<p>Keen and Naot. Two of the best brands ever for people with PF. Very expensive but worth it (I never spent more than $35 on a pair of shoes until I got PF, and had to change my buying habits).</p>
<p>However, the BEST purchase I made was a $5 item at Walmart called an Arch Bandage, by PediFix. It is also sold online from Footsmart. It wraps around your arch, is flesh colored so not very obvious. I wear it when I don’t want to wear shoes, or wear shoes with minimal support, or when I walk a lot. It is wonderful.</p>
<p>I also saw a physical therapist for help when I first got PF, and that helped a lot. As well as lots of stretching.</p>
<p>Are you removing the inserts already in the shoes before putting in the orthotic ones? That is what we had to do with all my son’s sneakers/shoes. We also bought separate inserts for each pair of shoes/sneakers he wore and custom fit the ortotic ones. It killed me to rip out the inserts already in the shoes, felt like I was ruining them, but it worked.</p>
<p>leanid, if you search online for plantar fasciitis treatment, you’ll find several websites that describe recommended stretches, usually with pictures. Some of the best suggestions came from running magazines – a lot of runners get PF.</p>
<p>I had this in the 1990s and cured 95% of it in one night with a homemade night splint. I have used one for a day or two a year when it returned but that hasn’t been often. I also use special inserts in all of my shoes from New Balance.</p>
<p>Sometimes nothing helps. My husband did everything- PT, the shots, exercises, etc. Nothing really helped.</p>
<p>MBTs are a good option and a less expensive alternative (and just as good technology) are Sketchers knock-offs called Shape-Ups (I think). I have some cute ones that look OK for work (not athletic looking). I don’t have PF, but with all my running I am picky about my shoes and have several MBTs and now the Sketchers. I also like the soft-sole Birkinstocks.</p>
<p>Being a runner, I had a stubborn case of PF despite wearing good shoes and orthotics. What finally worked for me was a Pro-Tec brand arch support strap. It worked wonders. It’s a simple velcro strap that you can wear with most any shoe and costs only about 18 bucks. I order mine from Road Runner Sports in San Diego.</p>
<p>I have PF as well.
Tatamis(Made by Birkenstock) fit my arch perfectly and I wear them 90% of the time.
I NEVER go barefoot, especially in the morning when the chances of exacerbating the problem are the worse. I keep my Tatami sandals next to the bed.
When I am having a flare up, I wear the boot at night.
***Your results will vary, since every ones foot is different. You may have to experiment a bit. For example, I tried the MBTs and they made my foot worse.</p>
<p>Another tip----at work, I keep a golf ball under my desk and occasionally slip off my shoes and with the ball under my foot, roll it around while no ones the wiser. I have done the same with old tennis balls (fill it with water and place in freezer over night).</p>
<p>I too LOVE going barefoot. But the only time I allow myself this luxury is on the beach and I only walk in the wet sand. oooo feels gooood.</p>
<p>I don’t agree with a lot of the claims MBT makes, but the shoes are extremely comfortable. I wore them all the time when I was on crutches most of 2007. The shock absorption was great. They aren’t going to help you lose weight of change your body. They are way too expensive, which is why I like the Sketcher’s with similar technology.
The people in the Jeff’s Lunchbreak critique probably would have gotten hurt wearing a pair of Nikes, too.</p>
<p>I recently took delivery of a pair of the new Skechers Shape Ups… a sandal type and I love them. I go for long walks with them on… my girlfriend with PF recently tried mine and liked them also…but has some Keen’s and thinks they might be better for now… I got mine thru Amazon and there was a special deal with $20 off…so they cost around $80… they have tremendous cushion…and slip on and off easily…</p>
<p>I have Naot sandals and agree that they are wonderful too… and am also a fan of Crocs. </p>
<p>You can always do the on-line thing, but you might want to see if there is a local, quality shoe store near you… where they might be willing to work with you on getting a good match? They might have trials available etc…</p>
<p>You can also try Dr. Scholl For Her gel inserts. My friend said the heel and arch inserts made a huge difference . I put arch gel inserts in all my ballet flats.</p>
<p>OP here,Thank you all so much for all the ideas. I’ll be busy looking shoe shopping online all afternoon. Isn’t it amazing how many people have PF or something similiar. I had never even heard of it until my feet started hurting. Now I’ve found that my own brother and sister have had it as well as several of my friends. </p>
<p>S1 is a serious runner w/ flat feet. I’m going to send him some shoes inserts and beg him to start using them. Of course he is 22 and thinks nothing will ever happen to him. He is in the military so running is not optional, it’s mandatory.</p>
<p>I saw a place that carries MBT shoes in Seattle and apparently have a lot on stock- still they look kinda gimmicky- reminds me of Famolares.
I may go try some on though</p>
<p>EK, they seem gimmicky, and I think the claim of “helping to tone and shape” is a bit much, but, as far as alleviating foot pain and PF, well, they just do it. I don’t feel any (really- ANY) pain with these. I even bought them for my husband (the skeptic). He has since bought a second pair, and hates it when forgets and wears other shoes.</p>
<p>They’re weird when you first try them on, because you can rock back and forth. After you get over that, they are great.</p>
<p>EK, Famolares…the shoes with the wavy bottoms? I had some Famolares sandals in high sch. and loved them, wore them with everything and thought I was terribly cool.
I had forgotten all about them…a blast fr. the past,lol.</p>
