ZOOMAMA]

One of the things I do to alleviate some of my foot pain is wear different shoes each day. Somehow a change in what I am walking on refreshes my feet, at least a little bit.

Another tip I picked up to try on our next trip is to bring or pack a tray, like one of those aluminum roasting pans, and Epsom salts and soak your feet at night. I intend to try that on our trip next month. I figure I can pack the tray in the bottom of the suitcase and just pack the clothes inside it.

I agree, switching shoes helps. Also, popping some Aleve later in the day to take the edge off the discomfort. If we head back to the resort for a break, I like to wash my feet in cool water and elevate them- that seems to revive them a bit. Packing clothes in an aluminum roasting pan would work but you can also purchase inflatable foot baths.

-Tess

 

[stwestrox]

Get shoes with less cushion. My feet used to kill at the end of the day when I was just walking to the neighborhood park. I started looking into better shoes when I came across articles showing that all of the padding and the structure in the shoes causes your feet to be weaker. I switched to vibram type running shoes closer to bare feet. I bought Tom's for Disney and was amazed at how great my feet felt by the end of the day.
Start by going shoeless at home and switch up your day to day shoes.

 

[rewilliams]

I any vacation that I do a lot of walking, I make sure I get good soft and cushy inserts. I have Planters Fasciitis so I have the $20 inserts for Dick's sporting goods. Works for me

 

[AngiTN]

I agree, switching shoes helps. Also, popping some Aleve later in the day to take the edge off the discomfort. If we head back to the resort for a break, I like to wash my feet in cool water and elevate them- that seems to revive them a bit. Packing clothes in an aluminum roasting pan would work but you can also purchase inflatable foot baths.

-Tess

Oh, good idea. Thanks!

 

[iScrap]

I would try different shoes. I have found that tennis shoes are not the best for that much walking for me. After some experimenting, I now wear Crocs Capri flip flops (they have a fabric upper) and Keen's (the kind that aren't a full shoe and not a flip flop - ugly but super comfortable ) and they both work really well. My feet are tired, but not sore.

For our last trip, I also bought a pair of Dr. Scholl's "work" shoes that looked like black bowling shoes, but had a really good support system because the weather was going to be much colder than we expected and I wanted complete coverage. Those worked out good too, but I think it helped that I was able to switch between the Crocs and them. I'm not sure I would have lasted all day with them.

I've heard great things about Sketcher's Go Walks and might try them for our trip next year. I think it might help you to go try on some new shoes and invest in one that makes your foot feel comfortable every day - the kind that just makes you smile when you put it on.

 

[iScrap]

I would try different shoes. I have found that tennis shoes are not the best for that much walking for me. After some experimenting, I now wear Crocs Capri flip flops (they have a fabric upper) and Keen's (the kind that aren't a full shoe and not a flip flop - ugly but super comfortable ) and they both work really well. My feet are tired, but not sore.

For our last trip, I also bought a pair of Dr. Scholl's "work" shoes that looked like black bowling shoes, but had a really good support system because the weather was going to be much colder than we expected and I wanted complete coverage. Those worked out good too, but I think it helped that I was able to switch between the Crocs and them. I'm not sure I would have lasted all day with them.

I've heard great things about Sketcher's Go Walks and might try them for our trip next year. I think it might help you to go try on some new shoes and invest in one that makes your foot feel comfortable every day - the kind that just makes you smile when you put it on.

 

[tinkgirlga]

My husband was experiencing a great deal of foot pain as well. He went to a Podiatrist and found out he has a hammer toe on the left foot, which surprised him because the pain was in the ball of his foot. The dr provided a gel foot crest that cushions that part of his foot and it completely alleviated his foot pain. He takes it and wears it everyday at DW and has no issues.