Fallen arches. Not the defeated enemies in front of you, the enemies beneath you

[Matt Deckard]

It’s always been a trick, having shoes in which you can walk all over town, then deciding that you want to attend a venue where you’ll be dancing and realizing… these shoes I’m wearing… they have rubber soles and they don’t spin worth a damn!



A few years back I wrote an article about shoes that can transition from dancing to walking without skipping a step. It was all about leather soled classic men’s dress shoes, and who makes the right ones. But after that I took a job that required walking around a concrete floor day in day out and running at times from one factory to another across gravel and mashed down sand. Not the ideal environment for a soft-footed man like myself. It got to a point where I flew to Manhattan on business and realized I was not just limping, I was nearly wanting a wheelchair due to the pain. I’d torn my plantar and my doc said it was from … well running up and down long runways of concrete.



Apparently you can still dance with a torn plantar as the two things don’t really have anything in connection if you are spinning around on the balls of your feet… you just need more stamina to stay up there and not put your heel down, the heel of a foot being a very important part of walking, but no so much for dancing.



So I was in Manhattan and walking across the island and decided… yes… sneakers and a suit… if it works for David Tennant as Doctor Who, it can work for me. But it didn’t. No matter what I wore, it was still a torn ligament and pain and staying on the toe of one foot was the rigor of the trip.



So soon after I returned to Dallas I went to a specialist, and they took a mold of my foot in order to make custom orthotics. These things cost a bit over $400 so they gotta cure the issue -- or so I’d thought. As I waited the month to get the orthotics made, I moved back to California. I was in a boot on my right foot, and on my left I was wearing a lift from a company called Evenup -- If you have a boot on, the lift for the other foot is a necessity as I still have a pang in my hip from wearing that boot before I found the lift. You have to be even!



The custom orthotics didn’t work (there is such a thing as bad bespoke). Yet, before I even got the orthotics I hunted down every pharmacy and foot specialist device I could, asking what can alleviate my pain. The best option at the start were from Superfeet… they did relieve the issue some, and I give great credit for how smashing they felt versus the old hard surface of leather soled shoe, yet they didn’t take the cake when it came to finding something that was strategically aimed at the exact problem I had, and that was that maddening dot on my heel that, if stepped on wrong, caused agony and an awkward gait e.g. wobbly me.



So as much as they were okay, they weren’t the solution. They were better than the custom molded orthotics, yet they were still just not the thing to get me from point A to B in style, or even absent of style prior to my injury.



In-steps the drug store find!



Put them in your dress shoes and they are frakking amazing. Put them in your sneakers and they are Frelling amazing!



There are four different versions of the exact same device and I’ve gone through all of the others… some that were the top of their game before these hit the market. Buy them. I looked and looked and found something that looked different than the bunk I was wearing and I thought I should order those. They were a UK brand and I liked the concept because what I read sold me.



https://www.sofsole.com/product/Plantar_Fascia I never wore them, yet I in desperation was in a Walgreens and saw their Tribalance Orthotic, and to my eye, they looked the same, so I bought a pair. I remind you that I’d gone through all the other insoles thinking they may help, but these were solid. An arch support, a doughnut feel for the heel and just for the heck of it, a little cushion for the ball of the foot. I’d been looking… they were new to the store and I had to have them and they worked. Someone finally figured it out! At least for my issue. Soon after I saw more of the exact same style of orthotic pop into stores. Even Doctor Scholl’s that brand that’s the most common of all made an exact version of what I’d bought as the Walgreens brand.



Anywho. Much better than the bespoke molded orthotics, at least in my case.



The finest help for plantar issues!



I love my feet, and I love yours too. These are exactly the same in what they do and are from all I can see exact replicas of the UK version I saw and read about and understood. And I have all three of these and they are all Brilliant.



Check them out and tell me what you yourself think. I’m wearing them in my dress shoes out dancing tonight … and walking.



1. Walgreens Tribalance inserts https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/w...soles/ID=prod6220766-product?skuId=sku6192680



2. CVS Plantar Fasciitis orthotics http://www.cvs.com/shop/personal-ca...scia-orthotics-2ct-prodid-982121?skuId=982121



3. Dr. Scholl’s. https://www.drscholls.com/productsandbrands/tricomfort/

 

[Fading Fast]

Sorry you had to go through all that to find a very reasonably priced "solution."

I have flat feet that started to really bother me when I turned 40. This https://www.drscholls.com/productsandbrands/painrelieforthotics/ Dr Scholls insert for +/- $12 has all-but solved my problem. I can pretty much wear any shoe I want and walk all day in them without pain. One of the best and least expensive solutions to a health issue ever.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Sorry you had to go through all that to find a very reasonably priced "solution."

I have flat feet that started to really bother me when I turned 40. This https://www.drscholls.com/productsandbrands/painrelieforthotics/ Dr Scholls insert for +/- $12 has all-but solved my problem. I can pretty much wear any shoe I want and walk all day in them without pain. One of the best and least expensive solutions to a health issue ever.

I wore those same ones for a while, but for me, they just didn't do the same thing as their tri comfort version which is just like the English company plantar orthotics.

 

[Fading Fast]

I wore those same ones for a while, but for me, they just didn't do the same thing as their tri comfort version which is just like the English company plantar orthotics.

The key is you found something that helps (and at a reasonable price). The problem I had with the full sized ones - vs. the one I showed that stops about 2/3 of the way in the shoe - is that they made the toe area of the shoe uncomfortably tight for me.

 

[Sonero]

I have dealt with this problem for many years....also originally from NYC.

The trick is to find a walking shoe that doubles as a dress shoe. I found my relief with a pair of CLARKS. They don't look amazing but comfort means more to me and they go with dress pants.

I totally understand the dance shoe dilemma as well. A good pair of dance shoes aren't meant for walking on concrete, only wooden dance floors. For a while I used to carry velcro sticky pads for the balls of my shoes. They eventually come off but maybe it's worth buying a set for going to a club. Look for industrial grade products. They can attach to sneakers.

Also look into Deerstags or Rockport dress shoes with rubber soles.

I do not agree that orthotics don't work. Mine have done wonders for me to battle plantar fascitis but you need to wear them all the time and it might take a while before you see results.

Shoes with a deep footbed is a must.

Good Luck

 

[Matt Deckard]

The key is you found something that helps (and at a reasonable price). The problem I had with the full sized ones - vs. the one I showed that stops about 2/3 of the way in the shoe - is that they made the toe area of the shoe uncomfortably tight for me.

The ones I'm showing aren't full sized, they stop before the toes. I know the issue of having something in your shoe that just makes your toes hit the top. That's why these were such a difference

 

[Butch_Coolidge]

I have dealt with this problem for many years....also originally from NYC.

The trick is to find a walking shoe that doubles as a dress shoe. I found my relief with a pair of CLARKS. They don't look amazing but comfort means more to me and they go with dress pants.

I totally understand the dance shoe dilemma as well. A good pair of dance shoes aren't meant for walking on concrete, only wooden dance floors. For a while I used to carry velcro sticky pads for the balls of my shoes. They eventually come off but maybe it's worth buying a set for going to a club. Look for industrial grade products. They can attach to sneakers.

Also look into Deerstags or Rockport dress shoes with rubber soles.

I do not agree that orthotics don't work. Mine have done wonders for me to battle plantar fascitis but you need to wear them all the time and it might take a while before you see results.

Shoes with a deep footbed is a must.

Good Luck

I wear Nunnbush that have what is referred to a comfort core, when I wear a suit. They are black loafers, with a gel insole. I've had them for years and recently replaced a pair. I could wear them forever, and not even notice any foot discomfort. I don't even think about my feet. I know when your feet hurt, you can't think of anything else. I got them at Kohl's department store, and they are very reasonably priced. They won't be noticed by people who have to get compliments on their footwear, but blend nicely with whatever you're wearing.I'm not a dancer, so I can't comment on that. For regular daily wear, l wear Georgia Boots. The ones I wear are very light, very supportive, and also have some kind of a comfort core. I am aware that most people don't have the option of wearing casual shoes for their jobs.


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