Advice on lessening the agony from wearing heels all night.

December 4, 2006 7:29 AM

I need advice on lessening the agony from wearing heels all night.

So, i've just bought some shoes very similar to this: http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=220195&CategoryID=2871 except the heel is a solid wedge. They are Nine West though; just can't find them online.

Anyway, I'm going to a party in two weeks and will be wearing the shoes. As it's at a club, the likelihood of spending a great deal of time standing is, well, likely. I've been able to find posts about how to walk in heels - not a problem for me - or where to get comfy heels - not really much use right now...

What I'm looking for is any suggestions regarding how to increase comfort for the evening! Such as, should I wear the shoes around the house as much as possible to get my feet used to them? Should I move around more on the night or stand with my feet still?

Any little tips appreciated. Merry Christmas season!

posted by angryjellybean to clothing, beauty, & fashion (14 comments total)

Those don't look too uncomfortable - I think you bought well, assuming you bought correctly. Assuming you got the right size, you should be ok. I don't think it's going to be agony.

Anyway, I've heard that just wearing new shoes in the house, even, can make a big difference. Something about how the heat from your feet makes the glue soften a little.

And here's from somewhere on the web, can't remember where: "Wear your shoes for a half hour to an hour every day, taking them off as soon they start to hurt. After a few days,you should feel more comfortable in your new shoes.
To keep from sliding around on the shiny soles, use a bit of sandpaper and "rough up" the soles, especially the area under the toes. There are many different types of aids to help make a shoe more comfortable even after "breaking them in," and can be purchased at large shoe stores or some drugstores. These include special small gel pads for the balls of the feet, heel inserts to help minimize chafing at the back of the shoe, and rough patches to glue onto the bottom of a slick sole, affording you better traction."
posted by Amizu at 7:36 AM on December 4, 2006

I'm a big fan of the Dr Scholl's massaging gel products (http://www.drscholls.com/product.aspx?prodid=80), especially the insole for women's open toe shoes.

As for your behavior, yes, break them in, scuff the bottoms up on the sidewalk if they are slick so you won't slip. I think moving more would help unless they give you blisters, and alternating which foot you lean on gives half-way relief for when they are hurting. See if you can sit down for a few minutes too. But don't take the shoes off! If your feet have swollen, they will hurt a lot more once you try to put the shoes back on.
posted by rmless at 7:39 AM on December 4, 2006

footpetals.

resist the temptation to slip your feet out of them until you are at home; it's counterproductive. when you get home, if your lower back is bothering you, do the modified corpse pose (lie on your back with your arms at your sides, palms down, with your legs elevated, bent at the knee and resting on a chair or the sofa or something similar).
posted by crush-onastick at 7:40 AM on December 4, 2006

Make sure you stretch your Achilles too. Both before wearing the shoes and evening/day after. (Place a few books on the ground., maybe 3. Stand behind it. Place the toes of one foot onto the stack, leaving the heel on the ground. Breathe. Repeat with other foot.)
posted by typewriter at 8:30 AM on December 4, 2006

Cute shoes!

A friend once passed along a trick for making leather shoes less likely to rub -- use a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol to wet all the leather on the shoes, then put them on. The few times I've tried it, it's turned totally uncomfortable shoes into some of my favorite pairs to wear.

I'm guessing, however, it's not so great for the leather, which is why I don't tend to do it all that often.
posted by occhiblu at 8:35 AM on December 4, 2006

I don't go out in heels unless I'm wearing my Dr. Scholl's Party Feet. I buy these in the UK - your profile doesn't say where you are located, but if you're in the US, these seem to be the exact same product. They make an unbelievable difference - thank god, because I will never be one of those buy-shoes-for-comfort-women.
posted by meerkatty at 8:43 AM on December 4, 2006

Occhiblu: do you rub the alcohol on the inside of the shoe or the outside?

/derail
posted by LunaticFringe at 8:46 AM on December 4, 2006

The one pair I had the most success with, I rubbed it on the inside, but that's because the shoes were suede and so it seemed to make the most sense.
posted by occhiblu at 9:10 AM on December 4, 2006

wear them around the house a bit and when you go out, drink a lot, just not enough to get unwalky.
posted by henryis at 12:50 PM on December 4, 2006

Also, make sure to wear hose and keep a small stock of bandaids. Find out where the rubbing is and put pre-cautionary bandaids there and then put on the hose. The hose should reduce chaffing around the rest of your feet. This might sound a bit crass, but if you're drinking that night, you'll be less likely to notice the pain. I've gone out partying in some pretty uncomfortable heels and never noticed a thing, but when I wear them to the brunch on Sunday morning, suddenly they're murder on my feet.
posted by zoomorphic at 12:55 PM on December 4, 2006

Being on my feet all night in heels hurts the balls of my feet and the small of my back. If this is the same problem you're anticipating, I highly recommend Insolia. It doesn't just cushion the ball of the foot, it makes it feel like you're wearing a much lower heel. :)

(If rubbing and blistering are problems for you, you should reconsider the size and fit of the shoes you're buying...)
posted by Andrhia at 1:39 PM on December 4, 2006 [1 favorite]

This is going to sound like stupid advice, but for me, sitting down and slipping them off when possible over the course of the evening helps to stretch out the amount of time I can spend in heels. And minimizing the amount of walking it takes to get to my destination.

The things we do to wear cute shoes...
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 12:02 AM on December 5, 2006

Use moleskin instead of bandaids. It works much, much better to prevent or protect blisters.
posted by BoscosMom at 12:28 AM on December 5, 2006

Screw the band-aids - silicone lube is the best thing in the world for preventing blisters. I've linked one of the more common brands, but the el cheapo silicone stuff will do the job too. No glue marks, no ugly band-aids on your heels.

I'll second the Party Feet, too. Silcone for the win!
posted by Jilder at 5:07 AM on December 5, 2006