Shoes to relieve foot pain

Hi @nammers, I used to tease my wife about all of the shoes she had until I found myself with more shoes than she did after trying to find something that worked for my feet with neuropathy. I definitely like the hands free shoes so I can just step in them...makes life so much easier. I'm torn between the barefoot shoes with the zero drop soles and cushy shoes. Cushy shoes like Sketchers and others feel better when I have to do a lot of walking and the barefoot shoes are better for balance for me and allow me to have more contact with the ground when walking. We have a lot of company on Connect trying to find the perfect shoes to help with our neuropathy. Check out this search of Connect listing the discussions and member comments on "shoes for neuropathy" - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/discussions/

Thank you for the information. I am currently wearing Skechers for short excursions, but lengthy walks become painful. I will pursue the link you sent.

@nammers

I wear stability sneakers at the gym and walking 2 miles daily.. They are called ON. There is a lot of extra cushioning that my sketchers Go Walk sneakers don’t have. They sell them on Amazon but I got mine in Fit 2 Run store in the mall. I don’t have foot pain but these feel like I am walking on clouds and they help with balance. They are not cheap but so worth it. I prefer to buy these good sneakers in the actual store rather than online because of possible fraudulent brands. The ON are Swiss made. My daughter uses the ON running sneaker.
I recommend this brand and suggest you try them for the 30 day period and try them on in the actual store. Dicks sporting goods sells them . See if you have a Fit 2 Run store in your area or just goggle ON to see where they are sold. The Swiss really know how to make things.

FL Mary

Shoes, shoes, so many shoes! I wish there was a way to "easily" find a shoe that might help with pain from PN. I have these sneakers that are recommended for neuropathy, but they don't seem to be helping any more. Sometimes it feels like I have needles sticking up in the bottom of the soles into the bottom of my feet. Here is the list of recommended sneakers from my podiatrist. Brooks, New Balance, Hoka, On Cloud, Kuru. I would be appreciative if those of you with experience could tell me if you have had positive experience with any of these.

I can tell you that I've tried Skechers and Oofus with no help. Thank you!

@heisenberg34 With the Hokas, you can pick your stability needs, and level of your cushioning. Each has 3 different choices. You figure out which ones you need then look for the shoes that have those that will help you the most. They of course are expensive but there are sales and if you buy on line and join their club(for free) you get free shipping. You can also figure out which would be the best shoe for you and then look for it elsewhere that is less expensive. There is another store that always has a few Hokas on sale but I can’t remember it right off. It took me awhile to get used to them, now they are my go to. Good luck. Maybe find a store that carries them and know before hand which stability and cushioning you need and actually try them on. I hope you can find some relief.

@3oakley2 Thanks for your response. It seems like a daunting task to try and figure out all those parameters. I've been wearing Orthofeet sneakers for a while, but lately I tend to feel very unstable on them. Almost like My feet are connected to my ankles with a swivel joint! LOL. Of course it might just be my neuropathy doing its dirty work. I will definitely look into Hokas. Would I be correct in saying that you wear Hokas? If so, how did you determine all those parameters for you?

@heisenberg34 oh it does sound daunting. Every shoe has the below picture, I attached and you can move the slide bar and it tells you what each item is. The stability..if you wear your soles out on inside it’s one stability and if you wear them out on the outside it’s a different one. I choose neutral because my sole wears evenly. It tells you what each cushion is. I get plush for more cushion. Some folks want to feel the road..not me. It’s easier if you look at it on the website, to figure out. I’m sure they are available for questions also. Kind of difficult to explain, sorry. I believe if you join their club you can also send them back for free. I do wear Hoka’s for all but walking on the dreadmill. I use my sketchers for walking on it because it seems smoother to me.

I bought these shoes from Reshod in Oregon. They have done wonders for my relief of my foot pain. They are race walking shoes that are specifically for walking and not for training or other sports.

Thanks a billion for all your responses. So grateful.

@heisenberg34 The discomfort then years of pain and thousands spent on the best sneakers and shoes for 20 years of plantar fasciitis and 15 of polyneuropathy finally forced me into these big, ugly wide toe box custom ones. Thankfully. I was old enough to get them through Medicare—but they are worth every penny of full price. As a starting point, custom molded soles worked well for many years.