The Plantar Fasciitis diaries – Shoes and inserts
For want of a shoe the horse was lost
This is a discussion of a specific point – for a summary of PF treatment see previous article
One of the most common remedies you will get for PF is to procure new shoes and/or inserts. This is great advice as long as you realize that your foot is different from everyone else’s, including the person giving you the advice.
A common theme among these shoe/insert remedies is someone will tell you to get a specific insert for your shoe because that specific insert cured their PF. This may be true, but I caution you that your foot is different than there’s and your injury is different than theirs.
There is no universal insert to cure PF. You are going to have to do your own legwork and will more than likely have to try a few before you hit on the ones that work best for you.
The goal, with any shoe, or insert, when treating the PF is to take the pressure and stress off of the injured area so it can heal. That’s what you’re looking for. It’s hard to know what works but it is a lot easier to know what doesn’t work.
Let’s start with Inserts.
I am not talking about orthotics from your doctor. That’s a whole other topic. I’m talking about off-the-shelf inserts that you put in your shoe. I have tried a few different varieties of these. There are full length inserts and heel only inserts. There are rigid and soft inserts. There are cushioned inserts and gel inserts.
In general the trick is to find that insert which supports your foot in such a way as to take the pressure off of your injury. I have high arches and an insert that works for me is going to have to support the arch.
In order of precedence then…given my foot type and injury…Inserts with just cushion and no arch support were the least effective. Rigid inserts with no cushion but strong arch support were mildly effective in taking stress off the injury. Link http://www.yoursole.com/products/
By far the most effective, for me, were simple Dr. Scholl’s heel and arch supports from the drug store. They have a very forgiving gel cushion and I nice high arch. Off-the-shelf-inserts
Next, casual shoes.
Again there are slippers and sandals that people will claim cured their PF. The caveat here is the same. Your foot is different. You will have to shop around.
I was injured in the summer and in the summer I don’t wear shoes if I don’t have to. I usually wear cheap Crocs. These Crocs have no cushioning or support. When I got injured I switched to a sandal with arch support. http://www.yoursole.com/products/
I also wore my running shoes with orthotics to work when I could get away with it. I have put both the rigid and cushioned inserts in my running shoes. For my foot the same elements apply. The best combinations of cushioning and arch support were the kindest to the injury as it healed.
The most comfortable combination now seems to be my Brooks Launch with the gel heel inserts. Although the Ghosts work well too. The shoes with less arch are not as forgiving. But, again, that is for my foot. Your foot is different.
Work shoes
This was the real stinker for me. I’d have my injury feeling better and then after a few days in business shoes it would be angry again. Even with the inserts my traditional business shoes are not good for the PF.
I wear a suit and tie and with that I wear traditional Bostonian shoes. These shoes have a high rigid heel and thick inflexible leather sole. They beat the crap out of my PF. The problem is that it is tough to find professional looking shoes that don’t crunch the injury.
Currently I have switched to a pair of loafers with a rubber sole and a lower heal. These seem to be much kinder on the foot. These are the attributes that you are looking for. A shoe with a flexible rubber sole and a lower cushioned heel. I bought these.
I had to go to DSW (a shoe warehouse store) and keep trying on shoes until I found some that might work. They aren’t perfect but with the gel heel insert they let me walk through airports without being crippled.
An interesting side note is that I had to also learn to walk differently. In the Bostonians with their high, stiff heel I walked with a classic heel-strike-lever stride. I could make excellent time this way but the impact on the foot was enormous and unforgiving. With the new shoes I’m having to learn to walk with less heel.
Summary.
I’d love to tell you there is a silver bullet here. That there is a magic insert you can buy that will make your PF disappear. I cannot. There may be a perfect insert/shoe combination for you, but you are going to have to find it.
Understand your foot’s structure before you start buying. Try to find those inserts that match your profile. Be prepared to buy, try and move on if it doesn’t work. Be prepared to give away a few pairs of shoes.
It’s a process of trial and error and the best you can hope for is to make it a mindful process of trial and error.