I'm had increasing pain in my toes & it's finally gotten to the point where I don't want to walk much. After I'm been walking for a while (not long) I feel like my toes have grown or my shoes have shrunk.

I've been wearing Dr. Scholl's from WalMart for a couple of years, and last fall I bought a pair of Danskin slip-ons from that same high-quality retailer.

I trade off my shoes, but in the last month or so it doesn't matter which pair I'm wearing. I could get a size bigger, but then my heels slip.

Any suggestions on dealing with toe pain? Especially if they don't cost too much.

Thanks in advance!

Hi,
I don't know you or your history, but I've always had foot problems. I have very short, wide feet and when I was young I had to wear other women's hand-me-down shoes. Whether they fit or not.

When I got older, I found that wearing children's shoes suited me better, and I still buy my athletic shoes in Big Kids size 5 W.

I went through a stage when I had to get custom made orthotics for work. Standing on your feet all day does that.

Then came Crocs. Ahhhhhhh.

I'm older now and dealing with peripheral neuropathy. I use a hemp scrub on my feet and legs in the bath to promote circulation, take supplements to do same. I also have an electronic heavy-duty foot massager which I use every day. Last week I started rebounding on a mini-trampoline to keep those legs going. I also walk 2 miles first thing every morning.

I wear my trainers for my walks and otherwise I wear Crocs. Yes, I own some wedges just in case, but almost never have occasion to wear them. I guess once comfort becomes more important than being stylish, this is what happens.

My feet don't hurt, but I have to work at it.

Bonnie, I have no idea what your budget looks like.

But you really need to go to a good shoe store and get measured, find some shoes that FIT YOU, and wear them.

There are shoes that have wider heels and narrower toes than average, and vice versa. There are shoes that WILL fit you properly.

From the sound of it, you don't have an average foot. My heels can slip a lot, too, so I tend to wear shoes that either lace up or zip or buckle, for better grip on my entire foot.

And, if I'm wearing a shoe that is determined to slip, I get those little stick-inside-the heel things that grip your heel, and make the heel area just narrow enough to hang onto my foot better.

I have feet that are wide in front and narrow at the heel. I learned a trick to help with the problem. I buy wide New Balance walking shoes then get 2 sets of laces, each set 1/2 the total length. That way I can adjust the fit, wider in the front but tighter in the back. It's not perfect but it helps. I wear Crocs if I am not going to do much walking but for walking my New Balance double ties trick seems to work. What also seems to help with the problem is to replace the regular ties with a set of Elastic ties. Crocs are not very expensive but not good for serious walking. New Balance can be expensive but if you can afford them or a similar brand they are worth it. What I really would like to get is a custom made pair of shoes. There's a custom shoe maker in my town who could make me a perfect fitting pair of shoes for a mere $1500 or so. Until I win the lottery that's not going to happen so I guess I'll stick with New Balance. I did get a pair of Keen waterproof boots which have a wider toe box than most shoes so that the regular width (they don't seem to come in wide widths) fit well, but once again they are not cheap although not the most expensive brand either.

Jean

If your heel slips in sneakers, Google different ways to lace them. There is a way to lace them to minimize heel slippage.

I have arthritis in my big toes. Walking was painful all the time, jogging, well, no way. Being on a low carb, grain free diet for the past three years is gradually improving this inflamation, and I almost can't believe it!

I realized years ago that other than barefoot my feet feel the best in sandals with minimal straps, so I found a pair of nice Chacos that I liked and that is all I ever wore - even in rain or snow with waterproof socks. I needed foot coverings that did not squeeze or even touch my toes at all. Nowadays, I have discovered barefoot shoes and sandles - so minimalist that you are almost barefoot but with the protection of a thin sole between your foot and the pavement.

As of last Fall, my pain was so reduced that I started jogging to the Couch to 5K program, with barefoot sandals - this year I hope to run my first race.

That is totally amazing! Not certain I know about barefoot sandals. When I searched on amazon, I got a variety of things I can't imagine jogging in.

Wish I could go barefoot - I hate shopping.

I'll check out the different suggestions. Local stores may not have much, but I can't say I've really looked. And I haven't looked in Spokane at all.

I use these for all my walking and jogging now:


http://xeroshoes.com/shop/feeltrue-...ts/ztrek-women/

I also have these, but they are too snug around my big toe ... I like them but I need to try a larger, looser size:

http://us.vibram.com/shop/fivefinge...r=Black#start=1

I have the 5-fingers shoes and find them quite comfortable for walking, but I can't imagine running in them because of the lack of cushion. Amazon searching showed me the xero shoes when I searched. Doesn't running without cushioning hurt your knees?

http://runbare.com/389/new-study-by...-nature-journal



I think it's possible that the reason the heel-strike happens in the first place is because a well-cushioned shoe prolongs the amount of time that can be spent running this way before discomfort sets in--if it only took a short time for this style of running to start hurting, people might have become conditioned to the forefoot landing.

I know one person who runs barefoot, routinely. He used to work with Husband, and ran their fund raiser 5K for the Be the Match Foundation, the first year they held it.

But he belongs to a club of barefoot runners. This is in an urban/suburban environment in MN, so they almost exclusively run on sidewalks and streets, and start when it's pretty chilly outside.

When jogging "barefoot", I find myself naturally compensating for the differences without any consious effort - like landing on my forefoot, and making small shifts when running on gravel or rocks.

I used to have chronic knee pain as well - it is almost nonexistant now. So is the depression I used to feel everytime I went to walk the dog, thinking that I had to live with such pain for the rest of my life.

I don't run much at all; I'm more of a walker/biker. But I love being barefoot. One of my kids can't walk in the grass barefoot, poor guy. He's so allergic to grass that his feet itch, if he does it.

As an aside, I read somewhere (I dont know how true it is but it makes sense) that if someone is allergic to grass or grass pollen then they will be allergic to all grass, including Wheat!?

Jo xxx