Question for other fellow walkers - Page 3

MoJoV · ‎10-01-2010

I DO NOT recommend New Balance. Paid well over $100 for them,took that pair back...killed my feet. Second pair worse! Gave them to my daughter...she donated them. I've had Ryka they're ok. I now swear by a cheap pair I purchased at Walmart...I walk confortably for miles in them almost every day.

Trees are the lungs of the Earth

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

@SeaMaiden wrote:
Thanks to all who shared! I will consider all the responses before I purchase new shoes. I do have a bit of Plantar fasciitis it comes and goes on my right foot.. The orthotics I use are suppose to help with that.....

@SeaMaiden

I have had several bouts with Plantar Fasciitis, once on both feet at the same time. PF is not a thing that "comes and goes", unless you are talking weeks or months of pain as "coming and going".

PF is not the only problem when it comes to foot problems. What do you do while PF is still in the "coming stage", not the "going stage"? Even with high $$ custom made Orthotics, PF can and does still become a problem.

PF usually has it's onset from something done to the feet, or because the calf and Achilles Tendons are not flexible. Once those are.stretched to their maximum(won't be very far if the calf muscles and connecting tissues, along with the Achilles Tendons have been regularly stretched), the burden then becomes that of the Plantar Fascia.

Once that starts it's chances of coming and going are rare. I've known hundreds of runners who have experienced PF, and not a single one would describe it as "coming and going".

What are you doing for this problem to help prevent it? Never heard of it disappearing on it's own volition. Once the teeny tiny Plantar Fascia is even slightly nicked, it is so thin it can take even a year, with proper treatment to heal.

Hope all works out well for you,

hckynut(john)

PamelaSue72 · ‎09-22-2011

@MoJoV wrote:
I DO NOT recommend New Balance. Paid well over $100 for them,took that pair back...killed my feet. Second pair worse! Gave them to my daughter...she donated them. I've had Ryka they're ok. I now swear by a cheap pair I purchased at Walmart...I walk confortably for miles in them almost every day.

I do not recommend New Balance either. In my case, I kept falling while wearing the shoes. After I fell the third time, I took them off and tossed them in the basement. They went out in the trash the next day. I spent well over $100 for those shoes and I was professionally fitted for them.

I switched over to Brooks shoes and I really like them. In fact, I only wear Brooks now for walking. I keep my shoes for about 500 miles, then buy a new pair and use the old pair for mowing and for garden work. I walk a lot, so good shoes (and socks) are important to me.

In the last three years, I have walked over 5,700 miles and just recently received the Trans-Siberian Railway badge from Fitbit. All walked in Brooks shoes. They're comfortable and they're good shoes. A wee bit pricey, but worth every penny, IMO.

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

@PamelaSue72

I don't get the connection of falling and shoe brands while walking. Ice skates, especially if sharped with the wrong depth or rockered blades, that I get and understand. I also have experienced it because of my joking friend, that also did my skate sharpening. He knew I wanted only a 3/4 and he gave me 1/2, and that is like learning how to skate all over, and while reffing a game. I didn't find it amusing.

Glad you found the shoe that fits and works best for you. I tried Brooks and they were just too wide in places where my feet are narrow.

As a runner, I too retired my shoes at 500 miles. Mainly because with running, the impact degrades the cushioning of the midsole/outsole, and sometimes even the last. The last breaking down more with a full as opposed to a half and half.

Sure don't quite get the physics of walking, assuming without impact, and the same parts of a shoe losing it's properties. You got it figured out and that's all that matters.

Congrats to you also on getting the Fitbit Badge Award, that has to be fulfilling for you. Quite an accomplishment. Keep on movin'

hckynut(john)

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

New Balance or Asics for me. Whatever it is I wear, it has to be lace-up and it cannot have all that foam cushioning in it. All that foam cushioning is too soft for me and causes my feet to slide inward toward each other which causes foot pain for me.

I wish some of these companies, especially Skechers, would quit putting all that foam in their shoes.

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

@hckynut Good Morning John!

I never was diagnosed with PF. I just assumed that was what it is.. It has never gotten to the point of going to a doctor to see about it... it is just bothersome and an inconvience in my life.

It is a tight painful area( like a knot) in the ball of the foot below the second toe... and then it also is tight and painful on an area of the same foot in the heal area.. No pain in the arch area at all. It went away for about two months... then just started up hurting again. I am very consious of always wearing good arch support shoes as I have a higher arch and it just feels better. I never go bare foot. I have some sort of supportive shoe on from out of bed to bedtime.

I did have both knees replaced as well as both hips over the past ; three years.. So, it is very possible that this foot issue is related to my calf muscles and tendons as you mentioned. I am NOT flexible at all. I do go walking six days a week for between 45 minutes to an hour a day. I can feel the pain in the ball of my foot with each step I step, It is not terrible pain.... just tender. I suppose I need to work on stretching. I have this little device which I put my foot on and it rolls back and fourth to stretch my calf muscles and tendons... but of course it does not work IF I AM NOT USING IT.

I hope you and your wife are doing well. I know you recently went through a rough patch. I enjoy reading your comments on different subjects.

PamelaSue72 · ‎09-22-2011

@hckynut wrote:

@PamelaSue72

I don't get the connection of falling and shoe brands while walking. Ice skates, especially if sharped with the wrong depth or rockered blades, that I get and understand. I also have experienced it because of my joking friend, that also did my skate sharpening. He knew I wanted only a 3/4 and he gave me 1/2, and that is like learning how to skate all over, and while reffing a game. I didn't find it amusing.

Glad you found the shoe that fits and works best for you. I tried Brooks and they were just too wide in places where my feet are narrow.

As a runner, I too retired my shoes at 500 miles. Mainly because with running, the impact degrades the cushioning of the midsole/outsole, and sometimes even the last. The last breaking down more with a full as opposed to a half and half.

Sure don't quite get the physics of walking, assuming without impact, and the same parts of a shoe losing it's properties. You got it figured out and that's all that matters.

Congrats to you also on getting the Fitbit Badge Award, that has to be fulfilling for you. Quite an accomplishment. Keep on movin'

hckynut(john)

I don't know and I can't explain it. What I do know is that the only three times that I have fallen when out walking were all when I was wearing those shoes. I'd be out walking and suddenly, the toes of a shoe would "stick" or grab the pavement and, before I knew it, I was on the ground. I don't know if the shoes were too big and drooping at the toes or what.....I did say and will emphasis that I was professionally fitted for these shoes. I had the shoes for a week....the second time I wore them, I went down. The next day, I went down again. I got to the point where I was being so cautious wearing the shoes that I didn't enjoy the walk. And then a few days later, I ended up sprawled on the road again. Each time, the toe section of the shoe would dig and splat! there I was. The third time was when the shoes got thrown into the basement and went out in the trash. That was getting hard on the knees! And my hands, too.

I went to a local runner's store, explained that I was a walker and, after trying on well over 20 pairs of shoes, including another pair of New Balance, we found the Brooks. The clerk was a real sweetie and he vowed that I was not walking out of the store without a pair of shoes. The pair I'm wearing now is Brooks Adrenaline GTS 16 and I always go back to that store. After I'm fitted and wearing the shoes, the clerk puts me on the treadmill for a good lap at various speeds and inclines, just to make sure the shoes are OK. I've not been disappointed with Brooks. I'll never buy another pair of New Balance...it is what it is at this point

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

@PamelaSue72

That is a great sounding shoe store. I have seen very few that analyze your foot plant/pronation, and supination. Big factor whether you are a walker or a runner. Sounds very thorough business when it comes to their shoes.

I did video's of runners while they were running different speeds on my treadmill. We then watched them on my TV set, and I could show them exactly(even in slow motion) what each foot was doing and their foot plant.

Did all around video's so we could critique their overall running. Keeping shoulders/arms and hands relaxed, and arm swing, they all were important in making running easier and also a more efficient runner. Small things in running say, a 10k race, could knock off maybe a minute of run time? In a 10k run, knocking off a minute sounds easier than it is to accomplish.

Glad to hear you are not falling any longer. Bad things can happen very easily during any fall. I slipped on our patio outside steps last December putting food in the igloo for our outside feline.

Landed on the point part of the step and tore up the front of my leg in front of the shin bone. Also landed on my butt and actually almost tore my left glute(butt) muscle in half. My leg injuries were so deep they will heal, break back open, and I still have scabs 9 months later. Still have to be careful how I sit, especially on chairs with no cushioning. It is like hitting a nerve(electrical type shock) if I sit down wrong. Oh me!

This happened only 2 weeks after I got out my 6 day hospital stay when one of our felines bit me and I had Cellulitis and was on IV drip antibiotics the whole time. So there I was with a left hand I could not close/left leg really banged up, and my butt so sore sitting down right even took planning.

Anyways, I am glad you found what works best for you, and no more falling please!

hckynut(john)

QueenDanceALot · ‎04-18-2013

The last few pair I've had were Saucony. They just worked well for me.

Everyone's foot and gait are different. So what works for one person isn't necessarily going to work for you.

If you have a run/walk shop near you with pros working there who can evaluate your gait (bring a worn pair with you), they can recommend a shoe for you.

Lucky Charm · ‎03-09-2010

I have wide feet (matching bunions---lol) and have to go with brands that cater to that.

Brooks carries two styles that I like (Ravenna and Ghost).

Other than that I wear Orthaheel or Vionics.

But just like with sneakers, you can't wear them forever. You really do need to invest in new pair (approx. every 6 months) if you are an avid walker.

The support does give out over time and makes a good shoe---a bad shoe.