Heel spurs/plantar fascitis (sp?)...what shoes w/o socks?

[KKB]

My feet just get too hot....I will take my walking shoes & lifts just in case....
I have not tried Tevas or Keens. I wear Birks around the house but have not worn them for hours of walking.
Looking for others' experiences here.
THANKS

 

[TXYankee]

Ohhh Kris...I feel your pain! I have the same problem. For my "walking" shoes I wear New Balance with inserts/lifts. I recently purchased Crocs (mary janes and Caymen) for the summer. I have been wearing them around the house and out and about (I can not go barefoot at all without pain) and they really work for me. They don't even get stinky!! I wear them all day long and I do not even experence excessive pain when I get up in the AM. When I first purchased them, I was not sure that they would work. I thought"come on, they are only $30 and my the support New Balance run over $150, they can't support". Good luck.

 

[KKB]

oh, don't get me wrong, I LOVE how they feel....
They are just SOOOO ugly
Oh, well, I may just need to bite the dust, forget my vanity & worry about my health...

 

[ZoZo]

I say, forget about vanity and take care of your feet! I had major surgery on both my heels when I was 19. Now, 25 years later, I still have significant heel pain at WDW (any time that I walk several hours). Does it really matter how stylish you look while you're there, as long as your feet don't hurt?

I spent several days in 2002 limping around because of foot pain, and am excited to try Crocs this time around. Tons of people wear Crocs to WDW - you're in great company!

 

[TXYankee]

I did not want to get Crocs. Please belive me. I was once a "shoe Pig". The hot, cute, strapy, 4 inch heals. I wore them all of the time. If not, I wore cute overpriced flip flops or went barefoot with a beautiful pedi and a set of toe rings. Then the foot / heel pain got so bad that ALL I could wear (even for dress and for slippers) was my new balance supports. I am a very active person and only 43. I can not repair the damage I did to my feet with my cute shoes. I had to wear my support shoes to a black tie event. Croc's...once UGLY, are now my "cute / trendy shoes.

 

[Accentuate+]

When we were at the world it seemed as though every third person was wearing crocs. You will definitely not be alone in your ugly shoe-dom if you choose to wear them. At home Crocs have seemed to attain a "so ugly they're cool" kind of status. I finally broke down and got a pair and they are comfortable, easy to wear and I got over how ugly they are. Check out their website. The ones you most commonly see aren't the only style available. Granted, some of the other styles are only marginally more attractive but you might find something you can live with.

 

[pooksma]

My DH who has heel spurs has just purchased his first pair of Crocs Athens. He says they are great and wears them all the time. He is also on his feet all day at work.

 

[KKB]

I did not want to get Crocs. Please belive me. I was once a "shoe Pig". The hot, cute, strapy, 4 inch heals. I wore them all of the time. If not, I wore cute overpriced flip flops or went barefoot with a beautiful pedi and a set of toe rings. Then the foot / heel pain got so bad that ALL I could wear (even for dress and for slippers) was my new balance supports. I am a very active person and only 43. I can not repair the damage I did to my feet with my cute shoes. I had to wear my support shoes to a black tie event. Croc's...once UGLY, are now my "cute / trendy shoes.

I have always been a shoe girl...but honestly have only wore heels as they became fashionable w/ jeans. NEVER to work (I teach). Actually, heels are fine! In fact, I have some darling flat flip flops I am about to give away...I need SOME heel to relieve the pressure. Sure makes shoe shopping less fun!
DD loves crocs (they look so cute on kids!), DS6 wants them (got em both Disney ones for bdays!)...trust me, for this trip, comfort is the ONLY option...I may give in!

 

[Bethmsu]

Hi, I have PF and I also wear crocs. But, when I can't wear socks or want something cuter I wear Reef brand flip flops. They have a sole that molds to your foot and were recommended to me by a doctor when I first started having problems. They are about 20 bucks, cheap for shoes and I know flip flops arn't for everyone but its worth a try. Last trip to Disney I wore them until my sisters crocs started giving her a blister and then we shared them!

 

[firsttimer03]

What about at the waterparks?
I also have PF and am worried about going to the waterparks barefoot ! OUCH!!!
Do you all wear them there too?
Do you have to take them off while on the ride?
Thanks!

 

[AmericangirlinFrance]

Just thought I would chime in - I am planning our WDW trip in June so I'm spending a lot of time lurking on this board. If you're looking for a "Croc alternative", I LOOOOVE my Chaco sandals - they are expensive (about $100) but they last forever. They have more of a hard footbed (not as squishy as crocs), but they're very supportive, and great for my very high arches.

Just make sure you get them at a store where someone knows how to properly fit them (like an outdoor kind of place - I got mine at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports). I spent about 30 minutes with the sales guy adjusting mine - if they don't fit right, say something, when they're adjusted correctly, they should fit like a glove! I know people who didn't get theirs properly fitted, and they hurt their feet. They have a very "individualized" fit which is why they're great. I'm planning on wearing these most of the time in WDW, and alternating with my tennis shoes and super-soft Teva flip flops. Hope this helps!!

Oops, ETA: They are very water-friendly (I wear them at the lake) and dry easily. They would be good for water parks, I think. Also the straps go all the way around your foot, so your foot is held "securely" - more like a tennis shoe. That's the main reason I don't like Crocs, I like my feet to be strapped in if I'm doing a lot of walking!

 

[Bethmsu]

about waterparks...I have not been to disney waterparks but I wear them everywhere at other parks. If anyone asks I just tell them I need them and why nobody complains. Waterslides I have to abandon them but I put them right back on after. If I go barefoot too long I will feel it bad the next day. I also had a pair of teva sandals that straped on which I took on a canoe trip with pretty good results. Could not risk the flip flops washing away in the rough water!

 

[kimdvm]

My feet just get too hot....I will take my walking shoes & lifts just in case....
I have not tried Tevas or Keens. I wear Birks around the house but have not worn them for hours of walking.
Looking for others' experiences here.
THANKS

Kris,

I am a runner with multiple foot problems, including recovered plantar fasciitis on one foot. I'll give you a few of my favorites:
Crocs have room for a swollen foot, but not much support. I personally couldn't walk around in them all day.

I have multiple sandals; the most supportive are the Tevas designed for trail running. They come in both mens and womens sizes and are called the Wraptor because they have so many adjustment straps. They are not as easy to slip on and off as other sandals, but have real arch support and are still Ok to use in water. They are the only sandal I would consider for PF. (When I had a swollen toe and couldn't wear shoes, I was even able to get my orthotics in these and go running.)


I still wore my favorite New Balance walking shoes for the longest days at Disney. Just for fun, I wore my running GPS and found out I sometimes walked 13 mi a day (of course I covered extra because I was the "fast pass fetcher" )

 

[queenof3]

Have any of you with foot problems tried the "relief" crocs? My husband has plantar fasciatis and was comtemplating getting them. They are specially for foot problems, according to their website. I have the same feeling about crocs being so ugly on adults but I may have to break down and get them for our trip! I'd like to know if those crocs are worth it. (especially if it will pain me to see him wear them! )

 

[goinback]

I am 33 and I have Plantar Fascitis in my left foot. It got so bad last fall that I was on crutches for a couple of months. I finally bought a pair of crocs and they helped tremendously! We went to WDW in Jan and I give you my word of honor-I had absolutely no foot pain while wlking around the parks!! It was really amazing. Go to the crocs web sight and look under "Crocs Rx". They have crocs specifcally for PF. We are going back in Sept, and those are the only shoes that will be on my feet!

 

[GraysMom]

I did not want to get Crocs. Please belive me. I was once a "shoe Pig". The hot, cute, strapy, 4 inch heals. I wore them all of the time. If not, I wore cute overpriced flip flops or went barefoot with a beautiful pedi and a set of toe rings. Then the foot / heel pain got so bad that ALL I could wear (even for dress and for slippers) was my new balance supports. I am a very active person and only 43. I can not repair the damage I did to my feet with my cute shoes. I had to wear my support shoes to a black tie event. Croc's...once UGLY, are now my "cute / trendy shoes.

I've 34 and I've never worn a strapy 4 inch heel and I still have plantar faciitis . I mainly wore sneakers growing up and can't think of any trauma I caused my feet (other than playing tennis in HS) but still ended up getting prescription orthotics made for my Saucony sneakers about 5 years ago . I tried the regular Crocs based on recommendations from Disers and they just didn't work for my feet. I was so hopeful not to have to wear socks and sneakers everywhere, but it was not to be. Good luck everyone on finding a shoe that works.

Oh, my mom also has PF, and I suspect her mom (DGM) does too, so I think in my case there is probably a genetic component. DM is able to wear Clarks clogs and sandals with her PF.

 

[Jewelsy]

Previously I was able to pretty much wear anything on my feet with no problem. Then a few years ago I starting having tremendous pain in my right foot - couldn't walk on it when I first got up in the morning. After a visit to the podiatrist I found out my arch collapsed.
It is very hard to find shoes I can wear for any length of time - I need inserts for everything. I found these sandals called Breeze Walker by Propet. These actually have an arch support in them. They are very comfortable and only cost $50. I got them from footsmart.com - I found this website while researching info on plantar fasciitis. They also sell many other brands as well as inserts. I even ordered slippers from them that support my arch because I can no longer go barefoot.

 

[Charleyann]

I too have this painful foot problem. I walk like someone 90 years old in the morning...kind of just shuffle along for the first 100 feet or so.

I used crocs last October for our 15 day trip. They were heaven on my feet. I remember the year before in sneakers and the pain! They were good sneakers too...oh gosh did my feet hurt! Down right ached and I needed tylenol with codeine to kill the pain...

With the croc, hardly any pain!

Charleyann

 

[goinback]

I have PF in my left foot. It was really bad last fall. So bad that I was on crutches for a while. I finally bought a pair of crocs rx specifically made for PF. TREMENDOUS help! I also bought an arch brace from footsmart.com for about $12. We did WDW in Jan and I can honestly tell you at the end of the day, my family had "Disney Feet", but my feet had not one ounce of pain. We are going again in sept, so I bought the whole family crocs!

 

[KKB]

I've 34 and I've never worn a strapy 4 inch heel and I still have plantar faciitis . I mainly wore sneakers growing up and can't think of any trauma I caused my feet (other than playing tennis in HS) but still ended up getting prescription orthotics made for my Saucony sneakers about 5 years ago . I tried the regular Crocs based on recommendations from Disers and they just didn't work for my feet. I was so hopeful not to have to wear socks and sneakers everywhere, but it was not to be. Good luck everyone on finding a shoe that works.

Oh, my mom also has PF, and I suspect her mom (DGM) does too, so I think in my case there is probably a genetic component. DM is able to wear Clarks clogs and sandals with her PF.

My mom has PF, too (I just wear her orthodics...our feet are nearly identical; she's a nurse, and she OKd it!). Wore DS's crocs around the house...w/in an hour my heel ached. Birks never do this. I just bought some Keens...I have worn them around the house, and out & about, and think they will do me well. I will still bring running shoes & the orthodics as back up.

PS Actually, heels are helpful to PF! It takes the pressure off the heel area. I've never worn 4" heels, either, but have been wearing heels as they have come more into fashion the past 5 years or so. I can dance all night in 2 1/2-3" heels, and no heel pain (the balls of my feet can be a tad tender though! )