10mo ago

People who have had severe foot/ankle/leg injuries, what kind of shoes feel the best on you?

I broke my ankle and leg in October and had to have hardware put in. My ankle has one screw and two tightrope devices.

I'm at the point where I'm back to my normal routine aside from the one day a week I do physical therapy. I'm coming to realize that literally none of the shoes I own are not comfortable anymore. They all make my ankle feel worse and do not expand enough when my foot swells up.

38 comments

My dad broke his foot and had to have a screw put in, and he just wore Birkenstock sandals for a long time afterwards. Though, I know this isn't the right time of year (in the northern hemisphere) for those
Also, this probably isn't a relevant suggestion because it's for a different kind of ailment, but my mom has fallen arches and really likes On shoes
Feet and leg injuries are horrible, I hope you find a solution and i wish you a speedy recovery
- Thank you! I will definitely look into On shoes!
  
  Seconding On shoes. My fancy pants wife got me a pair a couple years ago, and now just about every other shoe feels cheap and unsupportive by comparison
- They are, in fact, fucking amazing shoes.
  Suspect they’ll work for a percentage of victims of this exact injuryy, and I maintain a pair of ripoffs because when I hurt myself, they mostly make it ok enough that I have a workaround.
  Was intro to Birks at maybe 10yo, as soon as my feet figured out “different, but more than ok,” I was/remain a fan.
  Might not be the place for soap to start out of the gate, but def useful long term.

Hoka. They are popular with nurses and people on their feet all day. My partner had a torn tendon causing a collapsed arche and that was the brand the Ortho recommended. After a major ankle surgery to repair the damage, Hoka is still the go-to brand for anything more than superficial walking. I ended up grabbing myself a pair and I understand why they are so popular. They have fully replaced my New Balance.
- In addition to Hoka I really like my Altra shoes. They have a wide toebox so if your foot swelling is most of a problem around there then that should help. The paradigms I have also have metal support beams in the shoe to prevent your foot from rolling around which may help.
  
  My mom loves Altra shoes. Her feet are weird and her one ankle is all fucked up from two bothed reconstruction surgeries. She said they're the only shoes that don't hurt. She doesn't have hardware like I do and had very different surgery than me, however. I'll see if I can try her pair on sometime and see how they fit. We're the same size, conveniently lol

Not sure exactly what your problem is but I had to switch to shoes that had flat heels after a knee injury. The elevated heel twisted my knee in a way that caused pain if I wore them for an extended period. Since then I buy only “zero-drop” shoes.
- I wish flat shoes were good for me. I used to wear flat bottom shoes almost exclusively before my injury. Now they hurt my ankle really bad.
- If I may, please allow me to point out that while I know exactly what you meant; ref someone’s “problem” is a good way to go straight adversarial.
  You clearly/unequivocally meant “I’m not thoroughly vested in your deepest values,but I hear you saying x.”
  That said, TY for offering advice from a place of achievement.
  
  I don’t really understand what you mean by this. Are you saying that because sometimes people use the phrase in a combative way it could be misunderstood?
  I thought it was clear enough from context that I meant “I don’t know the nature of your injury and this may or may not apply to you” but let me know if that was not as clear to you.

Ask the physical therapist. I had an MTP joint replacement and I love Adidas Ultraboosts, but this winter I’ve been wearing Columbia hiking boots on snowy days. I love my crocs though. Winter lined crocs and summer croc bands. I have to make sure that sport mode is engaged though.
- I used to wear Adidas turf golf shoes daily because they were so g-dang comfy and used Velcro instead of laces. They were discontinued and I can't find them anymore. My last pair were destroyed last year by my dog. I legit cried over them lol.
  Tbh, though, I have no idea what kind of shoes would even suit my bad foot now. I used to love wearing just thin slippers inside and those just feel wrong on my ankle. Idk how to describe the feeling other than wrong. I'm also having trouble remembering how to move in certain ways as well. I can finally go up stairs normally, but the movements to go down the stairs is confusing.
  I'm hoping getting shoes that feel right will help me learn how to move around like a normal adult again lol.
  
  It will all go back to normal. You won’t even notice anymore. It takes time. Go to the shoe store and try some stuff out

I work as an athletic trainer an get the question a lot. The absolute most important thing is that you are taking your rehab seriously. It won't make a difference in the world what shoe you wear if you blow off rehab and your arch and ankle aren't strong enough to support your weight.
In the short term you want to find a shoe that offers arch support and isn't too cushy. It should be comfortable but not have too much give. I saw someone else recommend On and that's a very not good idea. They're way too squishy because they want people to try them on in store and fall in love with them. But the softer the shoe, the harder your ankle stability muscles will need to work to keep your foot centered. To demo that, try standing on one leg on flat ground and then compare it to standing on a pillow or a piece of foam. Your tibialis anterior, peroneals, etc. will need to work wayyy harder on the foam. And you'll feel it after 30 seconds start to burn in your arch and lower leg.
My recommended brands are often Brooks, Saucony, New Balance, and Asics. In that order mostly, but it depends on your specific injury and foot shape. The key things to look at when buying a new shoe are:
comfortable but still firm sole. Soft foamy soles will wear out and collapse quicker. Forcing your stability muscles to work super hard.
Pick them up and see how difficult it is to twist them. It should help transfer energy from the back of the shoe to the front. If they bend and twist easily, they're too flexible.
Walk in them. You should feel your foot make contact on the outer portion of the sole at the back of the shoe, and roll to the inside portion of your foot and off your big toe when pushing off.
Form fitting but not squeezing your foot. Your feet are very dynamic and need to be able to articulate to properly transfer weight and hold your balance. If it feels like the shoe is compressing your foot, then you need to ask for a wide size in that shoe or look elsewhere.
- Thank you for all of the advice!
  
  Glad I could help! Hopefully you are able to find the right shoe for you.
- But also be mindful that the geometry of the foot has likely changed, and a brand and fit that worked before may not be the best any longer.
- I love my asics. I can walk longer now, and with way less pain in joints like hips, knees and feet. I really learned that wearing good shoes can make a big difference

I have knee issues and have had variable success with dansko, hoka, brooks, karhu and taos. Orthotics help a lot in most shoes. Without orthotics, the Taos currently feel the best. I have a friend who had a severe foot/ankle injury - car accident on a mountain and almost lost a foot because it was stuck under the brake pedal when they pulled her out of the back of her SUV. She wears Clarks and new balance.

I wore skate shoes to get the injuries, and I wear them to walk comfortably now.

If your doctor and/or physical therapist don't have any recommendations, look for a running shoe store in your area. They can frequently help steer you to shoes that'll feel so much better. If you don't have one and still are looking for advice from random Internet people:
Nurses tend to like Hoka and Dansko.
For the severe tendonitis in my foot, I found Brooks to be really comfortable.
I also have some Chelsea boots from Lems Shoes. They're wider the regular shoes, but don't have much support. I replaced the insert with an orthotic recommended by my podiatrist and it works pretty well.
- I'm going to an outdoor mall with some friends in a couple weeks so we can try to find me some shoes. There's like 3 or 4 shoe stores, so hopefully I'll find something. My doctor told me that supportive shoes would be best, but didn't say what specific kind of support since my ankle hardware and bones are completely stable. He told me to go with whatever feels the best when doing daily stuff and the physical therapy exercises. I think I'll be able to trust my body enough to get the right shoes. I know what shoes don't work for me rn... All of the ones I own 🥲

I don't have any hardware but I have healed fractures in the 4th and 5th metatarsals of my right foot. I wear Brooks shoes and LL Bean slippers are great. My arches have to be supported, if they're not, they'll get inflamed and I can't hardly walk.

Had an achilles injury long ago, along with some other issues and I overpronate - I found brooks adrenaline to be reasonably comfortable for the price (got 3 pairs for like 71 USD each on offer) though glycerin were more comfortable for walking (never seen hem on offer so far) due to extra cushion.
Worth a try in shop if you see them and are neutral walker/overpronator

Talk to your doctor, they can write you a prescription for custom shoes or inserts. Mine are made by a local company that's a cousin to Danner Boots:
https://www.craryshoes.com/
They take your foot and have you stand in a shoebox full of foam to take an impression of your feet and custom roll you a pair of shoes.

2022 was an absoluete terrible year my feet and knee.
I developed flat feet and every step I took hurt like a 8 on a 10 scale, I ate a shitload of paracetamol and ibuprofin every day just to get through it.
So as my feet hurt I took to taking my bike down to the busstop to get to work, unfortunately my shoes had a very sticky rubber sole so when I got off my bike instead of twisting my foot against the ground as I normally would, I was twisting knee, no issues at first, but after a few weeks it started hurting like hell when standing up from sitting or lying down.
I got custom insoles made, that helped a bit with the flat feet, but it still hurt.
Then I got a new, taller bed so I didn't need fight to stand up in the morning, my old bed was completely worn out and it was a hodge podge to start with so that was nice, and helped me out in the mornings.
Then my municipallity finnished renovating the path to the bus stop and even installed a new one closer to me, so instead of having to walk 600 meters to my bus stop, I just have to walk 300 meters, but did have to walk down/up a staircase everyday.
Once that was opened I rapidly got better, I am still not completely restored but almost.
So my advice is "walk up and down the stairs"
- I take two flights of stairs to get to my office at work and take the same two back down. It's helping me learn how to move again. Going up is easier now, but going down confuses me. I can't 100% figure out the proper motions.

There are specific orthopedic shoes for people who have foot/ankle issues. Usually a shoe brand will proudly put it on their branding that they are ortho approved. My favorite shoes are Oofos just because they are so plush and soft. Not sure if they will work on your feet though.
- I have trouble with things that are too hard, like going barefoot, and things that are too soft, like the new balance sneakers I wore when I had to wear a small brace after coming out of a walking boot. I used to love wearing minimal stuff on my feet, but I can't do it now. I'm hoping to be able to get to that point again some day

Dr Martens boots

No shoes, learn to walk again
- I'm trying, man. Every time I try to walk without shoes I have a hella hard time. My physical therapist is going to help me get used to no shoes, but I gotta learn to move with shoes first since I do most of my physical stuff in places where shoes are mandatory
  
  Go to a podiatrist. They have medical shoes in their office and your insurance will usually pay for them.
  
  Try these barefoot shoes.
  https://www.vibram.com/us/shop/fivefingers/men
- This would be my goal, too. Wear no shoes as much as possible and make sure your feet will work like they're supposed to again. Wear as minimal shoes as possible when going completely barefoot isn't feasible.
  If that doesn't work, seek medical help that aims to restore your feet to a point where it is.
  If that doesn't work, then accept invalidity and try to cope. Again, following medical advice only.

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