Does anyone have any recommendations of what kinds of shoes and socks can be worn to cause the least pain and inflammation? I don't wear shoes or socks at all in the house, summer or winter, but we have loads of snow and slop this winter, and I really can't go out in sandals, with or without socks. I have tried light boots, Crocs, clogs, light socks, diabetic socks; but my feet still flare horribly. I do have to go out sometimes, and I want to, as it preserves some of my sense of independence. In the summer, the heat bothers me terribly, but at least I can wear sandals with no socks, and be in air conditioning.
If anyone has any ideas, I would be most grateful! Thanks!
Shoes? I wore those 6 years ago. Socks???? What are those? I vaguely remember what they are. I do wear flip flops between the house and the car. And from the car to the appointment.
We are all different and I know some members will throw up their hands in horror at this - but I discovered by accident that wearing compression knee high socks and close fitting shoes delays the flare which would immediately result from puting on ordinary socks and shoes. It is important though that my feet be really cold when I put the compression socks on and obviously this is only for cold wet Winter days. Eventually my feet will flare and I just have to grit my teeth until I am back home and then tear them off. Only people with EM can understand how quickly I can rip off shoes and socks! I usually have flip flops with me for when I go indoors, usually the doctor’s surgery or the hospital. People stare but oddly enough the only place I was challenged for walking barefoot was in a hospital by a nurse. Perhaps she thought I was an escapee from a geriatric ward.
In the house I go barefoot and in the Summer wear flip flops out of doors.
In addition to EM, I have a hard time finding shoes that fit. So, whenever possible, I buy shoes made by SAS (San Antonio Shoe company). These shoes have nice padding which helps reduce the pressure on my feet.
I live in San Diego, California, but inland which is hotter. I haven't worn shoes for several years. We haven't even had much of a winter for the past two years. Right now it's over 80 degrees! When we went to Flagstaff. I wore loose knee socks that I cut the feet part out of (I have a serger & finish the edge). Then I wear jeans and flip flops in mid-30's and up weather. It feels good to have my feet so cold. I don't think they have enough tread on the bottom though for true rain. Everyone stares at my feet and ask me if I'm cold. Anyway, it's a problem wherever you live I guess.
I stopped wearing closed toed shoes about 20 years ago, as the problems with my skin changing make anything touching my toes too painful to endure. I wear birkenstocks, and have to watch where the front straps hit near my toes. I can sometimes endure a wool sock if the weather is really cold, but it will usually result in open sores if i wear them too much.
All depends on the temperature but I have severe Raynauds and my feet chill in Winter to blocks of ice if I don’t protect them to some eXtent and the result is dreadful reactive flares and of course chilblains.
I am wearing the easy spirit travel lace 'clogs' which are a slip on sneaker without socks even in winter or using Vans brand super no show socks which are barely a sock, super thin and only cover the heel and toes basically. The lace part of the shoes is ultra ventilated.
Cannot wear sneakers, or regular shoes. Wear crocks in the summer and the rest of the year I wear moccasin type slipper/shoes...try to find with a good sole so not to wear out too quickly...can also wear Ugg type boots for short periods....no shoes allow me to be pain free...these are the least painful for me...and I buy a size up so that my feet are not constrained.
Foothuggers socks website says that their socks keep you cool, don’t have elastic, and help evaporate moisture. They are made for neuropathy.
As for myself, strictly flip flops. I wear reefs because the bottom part is great for my feet, and I have high arches (think Barbie feet…) and these don’t make my feet hurt at all I imagine the UGG slipper type shoes are great for comfort and covering your feet, but still very easy to slip on and off?
Thank you all so much for your suggestions! I'll definitely check them out! I have such a hard time finding shoes/sandals and socks that are comfortable, and then, it seems as if when I do, they either discontinue them, or my feet change and they become uncomfortable. Today, I did try wearing my Crocs with nylon knee-highs (really stretchy ones, made for "queen-size" women, so they didn't cut off my circulation), and that worked much better than regular socks, although I'm definitely going to look into the ones for neuropathy. I got some "diabetic" socks at Walmart, but they are only good if my feet are absolutely freezing, which they rarely are.
I am so grateful to all of you at this forum for your ideas and willingness to help!
Hi, just a quick message to say , I’ve noticed a lot of people wear flip flops which I totally understand . However two yrs ago I made the discovery that flip flops made my em ALOT worse … Figured out it was the rubber- holds the heat in!! Since I’ve been wearing leather strap sandles and have found that it helps a lot!! It’s always hard as I have hardly any fat pad on soles to find some leather sandles with cushioning however. But 100% sure I’ll never go near flip flops again.
Thanks for the info, Kate. I have never been able to wear flip-flops, because they hurt in between my toes, so I haven't worn them since I was a little kid. But I will keep in mind that leather is cooler than rubber, generally. That's a good hint. :)
Kate said:
Hi, just a quick message to say , I've noticed a lot of people wear flip flops which I totally understand . However two yrs ago I made the discovery that flip flops made my em ALOT worse .. Figured out it was the rubber- holds the heat in!! Since I've been wearing leather strap sandles and have found that it helps a lot!! It's always hard as I have hardly any fat pad on soles to find some leather sandles with cushioning however. But 100% sure I'll never go near flip flops again.
I wish I could help you--I live in flip flops as much as possible. It's torture to have to wear shoes and socks-I can't imagine what that would feel like for the whole day!!
I found wearing all sorts of mules helped me and also allowed me to WEAR more dressy ones if I was going out. The mules allow you to keep the feet a bit cooler and are easy to slip off for a bit of air and relief (the pics is just an example there are many different styles)hoping this has helped. Ps I can't wear flat shoes at all though at home am mostly barefoot Meggie
Yes, I have to wear shoes like that if I HAVE to wear shoes---ones I can slip off at the 1st opportunity;)
meggie said:
I found wearing all sorts of mules helped me and also allowed me to WEAR more dressy ones if I was going out. The mules allow you to keep the feet a bit cooler and are easy to slip off for a bit of air and relief (the pics is just an example there are many different styles)hoping this has helped. Ps I can't wear flat shoes at all though at home am mostly barefoot Meggie
I also wear flip flops often (around house all year long) and had a reaction to rubber straps. Under the rubber my foot would turn bright red and itch. I used to think it was some sort of allergy reaction so stayed away from rubbery straps; now I use nylon, leather or cloth strap kind. Reading this makes me wonder if it was not related to heat and EM!
Kate said:
Hi, just a quick message to say , I've noticed a lot of people wear flip flops which I totally understand . However two yrs ago I made the discovery that flip flops made my em ALOT worse .. Figured out it was the rubber- holds the heat in!! Since I've been wearing leather strap sandles and have found that it helps a lot!! It's always hard as I have hardly any fat pad on soles to find some leather sandles with cushioning however. But 100% sure I'll never go near flip flops again.
I know my feet are very sensitive to any rubbing form rubber straps, might be both heat and abrasion. My hands are also sensitive to rubber…
This is such a good subject, I have been trying to find something I can use for work, as I do construction, fellow workers frown on showing up in flip flops! The heavier duty sandals do help, but then I need socks to keep from my feet being torn up by the straps or tops of the sandals. I had some rubber soled shoes that had mesh tops for sailing and walking in water, I got from Columbia sports clothing, they were breathable, but wore out… That is another thing, my shoes will fall apart, from the heat of my feet!
I imagine the UGG slipper type shoes are great for comfort and covering your feet, but still very easy to slip on and off?