How to make terribly uncomfortable shoes walkable?

shoos

I bought a gorgeous pair of boots in River Island a few years ago. I adore them so much, probably one of my favourite shoes I own. Only thing is - I can't wear them, and they've been sitting in my wardrobe for the most part since I bought them

When I do venture out in them I'm pretty much regretting it before I've even shut my front door. Considering their style, and how feckin expensive they were, they really shouldn't be so sore. They've got a small chunky heel, only up to 2 inches or so, and they're the military style - like these:



I've tried those shoe paddings you get in pharmacies but I find them useless. I don't use them on any other pair of shoes though so I don't know if it's the boots that they just don't work on or if they're just useless in general.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make them comfy, even if it requires getting them completely altered by a shoe-maker person.. if that's even a thing?? My heart breaks a little every time I opened my wardrobe and see them there so lonely and unused

Could you describe how/where they're sore? Are they leather?

Without more info the best I can recommend is stretching them out a bit (you can buy inserts that you put into leather shoes that expand into them and essentially break them in a bit) and then putting full insoles in them (not just the gel pads). If I'm wearing a new pair of shoes and I'm not sure how they'll wear on the night out, I sometimes preemptively put blister plasters on my feet to avoid any friction or pinching. You can get really cheap and effective ones in Tesco.

abrr1000

I have those boots in a different colour - oh yeah I feel your pain they are just really high and very difficult to walk in.
I think the problem is no platform at the front.
Unfortunately I don't think anything will make them better - they're not very comfortably made so just put up with the pain and think of how pretty your feet look

shoos

@true-or-false - yeah sorry, that was silly of me not to include that! The pain is mainly concetrated on the ball of my foot. The sole of them is rock hard like there is no cushion at all. I have high heels that hurt the ball of my foot but it's different with the boots. High heels normally take a while but these boots the discomfort and pain is almost immediate. Maybe they're just really poorly made?

@ abrr1000 - the thing is, I'm always walking around in boots with heels and always wear heels on nights out so I'm no stranger to bearing the pain and just getting used to it. But these boots are different.... the second I put them on they're the bane of my life haha!

enfant terrible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdZiYKiY-t0

Aimeee

Would leather insole help I wonder? I got a pair for shoes that were a tad loose just to prevent the slipping, however have also used them in uncomfy boots successfully. I found them way better than the soft gel insoles. Try any decent shoe shop, shouldn't be hard to get.

dudara

If they're that bad, I'd sell them on Adverts and just get some cash back for them.

username123

They could just be really badly made.

I used to have a pair of not too high heeled shoes that had a wooden sole, bit like these:


And I would cry wearing them. Think I wore them twice then gave up, the wooden sole would just have the ball of your foot crippled in minutes. No give in it at all.

If its the case that they are just badly made there isnt really anything you can do with them.

convert

Boots do a really good gel insole (a full one, not just for the ball of your foot) and they are absolutely fantastic as they cushion your feet while walking and really stop the burning. They're also pretty thick. I think they're about 15 quid, so would be really worth trying out before you have to give up altogether.

lorebringer

Defo get the gel insoles - brilliant at preventing the burning from heels.

IMO, the best way to get sore shoes to be less sore/comfortable is to wear them around the house as much as possible - just doing the vacuuming and washing up etc. Even sitting around on the couch will help. It really breaks in the shoes and softens up harder materials, thus reducing the pain if you wear them out.

tomboylady

You can get little half insoles in most shoe shops that fit at the ball of your feet which might help. It should soften the sole up a bit if nothing else.

fiona-f

shoos wrote: »

@true-or-false - yeah sorry, that was silly of me not to include that! The pain is mainly concetrated on the ball of my foot. The sole of them is rock hard like there is no cushion at all. I have high heels that hurt the ball of my foot but it's different with the boots. High heels normally take a while but these boots the discomfort and pain is almost immediate.

In my experience, there is nothing that will help with that rock-solid sole feeling. The pain can be unreal, even when sitting, so I'd advise cutting youf losses and getting rid of them. Sorry it is not what you want to hear but even the most cushioned insoles (assuming you can even fit them in) will make only a marginal improvement.

Robyn_14

fiona-f wrote: »

In my experience, there is nothing that will help with that rock-solid sole feeling. The pain can be unreal, even when sitting, so I'd advise cutting youf losses and getting rid of them. Sorry it is not what you want to hear but even the most cushioned insoles (assuming you can even fit them in) will make only a marginal improvement.

And guys nothing is worth battered bunioned feet when you get older because you tried to bear painful shoes!Its just not worth it although a little heartbreaking

Pippy1976

Ah here, if you've had them for years with no improvement then get rid.

There are so many gorgeous comfortable boots out there. Trade these in and buy a pair you can actually wear.

jam_mac_jam

Get rid of them, if they hurt that much they will damage your feet. Some shoes are just badly made.

kat.mac

I think I have those boots - I only paid half price for them though, so don't feel as badly off as you. But they are almost impossible - I find they feel really high, when they're not that high at all, and with the chunky heel, you'd think you'd have no trouble with them! I only wear them on occasions where I know the walking will be limited, as I don't want to cripple myself but really love the look of them. Sorry I don't have any actual advice...

dee_mc

Nurofen gel on the balls of your feet half an hour before you put on the shoes, apparently it works wonders, I've also worked with Polish girls who used to soak their feet in neat (cheap!) vodka before a long night of waitressing!

username123

dee_mc wrote: »

Nurofen gel on the balls of your feet half an hour before you put on the shoes, apparently it works wonders, I've also worked with Polish girls who used to soak their feet in neat (cheap!) vodka before a long night of waitressing!

While either of these may work - its not exactly good for your feet - basically you are numbing them to pain, but the body is reporting pain for a reason - ie, the shoes are damaging the feet.

The vodka thing reminds me of a bare knuckle documentary I watched where an old traveller used to soak his hands in petrol to harden them. Cant imagine any lady wants to have hard hoary old feet just to wear a particular pair of shoes!

Mind you I dont wear heels at all anymore so maybe Im just a wimp.

dee_mc

username123 wrote: »

While either of these may work - its not exactly good for your feet - basically you are numbing them to pain, but the body is reporting pain for a reason - ie, the shoes are damaging the feet.

The vodka thing reminds me of a bare knuckle documentary I watched where an old traveller used to soak his hands in petrol to harden them. Cant imagine any lady wants to have hard hoary old feet just to wear a particular pair of shoes!

Mind you I dont wear heels at all anymore so maybe Im just a wimp.

I agree with you, just thought I'd share the lengths others have gone to to make a particular pair of shoes bearable! I've had to part with some of my favourites lately, just can't do the suffering anymore
OP, I had 2 pairs of very dressy sling-back kitten heels I got for half price in River Island a few years ago, thinking I'd found the sensible, pain free alternative to heels on a night out... they were the most unbearably uncomfortable things I ever put on my feet! looks can be deceiving!

shoos

Thanks for all the replies!

For those saying just get rid, I don't think I could bare it haha. I've had them a long time but to be fair I let them sit in my closet for months and months on end, so this thread is really my first big whack at sorting the problem. The gel pads and insoles I've used in the past have been cheapies from pharmacies and places like that - never thought of looking for more expensive ones. Will have a look at those €15 ones!

dee_mc wrote: »

Nurofen gel on the balls of your feet half an hour before you put on the shoes, apparently it works wonders, I've also worked with Polish girls who used to soak their feet in neat (cheap!) vodka before a long night of waitressing!

Hah, love these alternatives. Will keep the vodka soak in mind

shoos

dee_mc wrote: »

OP, I had 2 pairs of very dressy sling-back kitten heels I got for half price in River Island a few years ago, thinking I'd found the sensible, pain free alternative to heels on a night out... they were the most unbearably uncomfortable things I ever put on my feet! looks can be deceiving!

My boots are the last pair of shoes I've bought from RI, for the price of them they're terribly made. You'd get more wear out of Pennys.

tigerblob

Think I have this exact pair of boots, at around 90 quid they're one of the most expensive pairs of shoes I own and I practically never wear them. The way the heel is makes me feel like my body is being thrust forward or something? I'm so disappointed as I reasoned at the price they'd be good quality and I'd get loads of wear out of them.