Shoes

[JuliaAnn]

I've known the importance of good shoes for many years. I used to be on my feet a lot so I tried on a lot of shoes before buying to make sure they had the very best support. At this time post-op, I'm still home-bound and can't get out to try on shoes. It's hard enough just putting on one pair, let alone trying many. So I'm hoping to buy a pair online.

The shoes that have given me greatest relief in the past were a really old pair of Nikes sneakers and a pair of MBT sneakers. I could wear those all day and my back felt fairly good. But my sneakers finally fell apart and the MBT's seem too rigid now. I need a pair of shoes that are super bouncy, since my spine has zero shock absorption from the fusion. The past three days I decided to wear just slippers around the house instead of putting on the MBT's. Already I seem to have less pain in my pelvis because the slippers are thick and I can bend my foot easily.

What shoes do you like best? Have you noticed a difference in your shoes after surgery?

[titaniumed]

Sneakers are great because you can get them tied just right, remove easily(kick off) without bending, and install with a long shoe horn. This and any open backed shoe are best. Soft is a good thing.

A long 18” shoe horn is a very handy item for full fusion patients.

You can go to a shoe store and have the people that work there put them on for you. If it feels good, have them put the other one on, tell them about your back, they will understand.

Talk to Dr Hey at some point about when he thinks you should start reaching for your feet. I was around 8 months, and it was a SLOW process.....slow EASY stretches on a stool, one foot up, hanging the arms down.

You can also get to your feet by squatting.....squatting seems to be the best method of getting down to the floor, if it’s an example of the best way to do this, we become examples to everyone else. We become the people that get complimented on such “perfect posture”.....(with no choice in the matter)

Julia, It sounds like you are doing well.....

Ed

[jrnyc]

hi Julia
just for at home, you might want to look into Foot-eez sandals...
they have a website...and you can buy them thru Zappo's, too
i use them for home and summer, as i have really bad feet/toes...
(surgeries on them and such)...
they are made specifically for people with diabetes, but they
are comfortable for anyone...

hope you feel better every day...
jess...& Sparky

[jackieg412]

I found that skeatchers makes a shoe{sneaker} that has expanding laces. It is so easy to get it on and does a great job at the support issue. Prices are good too! Even after a few years---if I were tied shoes, the bow is on the side and not the middle of the shoe. If the laces are long---the side bow leads to stepping on it and causes you to untie it. And then to have to retie it. Since that is hard to do to begin with---that retieing gets old FAST! For me it is the skeatchers or slip on slippers.

[Confusedmom]

I went to Dick's at about four months post-op and said "Give me the most supportive tennis shoes you have; I don't care what the price is." They gave me a pair of gel-cushioned Asics. They are good, but I think any kind of tennis shoes with thick support would work. And, yes, I made them put them on and off me. Reminded me of going to the shoe store when I was a kid. You probably could buy some online if you know your size. I might buy a half size up so you can wear nice, thick socks, too.

I also recommend the elastic shoe laces. I ordered 3-4 pairs online and put them in all my lace-up shoes. Then you don't have to bend at all. You can just slide your foot in with a shoe horn and forget about tying. I have them to my 10-year-old, too, since he never ties his shoes.

Best,
Evelyn

[golfnut]

I wore Sketchers that don't have shoe strings around the house for my walking laps because I could easily put them on using a long shoe horn. When I started walking longer distances outside, I bought a good pair of Asics and had my husband tie them for me for several months. They have a good support and are really light weight. I just noticed last week that my husband's podiatrist wears Asics, too, and I figure he would know what's good.

[Wish2bstraight]

I am just seven weeks postoperative and plan to get a new pair of sneakers once I have more strength to get and shop. Are Asics a walking or running sneaker?

[Irina]

I purchased these elastic shoelaces with locks and really like them. The lock guarantees that shoelaces won't untie plus they have them in many different colors.

http://www.amazon.com/LACES-Elastic-...tic+shoe+laces

[retired Mom]

How do you get the tennis shoes on with elastic shoelaces without the thong getting pushed down?

[jane d]

I put my foot up on one step and grab the tongue of my tennis shoes with long nose pliers in one hand and with the long shoe horn in the other slide my foot in.
Jane

[Wish2bstraight]

I also have elastic laces in my sneakers. not sure I can explain what my occupational therapist did, but I'll try. She redid the end of the laces so they are individually tied with knots on the outside of each eye. Also one of the lace ends first goes underneath the tongue. For whatever reason, this works great on one sneaker, but not so great on the other. I also have to pull the tongue out of the sneaker when it doesn't work properly.

[golfnut]

The Sketchers that I have have kind or a fake tongue. It is not loose. There are no shoestrings and the opening of the shoe just stretches to allow you to put your foot in. They were fine for my indoor laps, but I wore the Asics and had my husband tie them for longer walks outside or at the Y.

[jillw]

I haven't had surgery (it's my daughter who has scoliosis), but I have had foot problems most of my life and find it hard to find shoes that work for me. I usually wear orthotics, but the one shoe I can wear without orthotics are the Merrill Encore shoes. They are styled somewhat like a clog except that they aren't open in the back. (My lower legs and arches get fatigued if the shoe is open in the back and I have to"grip" when walking. However, they are lower in the back than your traditional shoe....thus they provide stability but are very easy to kick off and step into. They have a thick rubber sole for shock absorption. They have lightweight warm weather versions which i haven't worn. I have a black suede like shoe. On the inside it has a thick lining similar to Uggs which provides more comfort.

Obviously they aren't going to fit as tight as a sneaker that is laced tight, but they are the best "non sneaker" alternative out there that I have found in terms of comfor and support. I'm assuming the warm weather ones don't have a fleecey lining...so not sure if as comfortable (but you could always put a gel insert in also). When I first tried them on I didn't like them, but later I realized because I needed a size larger than I usually wear (because the shoe was a bit small, the arch support was falling in the wrong place)

There are places that ship free (including returns) so you can order a few styles and sizes of shoes and keep only what you want. here's an example of the shoe: http://www.shoes.com/Shopping/produc...FYtU4AodfQMAPg

[retired Mom]

The needle nose pliers worked good. Can now put on my own tennis shoes.