I only wear shape ups or croc's. I hope you find the perfect shoe :)

I have those Walk-Fit arch supports. I bought them at Target. My feet, ankles, hips and back all feel better when I put them in my shoes. They're about $20 and worth every penny! If you're going to buy new shoes also, take those with you so you can try the shoe on with them.

My other godsend are my wonderful Birkenstock sandals. I wear them around the house and everywhere else, when I can. They feel like an extension of my foot!

I am on my feet all day, I use Z coil shoes with orthotic inserts.
Jon

I'm also flat footed, welcome to the ranks of duck feet! My podiatrist recommended walk-fit orthopedics, which you can get at target for 20 bucks, eBay or amazon for 14. She also recommended naot and Vasquez brands for the supportive food bed.

I'd also throw in the idea to spend like 15 minutes at a time laying on the floor oath your legs up on a couch, just putting those muscles in a positional release, and if you can find a reasonably priced massage, or self massage with tennis balls or your hands, upwards toward the heart.

My fav therapy for my legs is to submerge from the waist down in cold river water! I know that is not an option all the time, but alternating hot and cold in the shower can be a good alternative.

And of cour if work is just too much disable is an option.

Niki

I have trouble w/ shoes off and on for years. I have to keep changing because well... our health is never stable. So I went to a pediatrist in hopes he could help. Great news I have great feet for working on them the past 26 yrs. I brought my generic K-Mart specials... Cuddles... he liked them alot. I also where New balance sneakers. They are not the tone up ones. NO NO NO can not where those. I bought wides and half a size to big and love them. Good Luck. Trial and error. I also like to where sandals in the summer but they can be hurtful so I where a support w/ them and that helps too. Take care, beth

I asked this same question on another site. Myself, I wear crocs ALL the time as they are the only thing i've found that makes it possible for me to even walk across the floor at home. I will give you some of the suggestions I got from the other group... zcoils was the first (very pricey), then MBT shoes, vibram 5 finger shoes, Dansko clogs, Drew Mary Janes (I believe there are other styles, the brand is Drew), Birkenstock's and Supremes by Soft Spots. Just Google any of them to find their website.

As you can see there are many different kinds that people all claim are 'the best' so you just have to find what works for you. I need to find something besides crocs in case I get to go back to work (being optimistic) so I am going to go to a couple of local shoe stores and see what they have. I can tell within 10 steps if a shoe will be any good for me. Good luck to you and I hope you find a comfy shoe soon, let us know what you pick.

Never without my crocs...but just recently bought a pair of ASICS sneaks. They come in all "gel" strengths. I bought Gel-CUMULUS 13!
This brand of sneaks are avail. in dept. stores...but wide widths are hard to come by. Got mine in a running store. They are really light weight...mess tops and a thick sole and heel that gives lost of cushion. Still crocks are my 1st pick!

The only thing on my body that isn't wide is my feet! When I was a kid I needed AAA. That was nearly impossible. And my little runty body had a size 6 foot when I was in the third grade and I barely found some Strawberry Shortcake shoes that would fit me. It was always a fight and a lot of stress with my mom and me when we went shoe shopping....Guess my shoe whoas are still continuing.

I have really bad foot and ankle pain which a podiatrist told me was due to the fibro. I have found shoes at footsmart.com that have helped when walking, but no heals, and nothing will make it all better. I was glad when I stumbled across this site, though my New Balance 927 are my shoe (sneaker) of choice for when I know I will be on my feet for a while.

I love my Nike High Performance running shoes. They hug my foot like a gentle glove and have superior cushioning and shock absorption.

I don't know if I am thinking of the same shoe when some mention crocs. Are these the shoes that are made of some kind of plastic.? I might have the wrong shoe.

Crocs are those foam rubber type shoes - the originals look like garden clogs but there are many more styles now. you can check them out here http://www.crocs.com

I swear by the crocs. Firstly, my feet are wide. We're talking create their own gravity wide. I have RA in my feet as well. I have tried all sorts of insert;gels, memory foam, etc. Just nothing else works for me. I hope you find what you need!

I love my crocs!! But, as I work 12 hours a day on my feet, I also wear the sketcher's shape-ups. I love them also. I alnernate, wear one pair one day, the next the next day. But, I also carry them both with me, just in case I want to switch out during the day. I hurt all over, all the time, but it is like a little piece of heavenly relief when I put on my crocs!

I wear Crocs sandals in the summer and Merrell clogs in the winter. The Merrells are a bit pricey but I find them new on eBay for decent prices and I have a closet full now in different styles.

Took me a while to find anything that would pass for "dressy" as clogs don't lend themselves to dressy very well, but I did find a couple of pairs, including a couple of Mary Jane styles that work well for me.