Please help my poor feet.

[Greebosmum]

I am 62, overweight, I have flat feet and a tendency to plantar fascitis (spelling?).

What I need is a pair of comfortable shoes that don't make my wide fitting size 7s look awful, but are comfortable enough to walk a couple of miles in.

I have some Birkenstock shoes which are comfortable but heavy and make my ankles ache. Also have some Skechers, they were good in the past but they seem to have stopped making those particular ones I liked the replacements I bought are awful.

Happy to spend about £100 or a bit more if I can find something that works.

I am relying on you ladies.

Thank you.

I like Adidas trainers.. and have plantar fasciitis badly in my right foot.
So you can buy high arch insoles such as Valsoles from Amazon for plantar fasciitis & most Adidas trainers have removable insoles (check before buying) which you can replace with the PF friendly insoles.
I've got Adidas Superstars white flatform trainers with black patent stripes & black suede Adidas Campus trainers which I wear with my PF insoles all the time when out and about, comfy & on trend.
I also recently discovered my nice black & pink New Balance trainers insoles are removable too!

I do have some smarter footwear for occasions where I only have to walk a short way eg to a restaurant/ bar.

At work (healthcare assistant) I wear plain black Clarks trainers with removable insoles, they were my mums & they're fine for work but not really fashionable.

Sorry meant to say my feet are a 6, the superstars & campus trainers are rounded at the toes so they make your feet look slightly shorter. You can get them in various places I got mine online from Office & Schuh.
They have regular sales but usually you would pay at least £79 for new trainers.

Birkenstock Bend Low leather trainers. So comfy, and not too weighty. I preach the benefits of them to anyone who will listen 😅

I'm also considering trying some Vivobarefoot but I have foot issues and I'm nervous that they'll offer too little padding.

Thank you so much. Off to do some googling now.

Following as I need some classic trainers to do an hours walk each day (school run). Currently wearing colourful nike flyknits but am trying to have a better sense of style so I need something a bit more neutral.

Also have plantar fasciitis recently and I don't want to risk it again

There's so many different lines of Sketchers that I'd be surprised if you can't find something that works! I love mine, have wide feet too and they're so comfortable!

Hush puppy shoes and new balance trainers have worked for me. Uggs and ballet flats caused the trouble in the first place!

I believe we have the same feet and trainers collection!

I love all my Adidas but will have a look at New Balance.

Op, stick to leather trainers and structured leather boots for support.
I find anything that laces up best.

I would love to wear other things that look cool but just can't.

@lookingforMolly I bought those Valsoles and they are great. Not sure why I wasted money on cheap ebay copies! Currently looking at Air Force 1s as an option for my PF

AF1s are nice but I've got a pair & couldn't remove the insoles!

As we are in winter, why not go for a flat or wedge ankle leather boots from brands like Ecco or Fly London or Rieker? Choose something with a grip. I personally find Asics trainers better than Sketchers. All the padding in sketchers offers little ankle stability and leaves my feet achy despite the insane padding. When you walk on uneven trains, broken pavements .. etc all that cushioning like slippers in them offers little stability and too much bounce for my liking.

Vivobarefoot gave me plantar fasciitis.

Also with your tendency to get Plantar Fasciitis I hope you're wearing slippers all the time at home and doing your calf stretches? Oofos and Vionic sliders are great.

Yep, I always wear good quality slippers, never go bare foot. Flats are right out. Maybe I should give up on trainers and go on a shoe hunt. I do have some nice boots but they aren't that comfy. Will check out the suggested brands. Thanks all.

Having recently had a podiatrist appointment I asked him about Skechers footwear. I also have flat feet and now have bespoke orthotic insoles.

The podiatrist said that he doesn't recommend skechers without arch support, so buy the Arch Fit Skechers if you want Skechers. Don't buy the ones without.

He also said that ballet flat are the worst shoes of all that anyone can wear as they offer no support at all.

My Active Camel boots are the most comfortable thing I have ever found.

They do lace up ones and slightly smarter ones like this.

https://amzn.to/3RzyiLI

Get supportive insoles something like this. Ankle support will help too. I've just worked my way out of plantar facitis. Physio recommends Insoles, flat shoes, ankle support, exercises and lots of walking. It took the best part of a year, but it's "cured" for now.

I get PF too. Am very careful to mainly wear footwear with good arch support. I find Fitflop good. I have their slippers, flip flops and Rally trainers and wellies.

I have had all the same issues as you. Short term, find shoes that help like PP's have recommended, long term you need to do work around strengthening your ankles and building strength and flexibility in your feet.

Reformer Pilates, yoga, mat Pilates will all help. I've gone from having weak ankles prone to injury and PF so painful that I had to talk myself into standing up in the morning to happily being barefoot. It's hard work and hurts while you work on it but it if it improves, it's worth it.

I buy mainly Vionic Shoes as they all have specialist insoles for Plantar Fasciitis. I do have partial insoles that I can add to other boots but they're never as comfortable. Vionic do some wide fit styles too & walking shoes/boots. I have the walking unisex trainers & they're pretty good. Wearing Vionic slippers with great arch support was one of the best things for me though. If your feet are really painful a physio can help.

I hate that all these specialist footwear brands are only available online. I don't want to spend most of my time queuing in the post office to return footwear every time I want to buy a new pair of shoes.

So I tend to buy Rieker, Pavers and any other brand that I can go into an actual shop and try on. Hotter and Ecco have pulled out of our local shopping mall so that rules them out as well. However, I did manage to find a really comfortable pair of ankle boots at Charles Clinkard recently.

I second FitFlop, and especially their Rally trainers. I am also overweight and have suffered from plantar fasciitis in the past, these helped enormously. I can also walk for miles in them. I recently bought their Hyker boots and shoes and find these very comfortable as well. They have the added advantage of being waterproof.

Aaargh! I didn’t realise that Ecco had gone too. Not much left !

Is Leeds any better for shoes @IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads?

No idea! Leeds is work.... Sheffield is fun.

Even though I mostly work in York now!

I'm a size 9. Nowhere on the high street is good for shoes!