Plantar Fasciitis recomendations for sandles?

[jodeeb]

I have Plantar Fasciitis I was hoping someone could recomend some good sandles. I have inserts for my shoes, but would rather wear sandles. I dont want my feet all hot and sweaty all the time.

I saw a band/support that fits around the arch, but I dont know how well it works. Any help would be appreciated. I just dont want to be in pain every morning.

 

[Lucy2005]

I'm not trying to sound mean by saying this but wear your shoes with the inserts. I haven't been lucky enough to find sandals that I can wear that would not cause pain later in the day or the next. By shoes, do you mean sneakers? Maybe you could get a pair of sneakers that breathe better.
Good luck. I feel your pain
Lucy

 

[ehrn]

Have you tried Crocs RX? My mom swears by them, she has multiple foot problems and the website says they are good for pf. Many podiatrists carry them in their offices, maybe you could try them out first.
Have a good trip!

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

I had Plantar Fasciitis for years and the only brand of shoes that has worked to correct the problem/pain for me is Merrell. I am a shoe store manager and I could go into all kinds of detail to tell you why they are wonderful but I'll spare you.
I wear Merrell light hikers and sports sandals while I am at the World (usually 12 days at a time and non-stop) and while they are far from sexy, they feel great. Although I might add, they are much sexier than crocs!!!

http://www.merrell.com/US/#store/W/W-F/11056W-18531/

http://www.merrell.com/US/#store/W/W-F/12013W-36308/

I have tried New Blance and Saucony at the Parks and my feet were sore and tired by the end of the day. I do not leave home without my Merrells anymore.

 

[tekoa]

I have Plantar Fasciitis I was hoping someone could recomend some good sandles. I have inserts for my shoes, but would rather wear sandles. I dont want my feet all hot and sweaty all the time.

I saw a band/support that fits around the arch, but I dont know how well it works. Any help would be appreciated. I just dont want to be in pain every morning.

I tried that band around the arch. I did not work for me. Others may have a different experience with it. I swear by my crocs. I do wear them with socks so my feet do not get sweaty. I wear crocs most of the time. I wear the closed in ones for work and I have a pair that are designated for indoor use only as slippers. I love them. Not the most attractive foot wear, but comfort comes first. good luck.

 

[DisTwix]

Hey there... I have had various problems with PF in the past, and the sandals that I swear by are Chacos. I get the Z2 style, with the toe loop. For me what works best is a firm footbed --- squishy just doesn't give me enough support. These are firm, stable and GREAT on wet ground. Also, they dry amazingly fast.

Regular crocs aren't enough arch for me (part of the problem with my feet was the arch had "fallen" and I have to have a very firm footbed with a pretty stiff arch to have it all work) - I've never tried the Rx ones tho.

I have tried Merrells and they just don't work for me - I want them to! They are too soft a footbed with no where NEAR enough of an arch. Some of them feel downright flat.

I have a couple pair of Keen shoes that are pretty good - their sandals do not work for me tho.

Danskos are also excellent. I mostly wear the traditional clog style, but have found that some of the sandals work - but I don't know about a Disney day in a leather sandal. It just doesn't sound like a good idea!

Birkenstocks are another favorite. I have various pairs and they are all very supportive and they are getting better about being CUTE too! The downside is the cork cannot get wet.

A big thing for me was stretching... as long as I keep my calf/ankle muscles well stretched out, and wear good shoes, I don't have problems with my heels like I did.

The sad part is that now all shoes cost at least $70. On sale. The bonus is they last forever.

 

[grover]

I will be wearing Crocs..I suffer from the same thing..and I can walk in my crocs for much longer and be in no pain...I find them much better than my runners & custom orthotics.

I would suggest that no matter what you decide on to give them a good trial run before heading to WDW!

 

[jodeeb]

Thanks for everyones ideas! I am so excited about the trip and have been worried about this. I just dont want to damper all my plans with foot pain.

 

[Itinkso]

Birkenstocks work for me. And, the very best thing I tried were the orthotic boots - they look like ski boots- to wear at night and while sleeping. They keep your foot stretched out so that the plantar muscles don't tighten up. Amazing, you can take your first step in the morning pain-free! I did have to get them from my podiatrist.

 

[CANDYTLEW]

I have the same condition. I either wear Merrils, (and they work great) or I get the band (from my podiatrist, not the ones from the drugstore) that wrap around the arch. This helps also. Good luck.

 

[Heluvsme]

Keen's H2 I believe is made for Plantar Fascitis. I think. Memory is fuzzy so double check, but I've heard great things about that shoe!

 

[debbieandroo]

I've had PF problems, too. I began wearing real shoes around the house [instead of my normal houseshoes] - this helped a lot.

I also discovered Keens - I have no arch and have found these to be extremely comfortable. My foot is the opposite to DisTwix so Danskos and Birks aren't that great for the long haul. Keens were great right out of the box - I wore the H2s all over WDW a couple of months ago and had no problems. Then I came home and bought another pair.

What also helps is not wearing sandals that flip-flop - keeps that back ankle muscle from stretching too much.

Good luck on finding a good shoe. Zappos.com is a great resource for shoe shopping - free shipping both ways and they do encourage their customers to send them back if uncomfortable.

 

[McKelly]

I had/have PF too. Wear the inserts!! I wore them religously for six months and it went away. But when I "sluff off", and start wearing cutesy shoes, theheel pain starts to come back. A couple of days back into the inserts, I am good. That being said, because I wear the inserts a lot, I sometimes can get away with wearing Birkenstocks for 4-5 hours. And recently, I have purchased a pair of Crocs...and those things are comfortable!! No pain in my heels at all.

 

[islandtimect]

If you don't want to wear shoes with inserts (do you mean orthotics?), your doctor should be able to get cutom sandals. DH has them -he's a podiatrist. I wear orthotics and would never wear sandals to theme parks - try light weight sneakers that breath with orthotics.

 

[TheWog]

A big thing for me was stretching... as long as I keep my calf/ankle muscles well stretched out, and wear good shoes, I don't have problems with my heels like I did.

The stretching was huge for me. I have been doing the stretching exercises for a while now and have little to no pain at all. PF is one painful issue though, sorry any of us have to deal with it.

DW got me slippers I think from this site and they are great. (I put the women's sandals link down below)

http://www.happyfeet.com/Departments/WOMENS/Sandals.aspx

 

[PrincessKsMom]

I have Merrill Maipo's and I love them! Very supportive on the bottom and yet light and airy on the tops. They're more of a sneaker than a sandal though. They're also great for water rides because they dry very quickly. Me, my mom and my DD all bought them for our trip to Disney last year. Me and DD wore them and had no problems. My mom tried to wear her New Balance sneakers, which she wears every day, and she's the one who got blisters. FWIW, DD and I wore ours with socks. Much more comfortable and it kept the Merrill's from rubbing.

 

[darcyt]

I love Birks, but wear the Skechers with the thick padded soles (not the flatter, cuter ones!) and an arch support in the parks. It's the only thing I've found that works for me. However, what "cured" my PF is I stopped going barefoot around the house (or the hotel room) and started wearing Birks. When I come in from the parks, I put on my Birks immediately. I only take them off to go to bed or take a shower, though I've read on some forums that people buy the plastic Birks to wear into the shower! I have a high arch, and I guess it makes sense that being barefoot would put a strain on it.

I also like Chacos for arch support. Their leather flips are too slippery to stay on my feet that well to wear all day. I ordered some ZX1s and am waiting for them to arrive. Teva mush are also pretty comfortable, but I don't think they'd give enough support for a long day of walking.

 

[jodeeb]

What also helps is not wearing sandals that flip-flop - keeps that back ankle muscle from stretching too much.

Thanks Debbie, I never thought of the flip flop thing. I have a pair of Clark clogs that really hurt my feet and it never occurred to me that it may be the muscle is not stretching enough. I will keep that in mind when buying shoes.

My feet will be thanking all of you during our trip for the recomendations.

 

[ecamc]

I have PF also and I only wear Dansko now. I bought the "Lolita" sandal and wore them all over Italy last May, sometimes walking up to 12 miles a day touring. My feet never hurt at all. These shoes were a life saver for me. Good luck in finding the right shoe for you!

 

[2pink2blue]

I have PF and Birks are all I can wear. Crocs don't offer enough support but my kids love them.