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Old 04-21-05, 07:10 AM  
athompson10
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Plantar fasciitis and summer sandals - help!

For those of you with PF - what shoes do you wear in the summer? This will be my first summer with PF (**sigh**) and all my cute little strappy kitten heels and flipflops aren't going to provide the support I need if my foot is sore. I need arch support and cushioning.

Are there certain brands of shoes that work for you? I'm eyeing up Merrell, Born, Nike sport sandals, Birkenstock (ugh-ugh-ugly) and would love some recommendations from VFers.

Thanks in advance,
Allison
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Old 04-21-05, 07:16 AM  
new2me
 
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I were Birkenstock for very casual wear and Dansko for a little dressier look.

Here is a link to the Dansko website:

http://www.dansko.com/
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Old 04-21-05, 07:46 AM  
54sneakers
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My days of wearing my kitten heeled sandles and flip flops are over too! I love my Naot's; they are heaven on my feet. They actually have some pretty attractive sandle styles which look like "normal" sandles but have great support.
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Old 04-21-05, 07:50 AM  
WWWendy
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me too!

Wow, I was seriously thinking of posting this exact question this morning!

I haven't had a serious PF flareup in a long time, and in the colder months I wear my orthotics every day in my shoes and have no PF pain whatsoever, but during the summer I suffer from mild PF almost constantly because I can't bear the thought of wearing closed shoes with orthotics (except to exercise). Heck, it was quite an adjustment for me to wear shoes at all in the summer.

I've tried Danskos (rocker bottom and other types)--they help, particularly the rocker bottom styles, but not enough. The rocker bottom styles (most are stapled and have the ridge on the heel) have the best arch support I've tried. There are some very cute non-rocker bottom Danskos, and they seem to have more cushioning, but have less arch support. Birkenstocks don't fit my feet, and I've tried on just about everything suitable in the Birkenstock store.

Is there such a thing as sandals that can be worn w/ orthotics? It would probably look very odd. Merrell shoes fit me very well, but their sandal styles seem to be sportier than I want. I had some Tevas a few years ago that had good cushioning, but not enough support. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

I am REALLY hard on my sandals--typically they don't last more than a year no matter how good the quality, so I like to buy at a steep discount. Allison, you might want to try Sierra Trading Post (which sells overstocks and discontinued styles/colors) or Dansko Outlet (which sells factory seconds). STP has a lot of the comfort brands. You might go to a place like the Walking Company if you have one in your area. They are usually very helpful, though they sell at full retail price.

Good luck, and I will be watching for additional responses to this thread.
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Old 04-21-05, 08:12 AM  
Francesca
 
Join Date: May 2002
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There are some very cute Birkenstocks - I can´t remember the name of the range, but they are slightly higher in the heel, and nobody ever thinks they are Birks. For instance, I have a pair which have a black base, and then little cream and red leather straps topped with a red and cream suede flower. (And in the normal range, there are really cute thongs - I have a pair of black patent ones with a diamante buckle and a pair with Hawaiian type flower designs in oranges which I love).

Maybe you should check them out on the net - perhaps the place you´ve been to doesn´t have the full range?

Anyway, good luck.
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Old 04-21-05, 08:39 AM  
Kimberly33
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For those who aren't familiar with the range of Birk styles available, here's a nice source: Zappos.com (Birk sandals). (I think it's the Tatami line that tends to have the cute styles).

Footprints also carries a nice range of Birks, and has a great Closeouts section. Their customer service is FANTASTIC as well.

If you're made out of money, Taryn Rose makes very cute shoes (they are discounted to about $300 at STP).

Quote:
Originally Posted by WWWendy
I haven't had a serious PF flareup in a long time, and in the colder months I wear my orthotics every day in my shoes and have no PF pain whatsoever, but during the summer I suffer from mild PF almost constantly because I can't bear the thought of wearing closed shoes with orthotics (except to exercise). Heck, it was quite an adjustment for me to wear shoes at all in the summer.
I can't help on the shoe front, and I'm pretty sure you know the rest of this...but just in case you can't find better sandals... Stretching can help a ton to prevent or alleviate the chronic mild PF for some people. My PT originally had me doing wall stretches to stretch my calves, and this is crucial for me to prevent and treat it (I do it every morning in the shower, and after I work out). I know this isn't enough for LisaTV, but downdog works. I've also found that wearing my Yoga Toes is really making a difference, too. I've been walking around barefoot a lot, and getting away with it! (and the running I've been doing doesn't seem to be a problem) The other thing that makes my feet feel better when I haven't been good, is a tennis ball massage. I have two tennis balls in an old sock, and stand on it to massage my arch and toes. It feels really great even when there is no flare up, and is really therapeutic when there is. (I've heard rolling a soda can under the arch can help, too, but I've never tried it).

I live in my Birks and Tevas all summer. I hope you can find something that works.
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Old 04-21-05, 09:31 AM  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WWWendy
Is there such a thing as sandals that can be worn w/ orthotics? It would probably look very odd.
Yeah, another no-more-cute-sandals PF sufferer here.

I CAN wear Birkenstocks without orthotics, and though they are not the cutest things out there, they are the most comfortable. In fact to some degree my PF often improves when I'm wearing them a lot.

NAOT has much, much cuter styles than Birkenstock IMO, but sadly they don't fit my feet well at all. I wish they did.

But as far as Birkenstocks go, the least Birkie and most dressy looking ones are the Tatami line. AND you can remove the footbed and put in your own orthotic. If your orthotic was maybe a dull black colour and not shiny blue neoprene like mine, it would probably look OK!

And, those you can actually wear without looking like you're about to go to a folk festival right after you milk the goat.
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Old 04-21-05, 09:33 AM  
luvcritters
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Old 04-21-05, 09:37 AM  
Anne V
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Talking

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sophie
And, those you can actually wear without looking like you're about to go to a folk festival right after you milk the goat.


You've just expressed my main problem with birks!

I'm a Naot fan myself and I'm in the midst of the annual summer shoe buying struggle. I do it every year but often don't buy anything. My footwear is nothing short of pitiful.

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Old 04-21-05, 09:40 AM  
Sophie
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Linda H
Just this morning I was wondering if I could go back to Birks if I did the feet exercises from Pain Free. [/url]
Linda, I think it will help. Mine has slowly, slowly been improving with those, in addition to the kind of stretching and tennis ball massage Kimberly talks about.

I also had a revelation - I thought because I did a lot of yoga, that should be enough to stretch my calves. It wasn't. In fact, tight calves have been limiting me in some poses. I've added some more targeted calf stretches to my yoga routine this has definately been making a difference.

ETA: another thing I used to try in the summer was strapping the arch of my foot with athletic tape and wearing them with sandals. It helped re: the PF, but then of course you walk around looking like you're injured. Which, I guess, you are.
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