My feet are killing me.

August 31, 2011 5:56 PM

Please help me find boots/shoes with sufficient arch and ankle support!

I am a petite woman with medium-high arches. Lately I have been getting pain in my heels and some pain in my arches while I am walking. The most comfortable pair of shoes I own is the Teva Meadow Luxe, which have a built in arch that fits my foot and basically eliminate my foot pain. Unfortunately, they are sandals. I live in a temperate climate and can only wear sandals for ~4-5 months a year.

Additionally, my ankles aren’t great. About 2 years ago I twisted my ankle while wearing Dansko clogs (which are known to cause this problem), and took a dive into the pavement. Broke my front teeth and punctured my lip. Not fun. Just now I managed to fall again thanks to my ankle twisting while wearing shoes that had never given me problems. I’m fine, but not keen on a repeat performance. So I would ideally like some sort of ankle support.

What I’m looking for would have:
-Great arch support for someone with medium-high arches
-Ankle support (this is optional since I don't want to just wear boots and high tops, but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated)
-A toebox that isn’t really narrow. I don’t have wide feet, but if the shoe runs narrow it won’t fit.
-A non-orthopedic look. Keen shoes might be the most comfy shoes ever, but they’re so ugly I wouldn’t wear them. Style-wise I tend to prefer sneakers that look something like Converse or Adidas Sambas. For dress shoes I prefer shoes that look like men’s dress shoes. I can wear a heel up to about 1 inch before it becomes hard to walk. I'm flexible about style for boots, but not a fan of long break-ins.

I am also open to suggestions for inserts/insoles.

(I am aware of Barking Dog Shoes, but I rarely see shoes there with the sort of built in arch support that works best for my feet.)

posted by Logic Sheep to clothing, beauty, & fashion (5 answers total)

check out this brand:

Keen

I have 2 pairs and I LOOOOVE them.

many styles, very good support, worth the money!
posted by supermedusa at 6:07 PM on August 31, 2011 [1 favorite]

Oh, wow. I take back what I said about Keens being ugly, the Coronados look like slightly chunky Converse. And the toebox is generous. I would definitely wear them as a casual sneaker.
posted by Logic Sheep at 6:17 PM on August 31, 2011

If you like the mens-dress shoe look, I might suggest Ariat, although they've gone downhill in the last couple of years.

http://www.ariat.com/English/Women/Footwear/PaddockBoots/
posted by Lesser Shrew at 7:50 PM on August 31, 2011

Something to consider is to replace the original insole of your shoe with Superfeet insoles (~30$). Subjectively, their arch support is almost as good as the support in Dansko clogs. Between the Dansko clogs and the Superfeet insoles (that I put into a pair of Sambas), I almost never have foot pain associated with plantar fasciitis.

Superfeet also makes thinner insoles for dress shoes.
posted by scalespace at 7:58 PM on August 31, 2011 [4 favorites]

For winter shoes: have you tried Dansko Mary Jane/buckled or lace-up styles?

Mephisto's AllRounder line has sportier looking shoes with removable insoles. They tend fit wider feet nicely but also tend to be more expensive.

For fun, if you are near Canada, see if you can find a store to try on Fluevogs. I am not sure how great they are for ankle support, but lots of their shoes & boots have buckles or laces for a snug individual fit. And they look amazing. I apologize in advance if you suddenly have urges to spend $600 on shoes.
posted by SarahbytheSea at 8:19 PM on August 31, 2011