a shoe for problem feet...

Do you have an Ecco shop near you (www.ecco.com, there is a store locator on the site)? I have never injured my foot, but have problems with my toes so have trouble finding shoes. I often get their shoes as they do manage to produce shoes that are good for the feet and not too hideous. My walking shoes are from them and definitely would not twist or bend. I can wear them with evening trousers as they are plain black, but definitely not skirts. They also do sort of city walking shoes which might be worth looking at.

thank you for the suggestion... that is not a brand I have looked into yet...

:-) Viv

I have plantar fasciitis so I'm ALWAYS about comfortable shoes for travel. I like 4 brands; Ecco, Keen, Hush Puppies and Easy Spirit. On my last trip across the pond I took Hush Puppies slip ons and my old lace up Eccos. At work I'm on my feet for 18 hours and my Keen Presido's are great. Very stable. Not for skirts but for jeans, shorts and capris. Checkout the Zappos website. Look under women's shoes, brands and then choose casual. The Hush Puppies Energetic or Energize might be what you are looking....or not.

Claudia, thank you for the help.. I will look into them, and that web page.. :-) I am trying to keep my packing light.. but I am still a woman ;-) lol
Viv

You are planning to take two pair of shoes aren't you? You need a good pair of day hiking shoes with good support plus the perfect pair of shoes for skirts, evening, etc. Josef Seibel, Dansko, and Ecco all have "perfect" shoes for that transition wear. My daughter broke her ankle and has a pin in place. She wears Dansko and Saucony athletic shoes. Good luck!

Hi Audrey,
I was thinking of taking a shoe (hopefully) to go with tan and black for all day touring and dinners, my day hiking shoe (I have this one) a water type shoe/sandal for the beaches. (But I may have to buy a dinner shoe if the touring shoe is too "bulky". for my skirts and the one dress I am bringing- it is black and I have two scarfs break it up) I will wear one shoe and pack the rest.. three pairs to pack seemed like a lot. But considering my foot I may have no choice. (I'll just steal room from the boys) haha :-) We will be gone for over 30 days but I am still trying to do the one carry on bag thing.. I may have to check it.
thanks again

You definitely need more than one shoe! I find my feet start to hurt if I wear the same shoes day after day. I actually have a pair of walking sandals in black leather that are smart enough for evening too so I can manage with them and a pair of walking boots/shoes when I travel.

I can only wear SAS sandals and NAOT shoes and slip ons. I've tried other expensive and very expensive shoes and nothing else works for me. With these two I can walk 10 hrs. at a time with no problem. I once threw out a pair of Ecco shoes in London as I found them extremely painful to wear, but that is not the case for alot of people. They fit very well, just made my arches ache, as I have a very high arch.

Hi Barb,
Thank you for the reply. I went to try Ecco shoes today and they did not feel well at all.. too much give in the sole (bend).. the search is still on.. thank you for the suggestions.. I'll give the ones you said a try.

thanks again!

SAS is a very good brand to check out. They have a couple of nice walking shoes and some good "dress" sandles. They can fit unusual widths and I know they have great support. They last long too!

Have you tried the MBT shoes. They have a rounded sole. I have arthritis in my big toe and my foot pretty much hurts all the time. When I put these shoes on, my foot stops hurting. I am saving my money to buy a pair as they are quite expensive. They have sandals too. You might try a pair on and see if this will be helpful. Some people love them and others hate them as it is a completely different way of walking, as your whole foot rolls.

Viv,

A couple of suggestions....

You might have a look at the Best Walking Shoes section on Rick's Graffiti Wall. There are LOTS of comments there from people on footwear solutions and the best shoes they've found.

I was also going to suggest ECCO as that's the brand I'll be trying on my next trip. It's unfortunate they didn't work for you. I tried ECCO Track II shoes on a short trip in January and they were a few problems. However, I've had them "adjusted" at a local shoemaker and they seem to fit MUCH better now. My Podiatrist was most impressed with the shoes, and said they're a very GOOD shoe. We'll see how well they work on the next trip?

I normally wear New Balance walking/running shoes for daily use (along with custom inserts for plantar fasciitis), and they are very comfortable. These are apparently designed with an "anti-roll" feature so they provide good support. Some models are apparently designed for "service occupations" and are approved by the U.S. Postal Service (click on the "Fitness / Walking" tab on their website).

Given the variations in foot sizes (difficulty getting proper shoe fit with some people) and the injury to your Sesamoid bone, you might want to check with a Podiatrist for cushioned innersoles or other supports to use with whichever shoes you buy, in order to avoid pressure on the bone during weight-bearing activities. Some thick and well padded socks might help also?

Good luck and happy travels!

I have also had great success with SAS and not even all the styles that they make. I wear the SAS 'bout time'. I don't what I'd do with out them.

Thank you for the recent posts.. I have been "shopping" like crazy for the perfect shoe online all night... I plan to go out today to try more pairs... thanks again.. :-)

Hi Viv,

I noticed you are in the Boston area - have you tried visiting the Good Feet stores (there are four or five of them - I know there's one in Newton). I think they tend to specialize in people who have feet problems. I THINK they even might have orthotics (special molded shoe inserts). I work with children with disabilites and we have referred people there, although I have never been there myself. Hope this helps!

Okay Viv - I just checked their website - it looks like they sell arch supports. I don't know if they have shoes too - but this might be an option for you, combined with a really good shoe like and Ecco or whatever....

Thank you Gretchen! :-) I will look into that this week...

See if you can find Naots locally so you can try them on. The soles don't bend much & they have a great arch & have very comfortable cushioning. If you find after trying them that you like them, you can buy over the internet or order a different style from your shoe store (my shoe store has a catalog which I ordered from). Also, many of them have removeable innersoles, so one pair of shoes & one pair of intersoles equal 2 pair shoes for a lot less space.

My personal recommendation is to find a shoe store that specializes in fitting shoes properly.

I do a lot of walking when I travel and I must have shoes that don't hinder my exploring. I have gotten to the point that for travel purposes I don't really care how my shoes look....I just care that I don't have sore feet at the end of the day so that I can keep going for the next day.

I always have at least two pairs of shoes with me as I also get blisters easily....even when my shoes are well broken in.

I use Mephisto sandals, Aravon for walking shoes, and New Balance for runners.

So....hop on over to a great shoe store in your area and speak with a specialist. If my small city of 200,000 people has at least two of these type of shoe stores surely there must be one close to you!

I have problem feet too. I use SAS walking shoes and a walking sandal, and they are great.