Shoes

Declutter Your Closet

Examine all of your shoes. If you have shoes you haven’t worn in years, they should probably go to the thrift store donation.

Okay, what do you have left? Athletic shoes? Office shoes? Casual shoes? A few dressy shoes? Any shoes that hurt your feet must go as well. Your health and vibrancy are more important than wearing shoes that hurt your feet!

I know…shoes can be a thing of beauty, desire and awesomeness – but your feet matter. Your feet are your keys to a healthy, active lifestyle.

You have a lot of life left to live and I want you to be doing what makes you happy and feel good.

Okay. Now, select a few pairs of shoes that you will be wearing while healing your neuroma. Comfortable shoes with adequate support. They must fit properly!

Mind the Fit…Relax the Foot…

Leave plenty of room in the toe box for your forefoot and toes to spread out and relax. If they are lace up shoes, loosen the laces. Can you still wiggle your toes? If not, get some bigger shoes.

Once you heal, you may be able to go back to a smaller size shoe but for now, please consider going up a half size or full size. You’re going to need some extra room for orthotics anyway.

Now, don’t go into shock from me telling you to go up a size. I know…no woman wants clown shoe big feet! But I had great success in healing foot problems this way.

In the 90’s and early 2000’s, I was playing lots of tennis. Yes, I was a “little” overweight too. Eventually, I came down with Plantar Fasciitis, arch pain, ingrown toenails and… dreaded black toe! Tennis players and maybe runners will know what this is. Playing tennis at a high level sometimes causes your toes to jam into the front of the shoes. This bruises the toenail, turning it black until it falls off, which could take MONTHS! And, oh doesn’t that look pretty…NOT!

Anyway, I was able to wear a 7 1/2 size shoe most of my adult life. When I considered the option of letting my toes and foot “relax”, I went up a half size. With my Spenco orthotic, I still needed more room and eventually “relaxed” my foot all the way to a size 9. I am at an 8 or 8 1/2 now and with my Spenco, the fit is perfect (depending on the shoe).

Choose Well

Okay…the shoe… I usually have three to four pairs of court shoes that I alternate. They last so much longer this way. When I find a court shoe that fits well and does the job, I buy a few more pairs. The manufacturers change the styles every year so once those perfectly fitting shoes are gone, you won’t be able to get them anymore.

The newer models will not fit the same or feel the same (sadly, this has been my experience with most brands of court shoes; Adidas, K-Swiss, etc. And, worse yet, no manufacturers make all leather shoes anymore. Most shoes nowadays are mesh and plastic. They function and can be light but, in my opinion, they’re just not as good as the leather. Then I also have two pairs of running/walking shoes for every day. A couple of pairs of casual Skechers and that’s pretty much all I need.

I don’t go to fancy things much anymore but if I do, I wear my trusty and oh so comfy Munro Cindy shoes. These shoes are 15 years old and they are still beautiful, stylish and comfortable

Now that you are contemplating wearing comfortable shoes that don’t hurt your feet, I’m asking you to give up those dressy, uncomfortable pumps and the rest of your shoes that harm your feet. Has your definition of comfort changed?

Let them all go! Let them go to a young girl or woman who still has the high pain tolerance…or maybe, as I did in my younger years…lots of alcohol to kill the pain. Just keep your active shoes, a few casuals and your Munro, Josef Seibel or Ariat shoes.