Plantar fasciitis- business casual semi dressy shoe

[Anne Ritchey]

Do the inserts fit in most shoes

My Birk inserts are made for athletic style shoes. They do make one supposedly for casual/low heels. At the moment, the closest I have to casual would be SAS Savvy loafer. The Birk insoles do fit; however, the shoe provides no support for my pronation; therefore, they are of little use to me. I will try the KURU Ellie as it has the band stretching across the top. Fortunately, I won't need shoes for at least 6 mos. As long as I don't need to do a lot of walking, my Birk Arizona's (narrow base with straps on tightest hole) work for the rare times I prefer avoiding the clunky athletic shoes.
Good luck. I know what a pain--literally and figuratively--foot issues are.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Socks- help- I saw the Keds have a cushion sewn into the ball of the foot area at Walmart today, and was wondering if there are any that have a cushion someone into thinking you because that would be way more useful. I thought maybe online but I’m not seeing anything - some companies call cushion just extra fabric in the sock & I’m not sure that would help

 

[LuvOrlando]

My Birk inserts are made for athletic style shoes. They do make one supposedly for casual/low heels. At the moment, the closest I have to casual would be SAS Savvy loafer. The Birk insoles do fit; however, the shoe provides no support for my pronation; therefore, they are of little use to me. I will try the KURU Ellie as it has the band stretching across the top. Fortunately, I won't need shoes for at least 6 mos. As long as I don't need to do a lot of walking, my Birk Arizona's (narrow base with straps on tightest hole) work for the rare times I prefer avoiding the clunky athletic shoes.
Good luck. I know what a pain--literally and figuratively--foot issues are.

There any stores that sell the Birk insoles?

 

[kaytieeldr]

First, no kind of dressy shoe is needed for Epcot, even for a nicer dinner.

Try www.easyspirit.com . Variety of styles, sizes, widths.

 

[MrsPete]

Forget tennis balls, specialty shoe stores, night stretches, and drugstore inserts.
Go to the podiatrist.

I messed around with a lot of different things for several years -- then I finally had the podiatrist make me two pairs of custom inserts (which cost me only the co-pay for the doctor's visit). I've been wearing the first pair for four years now, and they're just starting to show wear.

The inserts don't fit in all my shoes (for example, goodbye strappy sandals), but they're wonderful. I wear Keds tennis shoes, boat shoes, and loafers. When I want to wear sandals, I can wear Chacos or some Sketchers ... they must have strong arch support, a high strap that comes near the ankle, and a cupped foot bed ... and they aren't quite as good as tennis shoes with the custom inserts.

This is important to understand too: If you're actively having trouble with your PF, your muscles are probably inflamed. The right shoes will MAINTAIN your muscles, but they will not "fix" inflamed muscles. The podiatrist will give you a (very painful but effective) cortisone shot in the foot. Take it: the shot will make a world of difference.

 

[Starwind]

Kuru shoes have made a massive difference for me and they and Crocs are the only shoes I wear now.

SW

 

[afan]

I’ll check out Kuru, I stumbled across a pair of Vionics in Marshall’s today -for 24 no less but they actually made my arch ache... raved about online but I guess every person is so different.

I was able to walk a good amount today with the cloud steppers and some Tylenol so that’s a plus but they are not dressy. Still on a quest for cute, I want that Cinderella moment

Do the inserts fit in most shoes

I think vionics are good for people with high arches but not for everyone. They are the only sandals I've found that support my super high arch. I can walk all over all day in them without issue other than just getting tired. But I tried a pair of their flats with the removable insert and the arch was nowhere near as high as the sandals and only cause me issues so I sent them back.

I think everyone's feet and leg muscles are so different that it's hard to recommend shoes.

 

[tcufrog]

I started suffering from pf and I was luckily able to find a personal trainer who taught me stretches that helped me stop it. Now when I start feeling it coming on I do the stretches. I also started trying out lots of different types of shoes until I discovered which brands work for me. I have high arches, along with a wide toe box and narrow heels. For everyday shoes I usually buy Clarks. I head straight to the New Balance store for sneakers. I also found that wearing the right socks made all the difference when I'm working out or doing something physical. They're expensive but I love these socks I found at the New Balance store that provide my arches with extra support.

The final step was finding an excellent massage therapist that specializes in sports injuries. When I injured my knee and had to have surgery, she was the one who figured out that there were problems with my hip because of the fall, not my orthopedist. She was able to help me fix the problems with my hip and was able to reduce the swelling in my knee enough so I could have the surgery I needed much sooner than my orthopedist expected it to happen. Her treatments are expensive but make a huge difference. It's difficult to find a massage therapist who has the training to do what she does (instead of just massaging muscles) but you'll never return to regular one once you've found one.

 

[amcc]

BOBs by Skechers were great work / casual going out shoes. I wore the wedge espadrilles everywhere. A wedge was necessary for me to help keep the PF under control. Plus ASICS sneakers and a profoot insert (bought at Marshall’s).

Being comfortable while walking all day made a huge difference in my enjoyment of the parks. Before, by mid afternoon, the pain was making me crazy and I was irritable with my kids and husband. It took a couple of trips with the good shoes to make me realize just how miserable I was because of my feet.

 

[HeatherC]

I like the Skechers Go Walks. They are super comfy. I have a black pair I wear with shorts or capris and wouldn’t hesitate to wear them to Epcot.

Like a previous poster mentioned, you do not need to be dressy at Epcot. Comfort is key!

For flip flops, I love love love the Cloudsteppers. But I would not wear them to walk all day at Epcot. For some reason my feet have to work harder in flip flops if that makes any sense at all.

I also have Hoka One sneakers that I will wear when my feet are acting up. If I wear them all day for a few days, my feet definitely feel better. I do this when I have an event coming up that I will have to wear “cute” shoes for. It seems to help by getting my feet in shape so to speak before I have to wear sandals or heels for an evening.

 

[AnnaS]

Besides all the great suggestions here, I have had this also including heel spurs, tendinitis, cortisone shots, V o l t a r e n Gel (okay, had to separate since the computer kept rewriting it) - was great for some temporary relief from the pain (great for other areas too, knees, etc.).

Good luck

 

[MickyLynn]

Everyone is different, but I've found that I'm limited to Tevas, Crocs, and Sketchers in rotation. The Crocs have to be newish, and they MUST be the ones with the ridge at the toe, or the arch is too flat. I find that a lot of their cute sandals have the flat footbed instead.

And I guess this depends on what you call cute, but Doc Martens makes sandals that are softer than their boot footbed but still supportive. I thought they were adorable. I didn't buy them because of the price so I can't speak to long term comfort, but now that we're heading out of season I'm hoping for a sale because they were very promising.

ETA: Yeah there's no sale and everybody online is out of my size so I'm racing to the outlets to pay full price plus tax.
And I see you were looking for business casual, so for the Crocs I recommend the mary janes also. Again, watch where the arch hits. They're great if they fit in the right place but murder if they don't.

 

[Kae]

First don't wear the same pair of shoes 2 days in a row, I like Fit Flops, bare traps, clarks, I just make sure they are not flat.

kae

 

[inspectorgadget]

I tried a new kind of sandal this year and they are very comfortable, and lightweight too. Have great arch supports. Ryka sandal, the Savannah line. I love them! For sneakers, I wear only Brooks. They're expensive but well worth it. I can wear by brooks sneakers all day. I wear Brooks Adrenaline.

 

[Lisa_M]

I have spent so much money on shoes, inserts, the podiatrist to only have relief from 1 cortisone shot once for 3 weeks over a year long period until I bought Birkenstock inserts (blue). I now only wear shoes with those inserts in them or Birkenstock sandals. This with the exercises/stretching and ibuprofen finally relieved my PF. Continuing with the inserts has kept it away.

 

[MrsPete]

I think vionics are good for people with high arches but not for everyone. They are the only sandals I've found that support my super high arch.

I have a couple pair of dressy Vionics. They're expensive and not my favorites, but they make dressier sandals.

If you're close to a Belks, they sell Vionics. They're on Amazon.com too, but I definitely prefer to "try before I buy".

Everyone is different, but I've found that I'm limited to Tevas, Crocs, and Sketchers in rotation. The Crocs have to be newish, and they MUST be the ones with the ridge at the toe, or the arch is too flat. I find that a lot of their cute sandals have the flat footbed instead.

I can't relate to what you're saying, but I definitely agree with the idea of paying very close attention to what works for you /developing your own set of "rules" for buying shoes. You can't count on any specific name brand always working for you, but if you figure out the details that work for you, you'll be able to look at a shoe on the shelf and determine whether it'll work for you.

Of course, I have to say it again: the professional inserts are THE BEST THING EVER ... I never have trouble when I'm wearing them ... even when I stand up on tile all day while teaching. All these "rules" are for the occasional pair of sandals or dress shoes that don't work with the doctor-made inserts.

ETA: Yeah there's no sale and everybody online is out of my size so I'm racing to the outlets to pay full price plus tax.

Okay, to that I can relate. I wear a 7 ... me and about 50% of the other women in America. I never buy shoes reduced /on clearance. They're always gone.

First don't wear the same pair of shoes 2 days in a row, I like Fit Flops, bare traps, clarks, I just make sure they are not flat.

Agree with don't wear the same shoes two days in a row ... and I agree that my shoes must have a bit of a heel: 1/2" is enough, but no more cute little flat-flat sandals for me.

 

[dreamin_disney]

What saved me was shoe inserts from wal-mart. Dr. Schols inserts for ball, heel and arch support . Make sure it says it’s for all 3 on the package. Less than $11.
I’ve had plantar fasciitis twice fight food it was my arch. Left foot it was my heel
( it was a killer). Good luck

 

[dreamin_disney]

I started out with the Dr. Schols . Then I tried these when the Dr. schols was sold out. I think I prefer the Air plus. The air plus does have a weird material or plastic smell but these really helped me so I’ll take the smell over pain. The smell fades away and you can’t smell it once your shoes are on.

 

[Molly Meow]

I bought these, wore them every single day (not night, I'd pull them off) for about a month, month and a half. PF is gone completely. They really helped my feet during the day as well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015791XUE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[jormom1030]

What helped me get rid of my PF was stretches, taping with KT tape, wearing shoes with memory foam, and using Heal That Pain inserts.