Smart shoes for arthritic feet?

[BrownTableMat]

I have quite bad osteoarthritis in my toe joints which causes pain and restricts movement. The podiatrist tells me my only shoe options are really running trainers (eg Hoka Bondi). However, I am only in my mid 40s and have quite a senior role in a job where I am expected to dress reasonably smartly. I normally wear flat black shoes or boots, brogues and the like, to work. Apparently these aren’t the absolute worst, but I really should be wearing trainers as much as possible. Does anyone have experience of shoes which help with foot arthritis but aren’t trainers or pig ugly? It doesn’t help that my feet are really narrow and most specialist footwear is for wide fits.

If you had wide feet, I'd be recommending Sole Bliss which are fab for my arthritic feet. But I do find the biggest difference for me is wearing proper insoles which unload my big toe joint like these collapsed forefoot insoles and then I can wear them in any shoe where the insole can be removed. Hotter don't do a narrow fit, but their standard might work with the insoles in as their foot bed is removable.

How are ankle boots?

I have had Plantar Fasciitis before in 2016 and have flat feet, one leg slightly longer than the other, wonky hips, and hence a hallux valgus on my right foot (which apparently is arthritis in the big toe) and find ankle boots with a small heel about the comfiest footwear possible.

I put arch supporting/PF insoles in all my shoes which cost about £8 a pair on Amazon, and can get away with any sort of flat shoes like brogues as long as they have the insoles in them.

Also I've been doing yoga for five years now and have had zero foot problems since I started that, no toe pain (which I started getting in my 20s) or recurrence of PF. My yoga teacher is keen on toe/sole stretches and foot strength- I can kneel with my feet flat but she challenges us to put our heels up and rest on our toes - excruciating at first but I can almost kneel back with my feet in that position now, and I can now do things like squat down while balancing on my toes and push myself up to a standing position without lowering my heels - and reverse it!

Saw a podiatrist in my 30s who said I'd likely need foot surgery in ten years. I'm 48 and it doesn't look like I will need it for the foreseeable.

I have severe foot issues.

I usually wear shoes that are on the borderline between trainers and shoes if you know what I mean.

They aren't beautiful but they do make a massive difference to my feet.

Skechers usually have a good range of very supportive black shoes/trainers.

I have the same foot issues (since early 40s I'm now 50) and I'm afraid the only shoes I find truly comfortable for daily use are trainers. I wear black Nike Internationalist when I want to look smarter (e.g at work conferences). I do occasionally wear flat ankle boots, but if I wore them daily I'd be in too much pain - not worth it! You could look at Fitflop or Birkenstock boots, but they do tend to look quite clumpy. Im not a fan of the fit-flop styles but personally like Birkenstock. I can imagine if your personal style is more dainty/ conventionally "feminine" then it could be tricky

You could also look at Pikolinos - their shoes and boots tend to be nice and soft and well made. Don't even think about any heels though!

Thanks all, that’s some useful leads. I do have a pair of Birkenstocks sandals that I find comfortable so maybe I’ll investigate their boots. I have also been looking at fitflops - in the past I’ve found them too wide but they’ve got a Chelsea boot style that they say is narrower. I’m not particularly dainty or feminine, thankfully - I just do customer-facing stuff at work most days for which I absolutely must wear smart black shoes/boots. So it’s investigating the ideas people have given and/or potentially insoles. And wearing trainers when I’m not working or when I have a desk day/internal meetings only, I guess.

Oh, and I never wear heels as I also have a bad back/sciatica.

OP unsupportive shoes will cause back pain, and it can be severe 😞
I hope you found some trainers and/or insoles your feet were happy with

I have terrible foot back and hip pain and extremely difficult to find trainers that work. So I do understand
old post so probably too late but there’s a US site for problematic feet-Hitchcock WideShoes.com but I noticed they also have narrower shoes too.