Why all the Croc lovin'?

[AQW]

But I have real high arches that tend to spasm without support (part of the whole plantar fascietis deal, the podiatrist kindly informed me), and I pronate pretty bad. (When my heeled shoes sit lined up in the closet, they are all leaning away from each other 'cause I wore down the outside edge of the soles!)

You are my people. I have very high arches and have long-standing problems with supination (in other words, I walk on the outside edges of my feet/heels and thereby wear down the outside edges of my shoes). Crocs have been a lifesaver for me. I've never worn a more comfortable shoe. If they'd only let me wear them to the gym, I'd be happy. My Caymans are much more comfortable than my $110 workout shoes.

In addition to the high arch and supination, my feet are wide. My experience with various Crocs styles:

Nile - cute and okay-comfy, not something I would wear for Disney but an afternoon BBQ, yes

Athens - same

Prima - no way, no how - bad choice for wide feet

Mary Janes - my second favorite - much cuter than the bigger styles, comfy enough for all day

Caymans - best of the best - ugly as all get out but COMFORTABLE. I've never had a more comfortable pair of shoes. I can walk for DAYS in these shoes with nary a problem.

My current inventory:
1 pr Nile (red)
1 pr Athens (black)
5 pr Mary Janes (black, ruby, silver, pink, grape)
4 pr Caymans (2pr black, purple, lime green)

I love, love, sparkly-heart-LOVE my Crocs.

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

I hold out hope that we'll have more babies, but I really can't handle the idea of being a 9W and only 5'3"! Going to an 8 was hard enough, after being a perfectly fine 7W since I was a teen! nooooooo.

Mine went from a 5 1/2 to a 6 with DD (and out went all my wonderful, wonderful shoes- I think I got rid of 28 pairs in all ). With DS they grew again- this time to a 6 1/2. I bought only 2 pairs of shoes because I was going to be darned if I was getting rid of ALL my shoes AGAIN! I kept telling myself they would go back, they would go back... and they did!

So ya never know! Maybe the foot gods will bless you

 

[Disneynut71]

And all this time I thought I was one of the few with huge size 11 feet


I wanted to mention they do have Crocs outlet stores. I found one in Michigan City,IN.

They have great prices.

 

[ScrapperKimmyD]

Well, no, it IS pronation, says my podiatrist, because yeah, my feet tend to turn inward... thus the weight is on the outside edges of my feet and my soles wear down on that side. I broke my foot 2 years ago and got to know the anatomy of my right foot waayyyyy more than I really wanted to.

Based on what you said before - that your shoes lean away from each other because you wore down the outside edges - that is pronation. If your feet turn inward, all the wt. is on the inside and you wear out the inside. Maybe your podiatrist mis-spoke or you misunderstood? And, as a side note, I am an RN and used to work for a podiatrist.


Pronation
After initial ground contact, the foot is designed to roll inward to disperse shock
Over-pronators roll in too much. This causes excessive movement of the foot and lower leg.
Under-pronators have feet that don't roll enough after ground contact.

Overpronation

Definition: Excessive inward roll of the foot after landing. The foot continues to roll when it should be pushing off. This twists the foot, shin and knee and can cause pain in all those areas.
Diagnosis: Excessive wear on the inner side of your running shoes. Your shoes will tilt inward if you place them on a flat surface. Knock knees or flat feet contribute to overpronation.
Remedies: Wear shoes with straight or semicurved lasts. Motion-control or stability shoes with firm, multidensity midsoles and external control features that limit pronation are best. Over-the-counter orthotics or arch supports can help, too. Overpronation causes extra stress and tightness to the muscles, so do a little extra stretching.

Supination (Under-pronation)

Definition: Insufficient inward roll of the foot after landing. This places extra stress on the foot and can result in iliotibial band syndrome of the knee, Achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis.
Diagnosis: Shoes that wear on the entire outside edge, with the side of the shoe becoming overstretched. Your shoes will tilt outward when placed on a flat surface. High arches and tight Achilles tendons contribute to supination..
Remedies: Wear shoes with curved lasts to allow pronation. Lightweight trainers allow more foot motion. Check for flexibility on the inner side of the shoe. Supinators should do extra stretching for the calves, hamstrings, quads and iliotibial band.

But I have real high arches that tend to spasm without support (part of the whole plantar fascietis deal, the podiatrist kindly informed me), and I pronate pretty bad. (When my heeled shoes sit lined up in the closet, they are all leaning away from each other 'cause I wore down the outside edge of the soles!)

I have very high arches and have long-standing problems with supination (in other words, I walk on the outside edges of my feet/heels and thereby wear down the outside edges of my shoes).

 

[RaeRae's Mommy]

Rae Rae's mommy: That's my Costco, too! We live about 3 miles from Silver Lake. Rats, so they don't have 'em? I'm not inclined to run down to Kirkland or Aurora Village. Bet they have them somewhere up at the Seattle Outlet Stores in Marysville...? Somehow I'm always more willing to make that trip great shopping![/QUOTE]

If I see them there at all, all PM you. I go 2 or 3 times a month. We live really close to the lake out of 116th so I'm there alot even more in the summer. And I get my gas there too.

 

[kuusimo]

I have also heard that you can use body glide on your feet (found at sports stores) instead of socks to prevent blisters.

I have had crocs since 2005 and bought them the day before our trip to Disneyland. I wore them all 3 days and for the first time I had no blisters. I have answered a lot of questions over the years from people in stores that always wanted to know about them. Once I take one off and have them feel it they are sold. They do not feel like plastic on my feet.

The only problem I have had with them is little thorns getting stuck in them from yard work. Those do not feel good...

I know they do not work for everyone though. I am just glad that I found a shoe that works for me!

 

[nurse.darcy]

Why crocs you ask?

Well, my first pair of crocs were bought for work. . .I am an RN and live in shoes (12 hr shifts ya know). I bought professionals. My feet were oh so happy that I decided to by crocs beach for everyday. . .VERY NICE. . .breathable, etc. . .so this past May singles trip I wanted thong sandals, got athens and bajas. . .WOW, can I just say WOW. . .

athens - great for wider feet and make your feet VERY HAPPY.

Baja - same materials as athens with a more slim and narrow fit. . .great for those who can wear a medium no problem. . .

 

[avalon451]

Scrapper Kimmy, thanks for the very complete info! I stand corrected. I must have heard wrong or something.

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

I think my blisters were always from my feet being "smashed" in my shoes. Even with buying "wide" tennis shoes, my feet were smashed. I'd get horrible blisters, at least 4-5 of them on each foot. I would be limping something terrible just the second day of our trip! I'd be miserable!

Never a single blister with the crocs, and they don't feel like walking in plastic at all. They feel like heaven! The only time I wear anything else is if the weather is bad, rain or snow!

 

[HoneyBee06]

Ok, I keep seeing Crocs mentioned in threads and many great things said about them. My question is why are they so loved? They look plastic and...large. Are they better and more comfortable then a sport sandal?

I'd love to read folks' opinions.

I have never worn them so I can't say if they are comfortable or not.

But to me...they are fairly hideous. And remind me a lot of Jelly shoes from the 80's. I wore them when I was a kid and they were plastic and got all slimey and dirty with sweat in the summer.

so yeah...I won't be wearing crocs anytime soon...haha.

 

[HoneyBee06]

Wonder if it's your foot shape that determines how comfy they are? I'm hearing a lot of "wide, flat feet" comments here.

I've never tried them, I'll have to do that. Gonna check my local Costco. But I have real high arches that tend to spasm without support (part of the whole plantar fascietis deal, the podiatrist kindly informed me), and I pronate pretty bad. (When my heeled shoes sit lined up in the closet, they are all leaning away from each other 'cause I wore down the outside edge of the soles!)

I would think they WOULDN'T be good for people with flat feet. I have flat (but not wide) feet. I need to have arch support. Having flat feet is not good for walking.

 

[Grumpy'sWife4Ever]

Just to show how fashion backward I am, I wear Crocs and socks all the time. Here on the Oregon coast, where summer is kind of a "blink and you miss it" season, we tend to wear socks pretty much year 'round..... It is kind of nice being a fashion pariah, there is a freedom to it.....

 

[Cinderlala]

Just thought I'd throw in my two cents here....

I am a Croc convert.

I spent most of my life being lectured by my Dad for wearing impractical shoes everywhere---I'm usually willing to "suffer for beauty", so to speak. Therefore, it is no surprise that I considered Crocs to be hideous & would not wear them.

Well, a couple of years ago, our son got his first bike, so we went for walks all the time. I kept getting blisters with every pair of shoes regardless of the type. So I tried Crocs Mary Janes & no blisters! It was amazing!!

I still don't like the look of them, but they are good shoes!!

[Oh, and my feet are not wide or flat.]

 

[honeymom]

I just went and bought a pair of croc mary janes. I bought from a regular shoe store, but they were on special for $10. I am wearing right now and while there is some sweatiness and they certainly aren't the most fashionable, I am liking the comfort.

 

[ScrapperKimmyD]

Scrapper Kimmy, thanks for the very complete info! I stand corrected. I must have heard wrong or something.

I remember is 6th grade doing an ocean study and learning the word anemone and working really, really hard to make sure I was saying it correctly. YEARS later, I found that I had been practicing it WRONG. LOL Now I have to work really hard to make sure I'm saying it correctly.

I have never worn them so I can't say if they are comfortable or not.

But to me...they are fairly hideous. And remind me a lot of Jelly shoes from the 80's. I wore them when I was a kid and they were plastic and got all slimey and dirty with sweat in the summer.

so yeah...I won't be wearing crocs anytime soon...haha.

Yes, they are pretty ugly. I thought they would be like the jelly shoes, too. But, they are NOTHING like those! Whatever that material is that they're made of, it's very different from jellys. Somehow, they breath or something. But, if you think they're ugly (and some are) AND you don't have any problem with comfortable shoes, than there's no reason to even try them.

I would think they WOULDN'T be good for people with flat feet. I have flat (but not wide) feet. I need to have arch support. Having flat feet is not good for walking.

The different styles of Crocs have different levels of arch support. Some have a normal amount, some have lots. Some have room for orthotics.


New Style Review:

I just bought some new ones today - Adara. Very comfy and I could feel the arch support when I put them on. And, my wide feet fit in there very easily. I'm a little worried that they may stretch and be too wide.

I tried the baja today, too. A lot like the Athens (which I have and love), but seem to be for a more narrow foot. The straps were a little too tight for me.

Next, I want to try the Cyprus!

 

[Handbag Lady]

Yes, they are ugly as all get-out, but I am wearing my pink Mickey crocs to day at work.

Let them see how much I love the mouse!!!!

But DAAAAAANNNGGG, after wearing girly shoes and heels all week, my feet are thanking me today.