Can anyone recommend extra-wide fitting walking shoes? I have plantar fasclitis and neuromas which I think is exacerbated by the width of my shoes. At the moment, I’m walking in an old pair of sketchers - with my inserts and additional padding, but they don’t give the support I need and certainly won’t be waterproof.
I’m not planning on spending too much as I can’t tell if I’ll have foot issues just by trying the shoes on in the shop and I have a house-full of shoes I can no longer wear.
I use Columbia peakfeat walking shoes .
They have a wide toe box and are supremely comfortable .
I have two pairs have worn nothing else in lockdown .
I don’t know if they would suit plantar facia though .
Thanks Muddy, I’ll see if the shop has some for me to try.
They are American sizes Lindy so best to try .
I have to say they are not cheap .
I bought my first pair in the shop and then got the second one online at a reduced price .
This might help it has women’s shoes too .
Thanks again Muddy. I’m hoping to buy from a shop which allows returns. I’m seeing the podiatrist next week, so can get his view on new shoes with the option of returning them if needbe.
My daughter suffered with plantar Lindy, and recently found out it was nothing to do with her feet, liver I think…:surprised:
I know! It surprised me too. Might be worth a look…
Thems good shoes Muddy, I’ve been wearing Merrell shoes and now I won’t walk in anything else…Gore tex, so no wet feet.
Incidentally, the bloke that invented gore tex died yesterday…
At the moment, I’m walking in an old pair of sketchers
My husband has recently been experiencing foot problems and was advised to avoid Sketchers as they do not offer enough support.
If it were me I’d go to the doctors & ask to be referred to have some footwear specially made for you. Ordinary footwear will never be completely right for you.
My hubby had difficulty with ordinary shoes as his poor feet have been distorted by gout. I am going to ask the doctor to refer him for some made to measure shoes.
Of course we will have to pay but better one good pair that fits…
Lindy, do you by any chance take statins for high cholesterol, I used to take them and had this terrible foot pain,couldn’t walk on that foot, Gp said it was planter fasciitis, Then I learned that statins can cause it , never had it since I stopped taking the statins
My wife and I both have these. Have done so for about years. Expensive but worth it.
Thanks for all the replies.
I was told that plantar fasciitis frequently occurs after an injury - I broke my patella some years ago.
Curious about the statins - I do take them - I’ll be making enquiries about this.
As for sketchers - I agree about them not having much support but at the moment it’s either wear the sketchers or not walk at all!
Don’t buy Besoekers boots Lindy…My feet hurt just looking at them…
They look like something out of the fifties…
I seem to remember that Scarpas were quite narrow. I have some Trezetas which have been super comfortable for so many hikes up mountains. The have really good arch and ankle support and are not narrow in fit. I’ve had similar problems to you, plus achilles tendon injuries ankle sprains, and have needed support and a good fit. The Trezetas were fabulous. Hard to get hold of new ones these days as I wanted a replacement after so many years.
I chose them after getting the achilles tendon problem after using the wrong boots. I went to a walking shop for a proper fitting and they had one of those little hill models that you walk up and down to test. Mine look like this :
I’ve read that it can be linked to problems with the pancreas. I think it was chronic pancreatitis. But that is rare. ('ve had a lot of foot problems so I have researched a bit!)
Merrell’s were also slim fitting I recall. I have some Brashers which were as a backup but they are slippery and require waterproofing maintenance. They are ok for a hike but just ok. Goretex lining and a Vibram sole is an ideal combo. Plus for ankle support a high top.
The other ones people raved over back in the day were Meindl’s. But again they have a narrow fit. Some people must have pixie feet.
There is a school of thought that suggests that by not wearing ankle support in walking shoes will develop the lateral muscles each side of the lower leg Annie. The effect of support would be to allow the muscles to deteriorate…
In fact, Adidas have developed a shoe with very little control and support. They reckon that the human leg and foot are very well equipped to handle everything that the rough terrain can throw at them and needs very little modification.
Some of the best fell runners I know use a minimum of support in their running shoes.
The only exception to this is; Running constantly on hard surfaces requires good shock absorbing midsoles. It’s a theory that I have always subscribed to, and after forty years I’m still running…
I buy my shoes from Deichmann. Called Landrover. Not the Memphis model. Very comfortable and fit my wide feet. Cost about £25.
These look good OGF . I need to buy some new walking boots .Mine have gore tex too but one pair ( the most worn) seemed to have lost their waterproof ness now.
They look good too .Do they have a wide toe box ?
Plus are they waterproof and lastly are they heavy ?
That works fine OGF if you have no injuries or weaknesses in that part of the foot. It depends entirely on what you expect the foot to do over and over. I’d agree that for running you need a different type of shoe. I also went for a special fitting when I used to do long distance running. You ran on some glass camera thingy and they took an image of your pronation. Then they find the right trainer. I think I ended up with some Asics.
But for long distance walking/hiking you definitely need ankle support if you have a historic foot injury. Particularly if you want to go up/down hill. After my injury I had to use a night splint to keep running. Once you have an achilles injury you are never really the same. But the Asics were more to stop damaging my knees. Hiking on different terrain and running on flat ground are very different activities.
What is very interesting is that walking barefoot is actually not that good for your feet! You’d think they were designed for it, but we are a pretty poor design when you start to think about it.
Inspired by this thread I thought I would buy myself a new pair of boots .
Went to Cotswold outdoor .
They measure your feet and give good advice .
Unfortunately the world and his wife and kids have taken up walking in lockdown and they had practically no stock .
The assistants said they are doing roaring trade and he could sell three times as much as he has .
None of the boots I wanted were in stock in my size .
