Feet Pain

King Kong

Bottom line is my feet hurt. I'm on them 8 hours a day and do not rest them during that time, I also work on concrete all day and wear work boots. I have bought fancy insoles and they don't seem to help. The pain is so bad I wake up in the morning to sore and stiff feet.

Any footwear recommendations you can come up with will be great. I'm willing to buy any type of shoe. I know after 8 hours on any shoe my feet are going to hurt but it's almost unbearable.

Shogun

How long has it been happening and how long have you worked this job? Did it start with the job?

When I served it was usually 8-10 hours on your feet. Couldn't sit if you wanted to as there was nothing to sit on. At first my feet were killing me as well but I just got some insoles and tried to tough it out. Within a few weeks the pain had subsided and it stopped being a problem.

Fantasma

This does not sound normal, you should take a vacation to put your feet to rest and see if the pain goes away. If you cannot get relief even after some rest, consider a visit to the Orthopedist.

Solandra

When my plantar fascitis was acute I would wake up with stiff, sore feet, and the worst thing in the world was those first few steps. If the pain is in your heels on the bottoms of your feet, I'd go see a podiatrist or orthopedist sooner rather than later.

The solution for me, ultimately, was Crocs brand shoes (knockoffs need not apply, and Crocs do come in work boots with soles of the special material) and accupuncture for pain management. That said, I was also off my feet for 9 months, and my podiatrist was talking surgery at one point. You mentioned wearing fancy insoles; you might need specially crafted prescription insoles.

Good luck!

King Kong

Going to Dick's today to find a pair of cross trainers. I started doing this about 3 weeks ago and the pain only came then. When I come home I basically limp into the house however when I take off my boots and put on my skate shoes to take out trash or whatever my feet still hurt but feel almost a million times better. After looking around online everything seems to suggest getting a pair of NB cross trainers or the like.

Belruel

okay, by fancy insoles, how fancy do you mean?

those off the rack insoles from target, or custom orthotics? my mom has really high arches and getting custom orthotics really helped a whole lot with foot pain. they can cost a pretty penny though, so they are an investment.

King Kong

By fancy I mean not 10 dollar gels but the 30 dollar ones supposedly designed for concrete workers.

BTW my arches seem fine. My heel and balls of my feet are what are killing me.

Belruel

yeah, the ~$30 ones suit my needs fine, but i know that for people going through a lot of pain the custom ones often help when other things do not. if nothing else works and the pain gets bad enough, you could always try and find a doctor near you to ask about it.

ddahcmai

I have flat feet which used to lead to severe plantar fasciitis, and I would absolutely recommend going beyond getting a $30 shoe cushion and seeing a podiatrist to get custom fitted orthotics. They'll cost you about $120 but they will last about 10 years, and will solve that problem straight away. Also make sure your shoes are wide enough to accompany your arches and they aren't being squeezed inwards by the sides of your shoe. I wear Keen shoes, which look like clown feet but are very high quality and very wide.

I work on a farm, on either concrete or very uneven ground, 60 hours a week. Custom insoles will help you greatly.

ddahcmai

Oops, your arches are fine but your heels and balls of your feet aren't. Well, in that case you could have the opposite problem and have too high of an arch. Either way, I recommend seeing a podiatrist.

Improvolone

I have a high and tight arch and my heels usually kill me. Check out www.zappos.com for a ridiculously huge selection of shoes. Free return shipping=win.
I can't recommend any boot brands, sorry.

Usagi

I'd suggest looking into a pair of Red Wings, they're very comfortable and I've had zero problems tromping around in them on concrete and steel floors. My only suggestion is to actually go and try them on at a store, it's worth the hassle to get the right size and style for your feet.

Seeing a doctor about the pain is also probably a good idea, though.

Venoch

ddahcmai wrote: »

I have flat feet which used to lead to severe plantar fasciitis, and I would absolutely recommend going beyond getting a $30 shoe cushion and seeing a podiatrist to get custom fitted orthotics. They'll cost you about $120 but they will last about 10 years, and will solve that problem straight away. Also make sure your shoes are wide enough to accompany your arches and they aren't being squeezed inwards by the sides of your shoe. I wear Keen shoes, which look like clown feet but are very high quality and very wide.

I work on a farm, on either concrete or very uneven ground, 60 hours a week. Custom insoles will help you greatly.

Custom orthotics last about a year before getting worn down. . .

Robman

King Kong wrote: »

Bottom line is my feet hurt. I'm on them 8 hours a day and do not rest them during that time, I also work on concrete all day and wear work boots. I have bought fancy insoles and they don't seem to help. The pain is so bad I wake up in the morning to sore and stiff feet.

Any footwear recommendations you can come up with will be great. I'm willing to buy any type of shoe. I know after 8 hours on any shoe my feet are going to hurt but it's almost unbearable.

Go to a doctor. There is no such thing as credible medical advice on the internet.

zhen_rogue

It sounds like you could also benefit from custom ortotics.
Depending on how your feet/knees/pelvis/spine are shaped, you might have some uneven stance patterns and weight distribution on your feet. A well-designed custom set of long-lasting work-grade orthotics might go a long way in easing the wear and tear on your feet.
I myself wear them, and had very similar issues as you describe until I corrected the issue.
They ran me around $300, including the diagnosis, evaluation, and orthotics.

Additionally, you might try hot foot soaks in epsom salt baths, they'll increae circulation to repair tissue damage and ease the pain of muscle strain.

I'd start with a visit to your general doc or a podiatrist though, for a real diagnosis.

DoraB

Absolutely visit a doctor. You might just need better footwear, or you could have a problem that you could be making worse by not having it treated. Even if you just get referred to a podiatrist, at least you'd know for sure.

If you're looking for inserts, the pair I got after I hurt myself were HTP Heel Seats. 30 bucks after shipping, goes in any shoe. I guess people with very severe plantar fasciitis swear by them. The problem I had with my foot has since cleared up, but I still wear them because they provide good support. Read some of the testimonials and see if they sound like they might be right for you. They feel a little strange when you first put them in, but the relief I had was almost instantaneous. I wish I'd had them when I was on my feet 12 hours a day working at the bakery.
http://www.heel-that-pain.com/htp_heel_seats.php?gclid=CM3q2sq6658CFRBtswodCkgFYw

I hope you find a solution that works for you! Foot pain sucks, especially since you have to be on them all the time to do your job.

Belruel

Venoch wrote: »

ddahcmai wrote: »

I have flat feet which used to lead to severe plantar fasciitis, and I would absolutely recommend going beyond getting a $30 shoe cushion and seeing a podiatrist to get custom fitted orthotics. They'll cost you about $120 but they will last about 10 years, and will solve that problem straight away. Also make sure your shoes are wide enough to accompany your arches and they aren't being squeezed inwards by the sides of your shoe. I wear Keen shoes, which look like clown feet but are very high quality and very wide.

I work on a farm, on either concrete or very uneven ground, 60 hours a week. Custom insoles will help you greatly.

Custom orthotics last about a year before getting worn down. . .

no, not good ones. my mom has had hers for years, and i am talking 5 years+, and she works out every day, about 5-6 hours a day.

ymmv, but my father fits and sells them, and he would know if hers needed to be replaced.

dispatch.o

Belruel wrote: »

Venoch wrote: »

ddahcmai wrote: »

I have flat feet which used to lead to severe plantar fasciitis, and I would absolutely recommend going beyond getting a $30 shoe cushion and seeing a podiatrist to get custom fitted orthotics. They'll cost you about $120 but they will last about 10 years, and will solve that problem straight away. Also make sure your shoes are wide enough to accompany your arches and they aren't being squeezed inwards by the sides of your shoe. I wear Keen shoes, which look like clown feet but are very high quality and very wide.

I work on a farm, on either concrete or very uneven ground, 60 hours a week. Custom insoles will help you greatly.

Custom orthotics last about a year before getting worn down. . .

no, not good ones. my mom has had hers for years, and i am talking 5 years+, and she works out every day, about 5-6 hours a day.

ymmv, but my father fits and sells them, and he would know if hers needed to be replaced.

Yeah, they last a very long time. You're going to probably lose them or have your dog eat them before they actually wear out. They're very firm hard plastic that takes getting used to, but shy of putting them in a microwave I don't see mine "wearing out" before I'm near retirement age. I'm 29.

King Kong

I picked up a pair of NB running shoes and some new insoles. I tried them out today and my feet are tender but I can walk on them. Sore but bearable, I could grocery shop etc if I had to unlike when I posted this and didn't even leave my bed.