Help needed for an older friend - CANNOT find shoes which her knobbly feet!

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Can anyone help? My friend has arthritic joints in her middle toe and big toe. She needs some smart shoes but cannot find any which don’t hurt her feet. Her feet aren’t wide so traditional ‘wide fit’ shoes are too big but but she does need room around her toes.

Can anyone suggest a shop/online retailer she could try? She’s looked at having some made but they are several thousand pounds!!

Thanks!

I'd be surprised if barefoot shoes were comfortable for someone with arthritic feet: yes, they have foot-shaped toe boxes, but the defining characteristic is a very thin, flexible sole. They provide almost no cushioning or impact absorption.

They do provide very good proprioceptive feedback and promote intrinsic foot muscle strength, but I really wouldn't recommend them for an arthritis sufferer looking for comfort.

They aren't exactly stylish.

I have wide feet and bunions and find Hotter very comfortable - about the only shoes I can buy and wear straight away without an extended period of wearing them once a week, letting blisters heal in between. I seem to have narrow heels so if they fit at the front they always rub at the heel but I don't find that with Hotter.

Before anyone comes on saying Hotter aren't trendy - long gone are the days when I was prepared to suffer for 'style' 😃

Yes, but the brief is “something smart that doesn’t hurt her feet” which have a difficult shape due to arthritis. Not something stylish. I’ve got different type of difficult feet and just knowing what the full range of options that don’t actually hurt, is a much needed thing. Of course if they can be stylish and lovely too, that’s great. But first, something that doesn’t actually hurt and can be classed as “smart” which I’m taking to mean leather, not trainers, “suitable for work” shoes.

@Talipesmum , they are hideous. Hideous shoes do not look smart.
OP said Her feet aren’t wide so traditional ‘wide fit’ shoes are too big but but she does need room around her toes.
but you suggested shoes For extra wide or swollen feet.

Could a wide fit with a half insole work? So she gets the benefit of a roomy toe box but without all the width she doesn’t need.

I have wide trotters so can’t recommend any from personal experience, but my mother has arthritis and has had some success with various hotter styles. Whisper boots a favourite for winter. For summer this year she got elastic sandals - I think from Deichmann.

You can’t get smart and suitable for extra wide toes in one because of how smart is defined for women which is slender

smart mens shoes are not smart on women

it almost certainly will involve a larger shoe with laces to hold feet in place and perhaps some insoles

A friend with this issue wears Sargasso and Grey shoes, or Solebliss. Sargasso and Grey have some very smart styles, but they are designed for feet with bunions or other foot issues that need room at the toe joint.

No, I suggested browsing on a site that enabled filtering by toe shape and medical condition including the one in the OP. And I specifically tried to explain (although I may have done it badly) that the shoes we’d tried from there seemed to be more about extra height than extra width, and if needing room around her toes is important, I thought extra height might be useful. Plus I suggested calling the company for advice as they clearly think hard about different shoe shapes for different food conditions.

I think I’m just so tired personally (for me and for my son) of trying to find just anything that will work at all. Anything that will fit the basic brief and go on my feet (or particularly my son’s). Aiming for style feels like too much of a luxury a lot of the time. I appreciate this isn’t the right view for everyone. I didn’t actually suggest cosyfeet myself. I was just being snarky at someone who dropped in to criticise them without giving any actual suggestions (not you, you gave great suggestions).

Has she looked at barefoot style shoes? They can be expensive but might be worth it. They do different styles. I have dodgy toes and need a big toe box despite having narrow feet. Barefoot shoes are designed to allow the toes to spread. For everyday, I find running shoes the best as they also have lots of room at the toe (but obviously not much good for a smart shoe)

@Talipesmum Sorry if I was rude. My recs weren't great but I had a look because it is so hard to find good shoes for feet that aren't 'average'.

I have arthritis in one of my big toes and all my dress shoes are Pavers. I also have Rieker sandals which are very comfortable, and have Skechers trail trainers and sandals if I want to do a lot of walking.

I also have the problem of narrow heels and find most loafer style shoes are like flipflops on me.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/orthotic-services/#:~:text=Orthotic%20services%20provide%20prescription%20insoles,or%20live%20with%20lifelong%20conditions. Has she asked her GP for help? They may refer her for orthotics

OK. So she needs to talk to people who understand this condition. Tell her to join the Hallux Rigidus Support Group on Facebook. They have lists of suitable retailers and shoes etc. The posters on here are well meaming but don't understand what the condition is or what it needs.

Fit flops - not the widest range but omg so padded and lovely and wide in the toe box. Game changer for me. I came home and sent about five pairs of shoes to the charity shop.

Thanks so much everyone - I’ve passed on all the shop suggestions and the Facebook group recommendation, hopefully she can find something which works!