Best shoes for foot pain
Foot pain remains my earliest and most painful memory. I can still see the wallpaper in the flat we lived in. It was a ground floor flat with a little garden that my mum would plant some veg in. My room was next to the bathroom and the wallpaper has little fairytale figures on it.
I remember waking up in my big girls bed and wondering why I had done so much walking yesterday - I was a toddler so I wasn’t exactly walking marathons but it sure felt like it. My feet ached and throbbed but were never swollen. It felt painful. And it carried on feeling this way ever since then.
Finding my Feet
I never really got on with shoes. School shoes were heavy and clunky feeling and at the end of the day my feet would hurt. Even trainers weren't really that comfy and for a long while I avoiding them only using them at the gym. I loved high heels though. And I had quite a collection. They were gorgeous. I had a pastel pink pair, a red pair, a black pair, a white pair. I also had sky high boots in black velvet - purringly gorgeous. And I would cram my small yet wide feet into them. My toes scrunching right up against each other until my toenails would make my toes bleed. Whoops! And then in lockdown number 3, I did it....
In 2021 I managed to break my foot. I didn't even realise until the day after when I went along to A&E and was triaged outside. I was adamant it was only sprained but I was sent to get an X-Ray and then the nurse handed me a boot and crutches. Yes, I had broken my foot but thankfully it was in a spiral shape and was the best break to get.
A full six weeks of having to hobble around and go up and down the stairs on my bum. I still didn't have my hEDS diagnosis so I couldn't get why my muscles wasted away so quickly and why it took so long to heal. Even to this day, the tendons and ligaments aren't back to what they were.
What I did next
The doctor was firm saying my high heel wearing days were over. I packed those off and yes I shed quite a few tears and then started to look at different shoes. Broad soles with wide toe boxes. The ones that seemed to suit me the best were barefoot shoes. I bought a few and toe wise, loved them. The issue became my heels and soles weren't a huge fan. Enter Alex to the chat....
Chronic
Foot
Pain
Alex, my hypermobile friendly Osteopath listened to me as I talked about my feet. She realised that my tissues were very delicate and barefoot shoes were causing tissue damage and sending shock waves up my legs and into my back and hips. So cushioned shoes were what I needed. My show search began in earnest.
I spent a long time on line searching for shoes that had a wide toe box as well as having a a cushioned sole. I came across a shoe brand that talked about being "recovery footwear." I had seen some of my dancing friends wear them and I got my first pair. They were AMAZING - soft and they made a difference to my foot pain. Usually at the end of the day my sole and heels are in agony. There simply isn't enough flesh on them or the fascia is very fine and delicate. Either way, I realised that when I put the Oofos pair on I felt the shoe and not my spine and skin take the strain.
I got the Oofos shoe called Ooahh and in black. I am usually a size 3 UK or roughly 36 EU. The site suggested I got up a size and I am glad I did. I like to wear double layer of socks so this was a great move. I wore them outside and felt as if I were walking on a firm yet gentle cloud.
I love them so much that I bought sliders, slippers and bright yellow pair for the summer months.
They have really taken the pain away from my heels and hips that I totally recommend them. As someone who has struggled with shoes for a lifetime these have been a foot saver!
Grab the slide athletic shoe Ooahh which I love as a summer slider as well as for using in bathroom and pottering around the house. Just click the button and grab your cushioned shoe!
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I wore these yellow Oofos pair around Lisbon in October 2024. I spent a whole day on my feet, walking around, climbing steps which I did have to do very slowly as my POTS symptoms went a bit crazy. But a whole day walking around museums and shops and streets. My feet were tired of course but I managed to sight see the whole day and my feet coped so well! Also Lisbon is wonderful so if you go, enjoy it!
