Shoe torture, old feet ?

[Lilith Moon]

I bought some new heels for the UK Sparkle event. They seemed to fit me fine at home, definitely not too small. After wearing them for a couple of days I could barely walk due to horrible blisters on both feet. I do have bunions but they have never troubled me too much until now.

Any hints&tips for me ? These shoes were expensive, wide fitting, and seemed perfectly comfy at first. If I went up a size they would be too large. They are lowish 3 inch heels in black patent, one pair is Mary Jane style. The other pair is sort of court style with ankle straps.

I'm worried that I may have to wear flatties from now on....I *love* wearing heels

[Lorileah]

where are the blisters that will tell you a lot, On the balls of your feet you should get some cushion insoles (gel work nice) On the sides, some mole skin will help the rubbing. On the heels your heel may be too narrow and you can use heel padding to prevent slip. Sounds like even though they were comfortable your foot had a a slippage issue. One thing you should carry with you especially if the shoes are not broken in is a strip of moleskin. This will help stop slipping and cushion the area

[jenniferj]

Hi Lilith,

I think blisters happen for two reasons:

The shoe is too tight in one spot and forces the skin under it to move with the shoe rather than with the foot. I often get blisters on the back of my heels from the top edge of a new pair of shoes.

Ironically, you will also get blisters if the shoe is too loose and is sliding around when you walk. Nylons will help to "lubricate" these areas and prevent this. When I was a scout leader I always carried moleskin on hikes to fit to the "hot spots" that the kids got from ill-fitting boots; Maybe this will help until your feet build thicker skin where needed.

Obviously, if your shoes hurt your feet, don't wear them for two days straight (not that I haven't done the same thing ). Break the naughty girls in slowly.

The shoes sound delicious! Be patient.

-jj

[Mandy Burgundy]

I heard that taking aspirin or ibuprofen before you wear heels helps with the pain. Haven't tried it yet but I'm curious....

[Lorileah]

I heard that taking aspirin or ibuprofen before you wear heels helps with the pain. Haven't tried it yet but I'm curious....

Anytime you EXPECT to have pain you should take a pain reliever before it happens. Think of it like a lock and key. The pain molecule (the key) gets in the lock (the nerve cell) and you feel pain. The anti-inflammatory looks a lot like the pain key and it fits the same lock so it will prevent the pain key from getting in the lock. Less pain.

But wearing shoes that fit would be better. (yeah like I do that)

[Sharon]

I think you may only need to get used to wearing these shoes, and let them adapt to your feet.

[DonnaT]

Band-Aid Blister Block Stick is supposedly the latest and greatest invention for blister prevention! It's the end all be all excuse for buying ridiculously expensive and uncomfortable shoes. Ahh, and this also happens to be great for your wedding day because let's face it: you can't really break in your wedding shoes without running the risk of getting them dirty!

This new product is an invisible shield that you swipe over the areas on your feet where you would normally get a blister. It actually looks kinda like a deodorant stick. The emollient coats and protects the skin from being rubbed raw by the friction of your stiff shoe. And, because it's invisible, it's safe to wear with open toe shoes and it isn't messy so it won't damage your shoes.

[kasha]

Have you tried socks or stockings? There are very small socks that just cover the toes and heel available. These might show a bit beyond the shoe, but it'll help prevent blisters.

Kasha

[PaulaJaneThomas]

Now you know why a fair few women have feet which are a mis-shapen, corn-ridden mess.

[Carly D.]

I had this problem with some of my shoes.. actually one pair.. I got them last winter and my toes hurt.. not just a little either.. so I wondered what was up with these shoes.. in my case the shoes are cheap payless knockoffs of the real deal.. I checked my toes and the big toe had a buildup of callosed skin.. I got out my trusty file and filed the skin back.. this didn't fix the problem.. but a couple weeks without wearing these shoes and my toes were fine.. I can't say this will fix your problem seeing as I don't know what fixed mine for sure.. I have on some occasions had to lose weight to get some shoes to wear right.. but mostly it might just be the mechanics of that particular pair of shoes.. and what I mean by mechanics is the overall wearing of the shoes.. they might be more suited to be toe shoes where you walk more on your toes and less on your heels.. or they might be the opposite.. or they might be a walking problem.. walk like and egyptian.. I don't know..

[dilane]

Hi Lilith,

Blisters are almost always caused by too-tight shoes.

Generally, leather shoes (especially if the leather is thin) will gradually stretch out and adapt to your feet. However, if the shoes are just a tad tight, I will be hobbled by blisters before this natural stretching happens.

Therefore I use a shoe stretcher to loosen the shoes up in the width and length department -- you can get 1/16 to 1/8" stretch in length and width this way. I have to do this with all of my shoes because I'm just a bit over size 10, and a bit wider than the average woman's foot.

I leave the shoe in the stretcher for a few days, tightening it slightly daily, until I've gotten what I want.

Unfortunately patent leather (aka plastic) will not stretch with normal use. That's one of the reasons I don't own patent leather or even fabric topped shoes -- if they're not perfect for your foot, and it's hard to tell just trying a pair on, you're out of luck. Feet shrink and swell based on your salt and hydration levels, and how long you've been on your feet.

A friend of mine used a hair dryer in conjunction with a shoe stretcher to get her black patent pumps to fit properly, but I haven't tried this myself.

[Shelly Preston]

Hi Lilith

Having been at Sparkle I know how much walking around some people do

I even bought Flat shoes this year for the occasion and kept the heels for the evening. Last year I had sore feet for a week and that was in my most comfortable shoes

It may be the lenght of time you were on your feet causing the problem

[Nicki B]

Attempting to wear new shoes for Sparkle is simply a recipe for sore feet. Got the tee-shirt far too many times..

[Lilith Moon]

Hey, thanks all so much for your sympathy and suggestions. After 3 days my feet have stopped hurting continuously although there are still angry red patches where the blisters were.

I'm hoping it was simply brand new shoes worn for too long. I'll look at all the ideas here before I wear them again. I'll also try to break them in for short periods. I must admit I did wear them all day, which was stupid. But I bet most of you girls have done the same

I shall also get some flatties as a fallback, they will be better than the disgusting old male trainers I wore for the final day at Sparkles.

[PaulaJaneThomas]

During the day I'll invariably be wearing jeans (unless it's roasting hot) and ankle boots. The only sort of occasions where I'd be dolled up all day would be somewhere like Royal Ascot and on then (haven't been for years) I used wear a well-broken in pair of medium-heeled courts with a block heel.

[Ellen47]

I also get blisters from time to time. What works for me is I keep my feet soft and well grommed. I know this sounds silly, but works for me. I rub my feet with Vicks vapor rub nightly. Keeps them soft, no cracking and a real relaxing feeling.

Ellen