Question for sandal wearers

"Judith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yesterday I did a 12-mile walk (across the Wirral from
Bebington to Parkgate and back). This is very easy terrain
with few hills and I decided to wear my Merrell sandals.
It's the first time I have worn them for anything other
than sitting in the garden or walking round the corner to
the shop. I always wear boots for "serious" walking.

Although they seemed comfortable, for the first 5 or 6
miles, they did start to rub a bit on my ankle but that
was taken care of with a plaster.

However, last night and today my legs and feet are really
aching. My right foot has a muscular ache under the
outside of the arch.

I know that I over pronate and I also have quite weak
knees but in the experience of those of you who prefer
sandals to boots :

- Is this something that will get better if I continue to
wear the sandals?

- Could it be that I need a different make/style of
sandals? (It takes me a lot of effort to buy new boots
..... my feet don't seem to fit anything. My feet are
wide and I have fat ankles!)

- Is it possible I need the full support of boots and
could never get used to sandals?

Thanks in advance Judith

The answer could be any, or all, of the above. I've done a
bot of walking and bagging in Sandals and never had any
specific problems. However, I suggest you seek the advice of
a professional podiatrist who would be able to ascertain the
compatibility of your feet with your particular sandals.

druidh

In article <[email hidden]>,
Judith <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

- Is it possible I need the full support of boots and could
never get used to sandals?

Possibly the footbed doesn't conform to the profile of the
ones in your boots!

I wear my boots a lot even walking the dog and general to-
ing and fro-ing. If I have an easy day and am confined to
barracks an wear slippers or even "normal" shoes, my arches
complain bitterly.

My chiropodist/podiatrist advise the non-wearing of slippers
as a general practice around the house.
--
Bill Grey billboy.co.ukbillboy.co.ukOpen ↗

Judith said:

Yesterday I did a 12-mile walk (across the Wirral from
Bebington to Parkgate and back). This is very easy terrain
with few hills and I decided to wear my Merrell sandals.
It's the first time I have worn them for anything other
than sitting in the garden or walking round the corner to
the shop. I always wear boots for "serious" walking.

Although they seemed comfortable, for the first 5 or 6
miles, they did start to rub a bit on my ankle but that was
taken care of with a plaster.

However, last night and today my legs and feet are really
aching. My right foot has a muscular ache under the outside
of the arch.

I know that I over pronate and I also have quite weak
knees but in the experience of those of you who prefer
sandals to boots :

- Is this something that will get better if I continue to
wear the sandals?

- Could it be that I need a different make/style of
sandals? (It takes me a lot of effort to buy new boots
..... my feet don't seem to fit anything. My feet are
wide and I have fat ankles!)

- Is it possible I need the full support of boots and could
never get used to sandals?

Thanks in advance Judith

It doesn't sound like a boot/sandal issue to me. I suggest
you wear trainers suitable for overpronators.

--

Paul

My Lake District walking site:

paulrooney.netfirms.compaulrooney.netfirms.comOpen ↗

"Judith" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Yesterday I did a 12-mile walk (across the Wirral from
Bebington to Parkgate and back). This is very easy terrain
with few hills and I decided to wear my Merrell sandals.
It's the first time I have worn them for anything other
than sitting in the garden or walking round the corner to
the shop. I always wear boots for "serious" walking.

Although they seemed comfortable, for the first 5 or 6
miles, they did start to rub a bit on my ankle but that
was taken care of with a plaster.

However, last night and today my legs and feet are really
aching. My right foot has a muscular ache under the
outside of the arch.

I know that I over pronate and I also have quite weak
knees but in the experience of those of you who prefer
sandals to boots :

- Is this something that will get better if I continue to
wear the sandals?

- Could it be that I need a different make/style of
sandals? (It takes me a lot of effort to buy new boots
..... my feet don't seem to fit anything. My feet are
wide and I have fat ankles!)

- Is it possible I need the full support of boots and
could never get used to sandals?

Not much help but I'm happy wearing my Merrell Sandals
(think they were called 45s, similar to the ones they call
Convertible 3 today) on long walks or over steep rocky
terrain. (Don't like them for contouring pathless grassy
slopes though). They were comfortable from the off and
didn't take any getting used to.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Yesterday I did a 12-mile walk (across the Wirral from
Bebington to Parkgate and back). This is very easy terrain
with few hills and I decided to wear my Merrell sandals.
It's the first time I have worn them for anything other
than sitting in the garden or walking round the corner to
the shop. I always wear boots for "serious" walking.

Although they seemed comfortable, for the first 5 or 6
miles, they did start to rub a bit on my ankle but that
was taken care of with a plaster.

However, last night and today my legs and feet are really
aching. My right foot has a muscular ache under the
outside of the arch.

I know that I over pronate and I also have quite weak
knees but in the experience of those of you who prefer
sandals to boots :

The answer could be any, or all, of the above. I've done a
bot of walking and bagging in Sandals and never had any
specific problems. However, I suggest you seek the advice
of a professional podiatrist who would be able to
ascertain the compatibility of your feet with your
particular sandals.

That's a bit fierce, Druidh :-) I'd wait until the pain
subsides then try wearing them for shorter walks and see how
that goes. It may be that all that's required is for some
muscles to build up a little and all will be well.

hth,

--
Boo

On Mon, 03 May 2004 22:11:49 +0100, Paul Rooney <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I suggest you wear trainers suitable for overpronators.

But what about when I need boots? Then again, I don't get
(as much of) a problem when I wear boots so perhaps you are
right and I should wear trainers when trainers are suitable.

Judith

Judith said:

- Is this something that will get better if I continue to
wear the sandals?

Rubbing generally needs just a little bit of wear to get
used to the straps being where they are if you're not
wearing socks. The muscular aches and pains aren't anything
I ever experienced though.

Quoted message said:

- Could it be that I need a different make/style of
sandals? (It takes me a lot of effort to buy new boots
..... my feet don't seem to fit anything. My feet are
wide and I have fat ankles!)

My feet are wide and don't fit Merrels at all, so I'd at
least try a few others on. Since the uppers basically aren't
there, IME it's easier to find something that fits
acceptably well. I do most walking in Teva Terra-Fis: the
straps are lined for extra comfort, the topsole is
comfortable and the outsole is grippy. I also have very high
arches and find more budget sandals have flatter footbeds
which aren't so comfortable on longer walks as the
relatively more contoured ones on the Terra Fis. As always,
try loads on...

Quoted message said:

- Is it possible I need the full support of boots and
could never get used to sandals?

I guess it's *possible*, but I'd also guess unlikely. You
might try some Approach Shoes, which have the foot support
you may want, can take your choice of footbed etc. but are
lighter because they don't have an ankle cuff, which if
you're not doing something like crampon work may well be
completely pointless extra weight.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext.
33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177
Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Peter Clinch said:

My feet are wide and don't fit Merrels at all, so I'd at
least try a few others on. Since the uppers basically
aren't there, IME it's easier to find something that fits
acceptably well. I do most walking in Teva Terra-Fis: the
straps are lined for extra comfort, the topsole is
comfortable and the outsole is grippy. I also have very
high arches and find more budget sandals have flatter
footbeds which aren't so comfortable on longer walks as the
relatively more contoured ones on the Terra Fis. As always,
try loads on...

That's interesting (about wide feet and high arches). I only
tried on about 4 pairs (because that's all the YHA Adventure
Shop - RIP - had
pk. I chose the most comfortable but I'm sure I was
influenced by price too. Also, I've had enough pairs of
boots to know if they are definitely wrong but these
are my first sandals.

My Merrells are a women's fit and I have to have the (main)
strap extended quite a lot. This is hard to explain in
writing but the "loopy" bit of the velcro and the "hooky"
part only overlap for about 3cm because my feet/ankles are
quite wide/broad/fat at that point.

Thanks for everyone's advice. I shall try a few shorter
walks in the Merrells but I shall also try on some different
makes as it sounds like I may have bought the wrong ones in
the first place.

Judith

Judith said:

Paul Rooney said:

I suggest you wear trainers suitable for overpronators.

But what about when I need boots? Then again, I don't get
(as much of) a problem when I wear boots so perhaps you are
right and I should wear trainers when trainers are
suitable.

Judith

I do have boots but don't wear them often. Trainers do me
most of the time - but I don't mind getting wet feet!

--

Paul

My Lake District walking site:

paulrooney.netfirms.compaulrooney.netfirms.comOpen ↗

Judith said:

On Mon, 03 May 2004 22:11:49 +0100, Paul Rooney
<[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I suggest you wear trainers suitable for overpronators.

Quoted message said:

But what about when I need boots? Then again, I don't get
(as much of) a problem when I wear boots so perhaps you
are right and I should wear trainers when trainers are
suitable.

Maybe try some Superfeet, which are designed to reduce
the level of pronation. Seem to work for me. Don't work
in sandals, but are fine in boots, trainers, approach
shoes etc.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext.
33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177
Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

That's interesting (about wide feet and high arches). I
only tried on about 4 pairs (because that's all the YHA
Adventure Shop - RIP - had
in. I chose the most comfortable but I'm sure I was
influenced by price too. Also, I've had enough pairs
of boots to know if they are definitely wrong but
these are my first sandals.

My Merrells are a women's fit and I have to have the
(main) strap extended quite a lot. This is hard to explain
in writing but the "loopy" bit of the velcro and the
"hooky" part only overlap for about 3cm because my
feet/ankles are quite wide/broad/fat at that point.

Thanks for everyone's advice. I shall try a few shorter
walks in the Merrells but I shall also try on some
different makes as it sounds like I may have bought the
wrong ones in the first place.

you could also try some Chaco sandals
(chacosan.comchacosan.comOpen ↗). I think Snow+Rock has them. they
have quite high arches, a stiff sole and good support. you
get them in a choice of soles, the rugged vibram sole
probably being the best for walking, quite heavy though.

/ot