Hi! Looking for the best walking shoes for incredibly painful feet and Achilles. My feet after walking 15-30 mins exercise pace feel like they’re fractured. My left Achilles hurts when any shoes rubs it. Please tell me your favorite shoes that might work! Thank you!
Have a look at HOKA. Although with an Achilles tendon issue any shoe with a heel back might be too much. HOKA do different sole bases and my feet love them. Have you gone to a podiatrist and got an insole to help the achilles tendon? It helped me this year when my Achilles tendon kicked off for several months. My feet don’t like memory foam insoles but many others with PsA find they help - so have you tried all the Sketchers runners and shoes and boots? Another which might help is Fitflop - they do great shoes (not fitflops) too. My go to shoe when my feet aren’t happy are ‘work/bistro’ crocs. They have no holes in the top and they also have the best non-slip soles ever made and I can walk miles in them. Given what they’re made of they provide the right amount of give for my feet.
If you look at my reply on the other conversation I also said Hoka! And what I found is that every time that I see somebody wearing that brand, that they typically found it years ago because of foot problems and they fell in love with them.
I usually order shoes online but because I was recovering from foot surgery and was still having a good bit of pain, I did go to a local store that carries the brand. I will admit that a lot of the sneakers were too bright for me because I really needed them to be every day sneakers. But I did find the all black sneakers that were the extra cushy ones and I pretty much wore them to death.
I wear old fashioned hiking boots with ankle support and replace them often
Thank you! I’m going to look into these right away!
No I have not gone to a podiatrist ever since I’ve been diagnosed. I went multiple times before my diagnosis and had so many X-rays and talks with the podiatrist. He was completely dumbfounded of why my feet were hurting because there was absolutely nothing visible. I just never went back but I should get some type of insole.
1 Like
I hear you! Here’s a thread from a while back:
Shoes are a terrible problem, aren’t they? But it is so worth finding something that’s comfortable and which you don’t mind wearing. Unfortunately, what’s comfy for someone else might not suit your feet. And equally unfortunately, trial and error is the only way to find out.
I think I’d make an appointment with the podiatrist, and see whether, based on your problem areas, they can suggest what types/styles of shoe to look at. As for insoles, I wasted a lot of money on orthotics before a new podiatrist told me that the only orthotic i should consider is an accommodative type. That is, one which cushions and supports to lessen pain. She also suggested a slight heel lift under the insole of my shoes to shift my weight to the ball of my foot. That 1/4 inch made a huge difference to my mid-foot pain. So it all depends on what your problems are.
Do you know whether you foot pain is from inflammation (in which case, you really need to push for treatment that will prevent damage), or damage? Knowing this, and talking to the podiatrist could save you a lot of money. You can spend a lot of money getting this wrong, and believe me, I have.
Like tntlamb, I wear variations of the hiking boot: my runners (as if I could run!), my slippers, and my dress “shoes” are all variations of a high-cut/ankle boot so that my foot is held tightly in the shoe to keep it from shifting when i walk. I lace my ankles tightly, and the midfoot loosely. (Midfoot is where my damage is.) In the summer, I’ve found that I can get away with Crocs flip flops as long as I don’t have to walk too far. That foot bed just happens to work OK for me. I’ve tried other brands that look similar, and they are instruments of torture. Looks mean nothing.
Good luck, hope this helps. I’m so sorry that this is a problem for you.
1 Like
I have been purchasing and wearing Taos Footwear. They are a bit expensive but fit really nice. My latest addition is the slip on wool shoes. They have an arch support and are backless. Like a clog really. They are supper warm and comfortable to wear all day.