Tevas and Plantar Faciitis

[Thumper's Dad]

I am very prone to Plantar Faciitis (very painful inflamation of the tissue that runs down the bottom of your foot from toes to heel). I spend a lot of time stretching, I wear Haflinger theraputic clogs for slippers and either use orthotic inserts in regular shoes, or wear top-of-the-line New Balance '845's just as preventatives.

But I want sandles I hear so much about Tevas as being great. But has anyone with plantar faciitis had experience with sandles?

 

[tink2dw]

No,I haven't.
Can you give me more info,though?? Do you need a soft footbed or a firm footbed?? What are your Shoe requirements?

 

[LAinSEA]

OK - first of all go to an REI or other good sporting goods store to try on not only the Tevas but also the other sports sandals...

As far as Tevas go, there are the inexpensive kind with very little or no arch support and then there are the $70-120 kind that are really very comfortable with very good arch support. Mine have lasted me almost 5 years (now only the little rubber tabs on the the top velcro straps are wearing out).

Other brands - like Nike might fit your foot better - the Tevas fit both me and my DH very well - we both have wider feet and normally go for the new balance shoes because you can get them in widths.

Think of your sports sandals as a real investment - I've hiked in mine - wear them all summer long to work even (casual dress work envir.) and never had a blister. I'm probably going to re-invest in a newer pair prior to our May trip. I always get a pair of dressier sandals for nights out - but they are never as comfortable as the Tevas.

-LA

REI is available online - they usually have really great prices so if there isn't one in your area, go try the Tevas on somewhere else and then go online to buy if the prices aren't as good.

 

[Thumper's Dad]

TINK:

I'd love to have a soft cushy footbed, but I seem to do best with a firm one that has excellent arch support, metatarsal support and a good heel cup.

I had my last serious flair-up 2 weeks before our trip to WDW , but with the help of my over-the-counter orthotics and my New Balance shoes, I was relatively OK.

LA:

Thanks for the input. We do have REI here. I'll have to go try sandles on there. Then if I decide to buy, I'll try doing so on the internet (gotta get those bonus points/miles, you know )

 

[lfwebb]

Thumper's Dad,
I have plantar fasciitis as well and have not done well with Tevas. They are comfortable, don't give me blisters, etc., but just don't have enough arch support to work for me.
By the way, I had orthotripsy done on my foot and my foot is all better. I had been getting cortisone shots, wearing night splints, etc for years, but nothing ever worked. The orthotripsy made the pain go away entirely after about 12 weeks. If you haven't heard of it, in non-medical terms, it's a machine that give you many (thousands?) of electrical shocks to your foot in a 10 minute or so period. They don't put you under a general anesthetic to do it, but I was out cold and don't remember any of the procedure (sounds like a general to me, but it wasn't). I then had to stay at the surgery center for about 2 hours, then they sent me home. Seems like I was supposed to stay off my feet for a day or so. And I had to wear "sensible shoes" for 12 weeks. Downside: About $5000. But my insurance covered it (and I probably would have found a way to pay that out of pocket to be pain-free anyway). Good luck!

 

[tink2dw]

Teva also has a hard rubber soled Sandle.
[img/img]

The curve you see in the sole is echoed in the footbed,also. The straps are nylon.

 

[Thumper's Dad]

What a bunch! You can ask almost anything in the world (or the World) and someone or even many someones will have valuable and helpful input.

Thanks again, tink2dw, Ifwebb and LAinSEA.

 

[karyn]

Last winter to early spring i was suffering with this. Felt like i had the foot of a 100 year old women. Walked alot to try and stay in some sort of shape and i then this happened. Anyway, they recommended a splint at night , heal cups and about 6-8 weeks of physical therapy. We were headed to the Grand Bahamas last spring and i wore my aerosole sandals and i was okay. Of course, i didn't over do it. They are not good for support. I'll have to look into that other # New Balance sneaker for extra support. I think my current ones are 605

 

[carriep1657]

I suffered from plantar fasciitis after the birth of both of my children. It was so miserable. I suffered through it for about 6 months after my daughter was born. Luckily, it eventually went away. After my son was born, it came back and somebody told me about Mephisto shoes. Have you tried them? They helped me immensely. I hope they can help you too. They do have sandals.

I found this link for you. On the 2nd page of Men's shoes there are some sporty looking sandals.

http://www.shaktishoes.com/

Turns out the store is in Minneapolis. I see you are in St Paul so hopefully that's not too far if you want to check them out. I would definitely try them on first. I would not order them over the internet. I couldn't believe how differently each style fit. Some were very uncomfortable but others fit like heaven.

They are expensive. I think my sandals (the Altinas) cost about $165. However, they do resole and refurbish the leather whenever you want for a fee of about $65. They come out looking almost as good as new.

I really hope this helps. I used to dread getting out of bed in the morning just because I knew my feet would hurt so much.

 

[DisTwix]

Hey there -- just to add to the possibilities....

Merrell also makes an excellent sport sandal - one that is very sturdy and meant to be worn on rough surfaces, so the bottom is quite stiff.

Also - if you have had alot of success with New Balance - you may want to try New Balance Sandals! There are New Balance specialty stores in nicer malls and that is where I saw them. I will definitely be investing in a pair of them when my Nikes wear out.

 

[TinkerbellRules]

I don't have your feet problems, but I have fallen arches. Someone on here suggested Chacos. I purchased a pair in Destin, Fl one year ago and love them! I hated the Tevas (no support). There aren't that many stores that carry them. Try www.chacos.com to find the store nearest to you. HOpefully, you can go try a pair. Mine were $90.

Hope this helps as well.

 

[Snow Brite]

The are at my REI, so if you go there to try on sandals try these on as well. They have the best arch support of all the sport sandals REI sells, according to the sales guy I talked to. They were super comfy, the footbed didn't have any annoying textures and they come in wide widths like New Balance. They have a really unique strap that is one long strip that wraps around your foot andweaves in and out of the sole. Looked complicated until the guy showed me how it worked and then it was super easy to get a great fit without having to undo and tighten a bunch of velcro straps. I had a problem with the price and decided to shop around on the internet before I got mine, as I only get to wear sandals for about 3 months a year and $90 seemed like a lot. But so far haven't found any better deals on these sandals. They would be worth the money however, I just wanted to check first!

Jennifer

 

[gschmerl]

I have all sorts of difficulty with my feet and I found the Nike Strap Runners to offer more support and comfort than Tevas.

 

[Thumper's Dad]

You DISers are GREAT! The insights and advice just keep coming. It's kind of like an endless sprinkle of pixie dust

And I had no idea how many people suffered from plantar faciitis! Of course, I'm not surprised to find that I'm not the only person who didn't let it dampen their WDW adventure.

Thanks to you all, I now have lots of options to check out.

Keep stretching those hamstrings and calf muscles, supporting those arches and sharing all that great mouse-tacular advice

 

[ship]

Thumper's Dad

I have suffered with plantar faciitis previously (not currently, thankfully, the Step Stretch is my best friend). I like Birkenstock sandals - there is arch support and the grip ridge for your toes, which seems to help me with foot comfort. Scads of places on the 'net to look and buy, and there are many styles available.

For WDW park hopping, tho, you can't beat those New Balances! No sandlal will support you llike those will.

Good luck,

ship

 

[DisTwix]

I posted a comment before.... and since then, guess what - now I have plantar fasciitis!!! Oh well......

I bought a pair of Chaco sandals at the recommendation of a friend with PF and someone who uses them to hike in and so far so good. They have EXCELLENT support, a firm sole and are very adjustable to account for hot, swelling feet. And, of course, they look fairly nifty. Also - they are pricey - but HEY - they can be RESOLED!!!!!

I am still all about New Balance for sneakers though...

 

[robinb]

I have plantar faciitis in my right foot and wear Tevas. I usually wear an arch wrap with them, though. My regular shoes are New Balance 730's with Dr Scholl's Sports insoles. My "indoor shoes" are Birkenstocks. Usually worn with socks .

 

[A kid at heart]

I love my Teva's and have had no problems. I too have the dreaded PF! I recently bought some Nike Straprunners and they are ok. comparing them to my Teva's, the teva's are more comfortable. But the nikes are good enough. The mephisto's are the best! well worth the price! I have a pair that are almost 2 yrs old and they are still in excellent condition! I will have to check out the sandals they have! that is excellent news.

 

[Disneymagicfor4]

I am going to Disney for memorial day - the Chacos sound good but, which ones did you who ordered them like? The ones w/ the toe strap or the ones without? And is there a difference when it comes to arch support? Thanks, Kathy

 

[TinkerbellRules]

I have the ones w/o the toe strap. I don't like flip-flops so I knew I wouldn't like anything around my toe. I really love my chacos, plus you don't have to worry about getting sand on them like the velco ones. You can also throw them in the washer (I assume Tevas can go in the washer as well). They really do offer more support than Tevas.

My friend purchased a pair as well. She has high arches and likes them better than her Tevas.