I've suffered from plantar fasciitis off and on throughout the decades. My most recent flareup had me heading to Foot Solutions in Surprise for some supportive shoes to relieve the pain.
Jeff worked with me to find a pair of shoes that would help relieve my pain. He first took an impression/scan of my foot to learn where I put pressure and note any areas of imbalance that needed to be corrected. The scan is free. For an additional charge, you can have custom orthotics made. Since I already have the latter, we moved into finding shoes that met my needs.
The shoe brands in the store were mostly new to me. I only recognized the Brooks trainers brand. Other brands included Finn, Aetrex, Naot, etc. They have a variety of closed toe shoes and sandals. Prices range from sale prices of around $150 to well above $300 for a pair. They are expensive, but they are of high quality materials and well made.
The shoes have footbeds that have cushioning and support, but they can also accommodate your custom orthotics. The store even has a lab where they can adjust the footbeds for your feet or enclose your custom orthotics and build them into your sandals.
Jeff spent time gathering boxes of sandals for me to try. He took the time to size my feet to make sure that any shoes I tried on would fit properly. Many of the shoes had velcro straps that could be easily adjusted to accommodate wide foots and high insteps. There was a shoe platform that made it easy for the store representative to put the shoes on my feet. No awkward bending or reaching on my part to put them on or off. I was also given time to walk around the store in the shoes to assess their comfort and see them in the mirror on my feet to decide if they were right for me.
Jeff also took the time to show me some necessary stretching to help loosen my calf muscles to relieve my plantar fasciitis. He went over some of the other recommendations that your podiatrist will tell you too. The "RICE" method includes Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Standard procedure for most injuries.
The shoes I bought were not actually my first choice. I was at the register ready to buy a pair of black mules. They were on my feet and I was going to wear them out the door, but as I was standing there, I realized how uncomfortably hot my feet became in the shoes. I mentioned this to Jeff, and we made a beeline back to the seating area to try on some open toed sandals instead that allow more air circulation around my feet.
I'm not enamored with my new $300+ shoes. Comfort often means a trade off in style which is definitely the case here. I have taken them for a spin in the neighborhood walking my dog. Unfortunately by the end of the walk, my foot was in pain again. I couldn't even bring myself to put them on again today. I'll probably take them back to the store today to see if Jeff can make an adjustment to the right footbed to give it some more lift to support my right foot.
The service and product quality at this Foot Solutions store are top notch. You will pay for that, but it is either now as preventative care or in the rears to your healthcare provider for pain management and corrective care. I highly recommend seeing Foot Solutions and investing in your feet before a problem flares up, but know that they are here for you if you are already in need of help. read more