I do not self sabotage my body, including my feet/knees/hips/lower back/neck.
I broke a metatarsal in college. I broke a second one in the same (left) foot in 2012. I now have to have a broader, flat shoe which allows my foot bones to spread easily. So it is a bit like needing a wide shoe without having a wide foot. And I must have metatarsal support. So I need a closed shoe that presses down on the top of my feet. I need arch support pressing up too as that aligns my bones to protect my whole skeletal structure. The arch support protects my knees and hips and lower back. I am in pain almost immediately if I am not in the right shoes. In the right shoes, I have no pain.
My feet are very slender (from the floor up). If my feet were a steak, it would be a very thin cut. My shoe guy has to pad many of my shoes. These are pads under the tongue. This helps. But I also (usually) need shoes that adjust (buckle, Velcro, tie) so I can get them tight enough. Often we put layers under the shoe's insert to raise my foot in the shoe. Aetrex brand actually sends multiple, very thin, inserts to give fit options for each shoe.
My shoes are expensive. I have slowly built a shoe wardrobe over the last several years. EVERY pair of shoes I own is self protective. I do not have any self sabotage footwear.
I have custom inserts which I wear in some shoes (athletic and all my Aetrex).
I have a couple pairs of store bought inserts which work in some boots and shoes also. These are not inserts from Walmart. These are inserts from my good quality shoe store.
Some of my brands can be worn with the inserts that come in the shoes. Comfort Finns for example. I LOVE Comfort Finns. I can wear a few Finns as they are made. Other Finns require my shoe guy to add an arch cookie under the insert that comes in the shoe. Finns also sell different inserts separately. So I have one pair of Finns where the inserts that came with the shoes did not work, but a different pair of Finn inserts did work beautifully.
I have a shoe guy who is MY GUY. You can see from what I said that it takes a bit of time to shop for shoes. We are looking for fit, which sometimes requires a special order. Then we have to work with each pair of shoes to see if anything needs to be customized (padding, arch cookies, extra layer of insert to make shoe more snug, etc). So, I buy shoes from (pretty much) one shoe store in town.
All three of my kids have challenging feet. They have thick feet (they would be a thick cut steak). Middle and oldest need a lot of arch support because they have flat feet. If either are in the wrong shoes, they have knee issues immediately. Youngest has high arches and needs support to have her feet actually touching the shoe. She also has tiny feet (size 4-6 depending on shoe) which are wide. We have to special order for her a lot. But all three of these kids KNOW how to shop for shoes. They wear self protective shoes also. And they have great shoe wardrobes. Seriously great. But it takes time and care (and money) to find the right shoes.
These are my newest pair of shoes. These are Finns (Comfort Finns from Germany). Really like
them. There is a pad under the tongue to make these shoes snug enough for me (metatarsal support, you can see it in the second picture, you can't see it in real life). The inserts that came with the shoe is enough support for me.
These (next ones) are from Naot.
Shoe store had to special order a couple sizes for me to try. I must be a common size because every time I was in, they were out of my size. Shoe guy finally said - let's just order. It was European sizing, which I have never understood, so not sure what sizes they ordered. The smaller of the two is the size that fit. The larger of the two made me look as if I were a two year old wearing dad's boots (according to middle), I was swimming in the calves and ankles. These also zip and are nice and slim through the foot, ankle and calf. Really love these. Shoe guy needed to add arch cookie under insert which came in boot and then they were good for me. I wear these a lot with leggings and dresses/skirts. Middle was with me twice (trying on the special orders) with these boots. The first time my guy was gone and another clerk did not know what to do with me when I said I needed more support. My guy (second trip) figured out how to put cookie in these boots and we were good to go. My guy is also THE GUY for both girls. He really understands all of our feet.
I have been wearing these (below) with dresses and skirts this winter. They are new also. They are some type of soft suede by Merrell. Really love them. Notice how slim fitting they are. They zip up the inside. I have to have a zip boot. Anything that is made to be slip on (for the rest of the world) is way too big on my ankles and calves.
These are Finn Comforts. I actually bought them at a shoe store in the depths of Mayo in Rochester, MN (December of 2011). These are the shoes I mentioned (above) where we had to switch out on the insert that came in the shoe to another style made by Comfort Finns. The first insert was slightly too hard and inflexible. I tried wearing them (with the insert that came with them) for a few hours a day, thinking I would get used to them. But every time I increased the time, I had foot pain. So, I packed up all my Finn Comforts and went to my local shoe store and my shoe guy (fall of 2013 I think). I said - all of these are wonderful for me, what is different about this one (new) pair? And he said it was the insert. So, he put in new insert (also made by Finn) and an arch cookie (extra support under the arch). And I was able to wear them (successfully) for any length of time just like my other shoes.
Aetrex brand. Somehow I never seem to have occasion to wear these. I bought them thinking 'dressy skirts or dresses in shade of brown'. Honestly, with my surgery this winter, I didn't wear much of anything, so next year, will do.
Also Aetrex brand. Pads under both tongues and extra thin insert under my custom inserts.
I wear and wear and wear these. Aetrex Brand, black.
These are Aravon. They are foolers, in my opinion, because they look slender, but are not. I have plenty of width room in them. Yes, suede.
