<p>Eww. Crocs are NASTY and super FUGLY.</p>
<p>It depends so much on the shape of your foot! I know dozens of people who swear by Danskos, but I can’t wear them at all. Super-narrow feet just don’t work in some brands - you have to find the ones with the lasts that work for you.</p>
<p>During the the worst bout of plantar fasciitis I’ve lived through so far :eek:, Naots and Birkies (narrow) were the only shoes I could wear. </p>
<p>Since then I’ve been able to branch out happily into Merrills (though a lot of them are too wide), some Clarks, and blessedly, though expensively, Donald Pliners.</p>
<p>mercymom - go to zappos (you know - .com) and look at all the Pliners there. If you’ve had good luck with some, others are likely to work well too.</p>
<p>A most excellent choice: SOFT-FOOTBED Birkenstocks! I have custom orthotics for Morton’s neuroma’s in both feet, and they are not nearly as good as my “Soft-footbed Birkenstocks”. (not Beulahs, or whatever the cheaper versions of birks are…) I can’t wear my regular birks anymore, unless I slip a soft insert in, (and boy, does that look stupid), but my feet are fine and painfree in the soft ones. They fit just like traditional birks, including the high arch and metatarsal bump and deep heel cup, and I got my online through ebay for a very reasonable rate. I just wish they had them in more styles; they are only manufactured in 3 slip-ons and a basic backstrap one.</p>
<p>I can wear almost any shoe, and actually prefer to go barefoot, but there is one brand that I had a problem with. I see that Harriet did, too! After hearing for years how wonderful Danskos were, I bought a pair. They killed me - my whole body ached, and this never happened any other time. I ended up giving them to a 15-year-old girl down the street who loves them, so all ended well.</p>
<p>Beware of Superfeet insoles. I am a competitive runner and a lot of the running stores push them. I (and a number of runners on my running forum) hated them so much we all sold them on ebay. They are like rocks. That said, other people seem to like them.</p>
<p>I wear a lot of comfort shoes, and have sound some Naots that look nice enough for work. However, I also believe in strengthening your feet and NOT always wearing supportive shoes. Hence, the development of shoes like Nike Frees and Five Fingers. [Vibram</a> Five Fingers: Discover the Barefooting Alternative](<a href=“http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/]Vibram”>http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/)
Yep- they are very strange, but great for your feet. I can NOT wear them to work, however. I also like MBTs for walking (not running). They are very expensive, but worth it. [MBT</a> :: HOME](<a href=“http://www.swissmasaius.com/]MBT”>http://www.swissmasaius.com/)</p>
<p>Another interesting concept is Spring Boost. [Springboost</a> :: Swiss Athletic shoes: volleyball shoes, High performance athletic footwear, swiss shoes, fitness shoes, dorsiflexion, biomechanics, women athletic shoes, men athletic shoes, athletic footwear, plantar flexion, health care shoes, perfor](<a href=“http://www.springboost.com/]Springboost”>http://www.springboost.com/)</p>
<p>I am sort of a shoe junkie. Don’t even get me started on running shoes. I have a shoe (2 actually- one for each foot) for every type of run or race. I am liking Saucony Triumph and Paramount, Nike Vomero and Asics Kayano for training. Newtons (another innovation which sends you onto your forefoot) for racing, with Saucony Sinisters for longer races. Nike Hayward for shorter, faster training runs.</p>
<p>Wow, I’ve needed this thead for a long while. Crocs may have started my problem, just too soft, though initially feel lovely. Dangerous lack of support. Danskos are too hard, though that special little something in the arch is wonderful on first trial. Merrells, New Balance lace ups, Birkies my mainstay, Keen. Want to try some of those other brands.</p>
<p>Great thread. Many of these brands can be found on TheWalkingCompany web site …</p>
<p>I recommend SAS shoes. SAS was recommended to me by a shoe salesman more than twenty years ago, when I started working two jobs (which kept me on my feet anywhere from eight to eighteen hours a day seven days a week), and needed a durable and comfortable pair of shoes. I wore that same pair of SAS shoes almost daily for the next two and a half years. Those shoes saved my feet, knees, and back unnecessary wear-and-tear. I still have that same pair of SAS shoes, and except for slight wear along the heels, they look brand new, and they still feel good. </p>
<p>SAS is based in San Antonio, Texas, and has factory outlets in various cities. SAS shoes are also sold by authorized retailers throughout the country. SAS used to publish a catalog, but it appears that mail-order catalog sales have been discontinued. (I’m not sure about that.) SAS strictly forbids online sales of its products.</p>
<p>SAS makes shoes for men and women, in a variety of styles. SAS shoes are expensive, but worth the money. My SAS shoes are the best pair of shoes I’ve ever owned.</p>
<p>It was a physical therapist who put me onto Superfeet. My whole family uses them in at least some of their shoes…and we have very different feet. When my then adolescent son was doing soccer and cross-country, putting them in his soccer shoes absolutely saved him. They come in several profiles, so they can work for dressier shoes. I have very narrow feet, hard to keep some shoes on my feet, and they take up some of the slack there, too. Try all kinds of things to see what works. Good luck.</p>
<p>MOWC–interesting running shoe ‘run down!’ I run too & just got a new pair of Nikes—do you like those?</p>
<p>PS Re: inserts–be very careful if your shoes get wet w/them. I had them in a pair of running shoes, ran in the rain & it ruined the shoes (weird smell, etc.—running shoe guy told me this was common w/inserts).</p>
<p>The New Balance inserts that just arrived in the mail have an antibacterial coating on them so maybe this helps out.</p>
<p>I was always a Nike person. My cat who recently died was named Nike. My screenname on a lot of forums is Nike plus my initials. I think they slipped in recent years- tried to appeal to the big box stores and the mass markets. They are coming back with some nice shoes. Vomero is excellent. Pegasus is good (again) after some bad versions. I understand the new Skylon is good. The Shox line isn’t so great. Nike Free is wonderful and I want to try the new Free Everyday (more of a training shoe than an occasional “barefoot” shoe). I love my Haywards. The Max 360 is a horrible shoe and incredibly expensive. I was given a pair to demo and I sent them back. SO much depends on your feet and your gait- i.e. do you pronate or supinate? are you a heavier runner? do you land light on your feet? do you have a marathon shuffle and barely leave the ground? are you running on soft surfaces or concrete?</p>
<p>Interesting analysis, MOWC. I go to a running store where the guys are all runners & seem to be able to evaluate your gait, etc. (although certainly not to the extent you describe—I just ran a lap around the inside of the store for a few seconds). I pronate & got Nike Structure Triax11. They are tons better than my last New Balances, but a tiny bit narrow in the front. How do you analyze all the factors you describe re: your shoes? Do you see a specialist?</p>
<p>PS Sorry to hear about your cat</p>
<p>bceagle91 - did the plantars fasciitis go away? how long did it take? i’m dealing with that now.</p>
<p>i’ve bought “ecco” running shoes and then also purchased “arch molds” at a local runners’ store. i’ve been trying different brands of heel cups…any suggestions on heel cups that helped others with plantars fasciitis?</p>
<p>i do like the “ecco” shoes a great deal.</p>
<p>Better cushioning helped but it wasn’t the cure. I found a solution on USENET in the 1990s. Someone mentioned the use of a night splint so I went to Home Depot and a plexiglas company and made one myself. Got rid of 95% of the problem within two days. These are commercially made today and you can find them at medical supply stores. Sometimes insurance covers the cost under durable medical equipment.</p>
<p>Basically what happens is that you have a tear in the heel. At night, your feet are naturally extended and when you put them down on the floor in the morning, you retear. The night splint keeps your feet in an “L” position while you sleep so that it is stretched and when you put your feet on the ground, there isn’t a retearing. The problem is insiduous because you reinjure yourself every day without realizing it.</p>
<p>A good stretching problem is recommended to help to prevent it from coming back as are good shoes.</p>
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<p>A good running store often has someone on staff who can figure this out. Otherwise, it is a result of getting injured enough times and trotting around to PTs, podiatrists and orthopedists. (or coaches) </p>
<p>My husband finally had to stop running after many years of competitive running due to plantar fascitis. Nothing helped- and he tried everything and every specialist and every insert, shoe, night splint etc. He only cycles now.</p>
<p>bceagle91 - thanks ! i’ve seen the splints in the catalogs…there are several to choose from. i will have to do a little research and see which splint might be the best. time to take more action…as it is really cramping my style !</p>
<p>Harriet, I love looking at Zappos site, but I have not yet ordered anything from them. My feet are so hard to fit that I would only order a style and size I already owned and knew for sure would work. That is why I second the idea to try different things. I have a pair of Ecco boots that work well in winter, but I’ve tried other Ecco styles that don’t work at all. Used to wear Merrill sandals in summer, but now they don’t work for me either. The neat thing about the Pliners is if you study them on Zappos you see that the same sole (in the sandals) is used with many different tops to create different styles. They seem to have 2 or 3 soles and create a huge variety of styles with the tops. Plus tons of color/fabric variations. Once you know the sole that works for you, then you can find other styles that work by shopping the sole. I also like the feature in Zappos of reading the reviews. They have helped me not buy something in a store to find out that a shoe seems to hurt everyone due to a design problem. Poor Zappos, they function more like Consumer Reports for me, but maybe one day I’ll actually make my purchase thru them.</p>
<p>For support on an extra high arch (my problem) try the Birkenstocks Tatami line. And the splints for the plantar f. worked wonders for me. Also-- plenty of stretching in the morning AND evening before you go to bed.</p>
<p>Plantar Fasciitis</p>
<p>The only thing that helped me were special motion control shoes I purchased at a running speciality store…Brooks Ariel. I wore them all the time until my foot got better. I can now wear other shoes but still wear the Brooks when I have to do a lot of standing/walking.</p>