Shoes & CRPS
 

Good Afternoon,

I am wondering what type of shoes you have had success with wearing when the CRPS is in your feet? I have been wearing Hiking Boots (Ahnu), which have been supportive and helped control the weak muscles in my feet. However lately because of an ingrown toenail the boots are too tight in the toe bed area.

Because of swelling I haven't been able to wear my tennis shoes that worked well for over a year. (Salomon). And prior to those shoes Birkenstocks were my go to shoe.

i still work and need to have something on my feet and preferably something comfortable. Flip Flops are just out of the question and exacerbate any pain I am feeling.

Any suggestion?

I just noticed a similar post from a few days ago.... Disregard my post- everyone gave great answers in prior post.:D

Shoes have been one of the more difficult things for me to figure out in my years with CRPS. Honestly...it's been a lot of trial and error for me because it all depends greatly on exactly where the shoe hits and if it makes the pain worse or if they are ok. I have found a few that worked out well for me though.

1. Patagonia Maha Breathe Ballet flats - There is a mesh around the edge of these, making them very stretchy and flexible, and as a ballet flat there's nothing on top to rub against my foot. Work very well when my feet would swell.

2. Simple brand gym shoes - I found these on clearance and bought 2 pairs. Unfortunately the company is out of business now I think...but the key with these was that they were a skater shoe style cut like vans but WITHOUT all the extra padding at the ankle that makes it impossible for me to wear those shoes. They are low cut so don't hug my ankle or top of the foot too tight. I also don't lace them all the way up but stop at the holes just under the top so not as tight but not so loose they will fall off. I have destroyed these shoes and need to be careful not to wear anywhere that's slippery because the soles are worn almost smooth.

3. UGG boots - Not the suede kind but the type make out of sweater material. Basically it's like wearing slippers all day. I think they're ugly but they keep my feet warm and don't hurt me. These have been my "go to" work shoes since I got them. The sweater material gives them a flexibility that the suede ones don't have so they work out well even if my feel swell up.

4. Skechers - I have one pair of skechers I've been able to find that don't hurt me to put on...I've probably tried on hundreds and for whatever reason this particular pair doesn't hurt me. Not much room for swelling though and only wear them when I need shoes with good traction. I also don't lace these up all the way so that they are as loose as possible without falling off. I also had a pair of New Balance walkers way back in the beginning that worked ok because all the padding on the sides of the shoe wore off because of the ankle braces they kept having me wear. I wore those a few years before they fell to pieces.

They key for me is wide toes boxes (so usually walking shoes) and a lower cut on the ankle with not a lot of padding on the sides (but plenty on the sole). I have a narrow foot...so regular widths now are what I go for instead of the AAA narrows I used to buy. Might be worth it to try wide widths to give some extra room.

It kills me to have given away most of my shoes since having this condition but I just couldn't wear them anymore. 90% were gym shoes anyway so it's not like I needed that many.

My go to shoes are scent hers slip ons n ugh boots but mine are suede I don't wear socks with the boots so they are easier to put on and take off

i had to go to the podiatrist and get orthopedic inserts for my feet because i have rsd spreading to my feet now as well as my hands and arms and legs and pretty much the rest of my body now and also have bone spurs in both heels (and my right foot turns purple and cold sometimes) too since i got rsd. the inserts along with a footed cane help keep my from falling (at least most of the time.) my ankles and hips give out sometimes and the rsd is causing my toes to swell and i am unable to straighten them on my right foot but the inserts and cane help ease the pain and give me a little more support. good shoes also help. i wear only clarks shoes. very comfy with good support. hope your feel start to feel better soon. maybe a podiatrist can help you out too. soft hugs.

Barefoot since January 2015
 

I appreciate your question and the responses posted here. My left foot has been bare since January 2015 when I fell and broke my ankle and tore tendons. CRPS was diagnosed about 4 weeks after my surgery to repair the damage.

I am hypersensitive on the left side and top of my foot. I've tried nearly every pair of flats Zappos has to offer. Uggs didn't work because of an inside seam that rubbed my foot, and swelling made me very uncomfortable. I have a pair of Skechers that I can get on but can't keep on for any length of time. I found a pair of D'Orsay flats cut low enough on the side to avoid the sensitive scar area, but they slip off the back of my foot when I wear a size big enough for toe comfort. The most comfortable shoe so far is a Bernie Mev flat that is rubber on the bottom and soft woven fabric on top. I can tolerate wearing it over my toes long enough to get to my car when I leave the house.

I'm on Sabbatical now, but I do public speaking, training and consulting for a living. Speaking with a bare foot is becoming part of my brand - but not something I want to keep doing! I live in Iowa, so I am nearly house bound in the winter months.

Thanks for the chance to share and vent a bit. I get the weirdest looks during these cold months whenever I go out barefoot. My #1 goal during a spinal cord stimulator trial was to get in a shoe - but it didn't happen.

Hope to hear more from you all on what you're wearing!

Hi Barefoot,

I apologize in advance for going a bit off topic but I felt compelled to respond to your scar comment. I too have had high sensitivity in my surgical scars and a lot of mechanical nerve irritation because of them. I ended up having ultrasound guided steroid injections into the surgical field to reduce scar and got some relief. I got even more relief when I went to dermatology and had the scars themselves injected. Sounds miserable I know but it did soften it a LOT and calms some of those extra afferents and even helps some of them die off. I started the derm treatment 18 months post-op and it still made a difference with the burning and stinging that scars can have.

Okay, back to shoes now....

Steroid injections caused a flare
 

Glad to hear the steroid injections worked for you Little Paw. I tried them once and it caused a terrible flare up of pain, swelling and other CRPS symptoms. We also tried lidocaine injections with the same reaction. I've been advised to never allow my foot to be injected or cut on again. I've read on this forum that sound have benefitted from lidocaine patches - I've going to ask my doctor about them to see if that helps me get into a shoe.
Thanks for sharing!!

I can't wear a shoe at all on my bad foot. All I can manage is the "Boot".

Lidoderm patches were a HUGE help for me. One of the great things is that you can cut the patches down too so that they fit better in different areas. One full patch might be too much on a foot...but you can cut it down to a more manageable size and shape if needed.