Post-op shoes do help

[cjsmith]

OK, I'm definitely having LESS pain while walking... as long as I wear my post-op shoes.

The $64,000 question: Why?

• The post-op shoes have absolutely no arch support of any kind -- the inner surface is flat as a board.
• The post-op shoes put a lot more of my weight on my heel because they are tilted.
• The post-op shoes are kind of cushiony inside.
• The post-op shoes are missing a big chunk under the toes.
• The post-op shoes are very rigid, not allowing my toes to bend during my stride.
• Something else I haven't thought of yet.

Obviously the next step is to isolate these things and figure out which one(s) are helping. I hope it's not item two, 'cause that's probably the one I can't sustain (these shoes will cause heel damage if I use them too long).

1 - Walk barefoot on a wood or tile floor. This HURTS! OK, 1 alone is not good.
3 & 5 - My very rigid sandals have two pair of squishy insoles, which *improved* things but sure didn't fix them. OK, 3 and 5 alone are not enough.

1 & 3 - A pair of cushiony flip-flops? Walk barefoot on pile carpet?
1 & 4 - Japanese geta?
1 & 4 & 5 - Japanese geta with an added strap across the instep?
1 & 3 & 4 & 5- Doctor a bunch of cushiony flip-flops? Geta with gel insoles?

edit: After 15 minutes of walking on pile carpet, I ache but not much. Hrm. Pacing around one's living room for 15 minutes gets boring. :-)

Comments

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

If you hadn't seen this, here's another data point: "barefoot" running shoes. There are a few different kinds. Nike's noted here: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,68474,00.html. If/when you isolate the helping factor, you might find something which meets the need.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Interesting! Yeah, perhaps somebody out there is making or is developing a shoe that'll be close to what I wind up needing.

I wish I could have snuck into that session with the runners on the grass, and then isolated my data to see what makes my feet different.

[tsjafo.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you remember Earth shoes, shoes with the toes higher than the heel. They might be worth a look.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I've heard of this property of Earth shoes, but I've never worn any. A quick google search confirms that they're still available. Interesting! The tilt isn't as strong as those post-op shoes. I should ask my doc whether they'd be harmful to my heels.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Oh crud, they don't come in wide.

[tsjafo.livejournal.com]

After talking to your doctor and getting the proper sole placement, cushioning, etc., you may want to see if you can find a place that will hand make shoes for you. The military made boots for me for the last ten years I was in the service and I sure miss them now because they fit.

Recently I got a pair of shoes by a company called "Streetcar." I'd never heard of 'em before but their leather slip-ons are the first shoes I've had that don't cut off the circulation when my feet and ankles swell. Perfect shoes for someone like me with big fat fe...er...a "firm foundation."

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I like the idea of custom shoes. Hersey looks like a good bet.

"Firm foundation"! I like that!

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

hrm, i wonder... adding to the above, would making some sort of cut-out area for the spot that ouchy help even more? like the Dr Scholl's Corn Cushions (http://www.drscholls.com/product.aspx?prodid=48), but bigger and probably sturdier.

what's the verdict on the pressure-wrapping you'd done pre-op? still allowed? still work?

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

The orthotics I wore pre-op do indeed have a cut-out. So does one pair of thick cushiony flip-flops I made pre-op. I haven't tried the orthotics post-op 'cause I can't get into any of my old shoes, but the flip-flops are... better'n nothing. I wear them in the shower.

The pressure wrapping is probably still allowed. At least, it probably will be after I stop having to wrap my feet with Coban 24/7. One more week!

[platypus]

Oh my god. Custom shoes for only $200ish? Why the fuck am I buying shoes that don't fit for $150? Except there's a $200 setup... hrm. This Hersey stuff would be totally worth it if they could make a shoe that fit me.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah, there's the last. And I don't know whether the last fee is for ONE last or TWO lasts. But still. I've paid $263 for shoes I couldn't wear for more than an hour, so I feel your pain. Never ever again!

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

Those geta look horribly uncomfortable. I'm sure I'd fall off and break my ankle if I tried to walk in them!

The flip-flops you linked to don't look very cushiony, actually. All the flip-flops I've ever seen look soft but actually have no give to speak of. (But then again I only look at cheap ones, so maybe good ones are softer?) I don't think the platform flip-flops would be any softer than the normal ones.

crazyladynocats's idea of cutting a hole in a soft insole sound like a good one. They make heel pads with holes in them for heel spurs ... why not full-length pads with holes in them for forefoot pain?! You can't cut up gel insoles, but buy a pair of good-quality thick foam ones, and cut a hole in the appropriate place. You can make the hole as big as it needs to be as long as there's a little bit along each edge to connect the front and back to keep them in place. Why not try a $20 fix before you go for the $200 fix!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yes, the geta do take practice. But they're not too different in concept from my post-op shoes. Those took practice too, and I had to do that practice while wrapped in big balls of gauze and recovering from local anaesthesia, and I did eventually get the hang of it. So I suppose I can figure out geta too.

The flip-flops are about as cushiony as the inside of my post-op shoes. I have one pair already; pre-op, I cut big holes out of them under the 3d and 4th met heads. I now wear them in the shower because they're a whole lot better than standing on porcelain. (I agree that the platform wouldn't be any softer. It could, however, have chunks carved out of the bottom, to experiment on shoe shape. In case I can't find inexpensive geta.)

I have some gel insoles that can be cut, actually - they're all full of teeny bits, not one big gel compartment. I'm already trying those. One pair is inside my new sandals, under a pair of foam insoles. I'll probably rubber-cement all that down soon. If I find flat shoes, I'll put a soft insole down first, then another one with a hole in it, and then I can rubber-cement the whole shebang together. That'd be a good approach with the flip-flops or the geta.

BETTER THAN A HOBBY SWAP!??

[moriamerri.livejournal.com]

Okay, I only thought of this NOW, on RE-reading this
whole thread---- anyway I am *excited*:

A SHOE TRY OUT PARTY

Have a shoe try out and swap event. Okay, okay, this is
limited by the fact that we all have different sized
feet. None the less: advertise at shoe stores, and
?orthopedists? ?podiatrists? ?foot-clinics?
--wherever the foot with special needs is likely to
be found.

PROCEDURE:

Everyone brings ALL of their shoes. The more unusual
the better, of course. All the shoes brought
have to be labelled with owner's names. Then put
in ?different rooms? ?different corners? by size.

Then everyone spends some prearranged time (a couple
of hours?) trying on any shoes that interest them,
and walking around, etc. Then everyone helps to sort
the shoes and get them back to proper owners.
Possibly while eating snacks or trading phone numbers.

Problem: it would be hard or impossible to leave early.
All those shoes roaming around.

Risk: some shoes could get lost or stolen.

Sad limitation: more common sizes have more shoes to try.

Possible opportunity: maybe some foot docs or shoe companines
would either "sponsor" or attend and provide free advice,
shoes to try out, fitting tips, ???

Important need: how to label all the shoes so the labels
do NOT come off? The labels could have room for other info
besides owner's name, too -- type of shoes, size,
how old they are?, cost? whether the shoes are available
for trade or sale???

Oh! everyone should wear nametags with name (duh) and
shoe size. I can really imagine there would be a LOT
of discussion about the shoes. Which ones we like/love/
hate. How they feel. "Let's see, these shoes I have
on are from Katie. Where is Katie? Katie, do you
like these? Do you wear them much? Do you know if
they come in other colors??"

I'm not sure if trading/selling shoes is just tooo
complicated. Maybe that could be done AFTER the
"try on" event ends, as a separate optional thing.
Just the try-on would be complicated enough.

I'd find it really interesting to try out lots of
shoes. I'd never worn Birkenstocks till a friend
recently sold me some at a garage sale. Now they
are my favorites. (Sadly, I somehow lost them at
STtSG, and have to buy some....)

I'm picturing this as a shoe party that is especially
oriented to feet with special needs, but hope that
everyone would be welcome. But the more unusual shoes
that attend, the more it would be useful for feet with
special needs.

Suddenly I'm thinking this idea is not so great.
Maybe everyone with special shoe needs has already
figured out what kind of shoes to get? Maybe this
wouldn't attract many people with really interesting
shoes?

Re: BETTER THAN A HOBBY SWAP!??

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Y'know what we'd need to make this work BEAUTIFULLY is a space age gizmo that will temporarily resize a foot. Need to try on this lovely size nine shoe that might leave space for your bunion? POOF you're a size nine for the next few minutes! Then you can go buy the appropriate size shoe, knowing it will work.

Even without that, though... the more I brainstorm about my feet, the more I hear about all my friends' and coworkers' foot pain. I swear half the people at my company wear orthotics and a quarter have had surgery. It's incredible how many people's feet hurt. So there might well be enough weird shoes out there!

What size Birks do you wear? I have two pair of sevens I can't wear, and I'd gladly hand 'em over if they'd work for you.

Re: BETTER THAN A HOBBY SWAP!??

[moriamerri.livejournal.com]

Oh, thanks so much for the offer, I'm more like 8 1/2 or 9, I think (I'm notoriously bad at remembering sizes I wear--- but 7 is for sure too small.)

Finding someone (or more) who is/are size 7 is a really swell thing to do though--- the friend I got the Birks from was getting rid of LOTS of shoes, many new or nearly new. I paid her some for them, but felt it was a very good deal. Actually, I don't remember now, but it probably WAS some foot problem that led her to get rid of many shoes... :(

Modified shoe party: could be just size 7 shoe party -- limits attendees, but then everyone there is more size compatibility.

I *swear* there is some as-yet-not-happening way to trade and borrow and give away stuff that would be wonderful. Or, actually, I think there must be SO MANY not-happening ways to trade and get stuff that could be wonderful. Makes my mind just spin.

Re: BETTER THAN A HOBBY SWAP!??

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Aw darn. I hope I can find the right person to give these to. And I hope you find a pair you like to replace the lost ones!

True, could limit a shoe swap party by size. The reason I'm getting rid of the sevens is that they don't fit me -- I got them secondhand myself. I am, sadly, about a 5 EEE or EEEE. Now THERE is an "exclusive" party: guest list = one person! ;-)

Or, actually, I think there must be SO MANY not-happening ways to trade and get stuff that could be wonderful.

Absolutely!