I Am So Frustrated

[Eager2heel]

I have been trying to get used to the shoes I bought. I bought another pair but they just did not fit. I had to send them back. But anyway, My right foot seems just fine in the shoe. I am over the soreness from begining to wear heels. My left foot is not as strong as my right one and I just can't walk very far because of my left foot not being able to handle the high heel. My foot starts to hurt right away. I notice also that I tend to lean out a little with my left foot. I am not putting it flat on the floor when I have the heels on. With bare feet I have no problem. Should I see a foot Dr ?

[Heelster]

How about trying a lower height and a wedge. Summer sandal style wedges are starting to go on clearance.

 

Some of use made the jump into higher styles pretty easily. Others need to move up a bit more gradually.

[Ynotme]

I started with low 2 1/2 in heels or so wedges and spikes then after time and practice 4 inch is ok and higher is yet to come .But I have been doing this since the 1980s not full time wearing then all day until 2001 or so .

I think starting low and learning balance and stride is the way to go

But that's my experience

[ShoeDre]

Never discount that some shoes are simply uncomfortable.  Some shoes may work for others, but may not work for you as your feet are unique.  I always try shoes on first.  It upsets me when shoes are shaped badly for my feet.  In the long run (pun intended ) getting quality footwear that fits comfortably is the best solution you can find.  It's amazing how much longer I can wear the right shoes within a couple of days.  Your feet will be with you a long time, it's worth trying to do the best you can to look after them.

[Steve63130]

Good advice there. Yes, start with low heels, 2 to 2.5 inches, and wear them often to build up your foot and leg muscles. It's a whole new way of walking and if you haven't done it, your body is going to rebel. So just like any other sport, you need to get into shape. Start low and work your way up. You can't expect to start with high heels without training your muscles properly. Don't give up. Look at it as a journey with a worthy goal. Get the right equipment (low heels) and move up slowly as you become ready for higher heels.

 

It could be that those heels that give you pain will never be comfortable for you, even if your muscles are prepared for them. Some heels just aren't comfortable. It could be the arch, the toe box, the throat shape, unstable heels, anything. You need to try quite a few shoes to find the ones that work well.Try them with and without hosiery. Don't expect the first shoes out of the box to be the best. There's an old expression that you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince. Keep at it and you'll soon find heels that work for you and make you happy! Return the ones that don't work for you, or sell them on Ebay. Don't try to wear uncomfortable shoes just because they look good. Your feet will be miserable. Search for shoes that fit well, feel good, AND look good.

 

Enjoy the journey!

 

Steve

[jetheelsfan]

I wonder what the doctor would say when you say "My foot hurts when I wear high heels" - I don't think it would turn out in your favor.  Many docs tell the women not to wear heels.  I doubt it would be an "up-lifting" appointment.

[SleekHeels]

Practicing bad walking habits with very high heels may just dig you into a hole, I agree with the advice given so far. You should try lower heels and practice/develop good habits with those first, that will be a good foundation for building up to higher heels again. Maybe a wider heel (such as a wedge as Heelster suggests) would help to reduce that leaning out of your left foot, until you can build up your technique and strength to eventually make you more stable with a stiletto heel too. Good luck, you'll get there.

[Eager2heel]

I guess i have nothing to loose by doing what you all say. Maybe it is the heel hight that is the problem. I will find a lower heel and see how that go's.

 

 

[mlroseplant]

I also worked my way up gradually. Here is the beginning of my high heel journey, and I hope it helps you get an idea of how long it really took me to feel truly comfortable wearing heels every day physically. It did not happen in a matter of weeks. Complete with photos, so you can see exactly the kind of shoes I started in.

 

(Photo 1) I wore 2 1/2" clogs with a platform for quite a number of years before my true "heeling days," because I figured that was the most I could get away with. I don't really consider these "heels," but they have a slight elevation of close to 2", certainly more than men's chef-type clogs, and I think wearing these was very helpful to get used to the feel of wearing heels. In addition to getting used to a little bit of height, even these lowish-heeled clogs are quite useful to learn to deal with things like stepping on rocks and uneven pavement, as they react much more like a high heel to such obstacles than does a sneaker. Pictured are the latest (and best) iteration of this style of shoe that I've owned, Sofft Camden. I still use these some for yardwork and other such things, as the heel does not sink into soft earth so easily.

 

(Photo 2) Later, when I got braver, I moved up to basically the same shoe, but with a 3 1/2" heel instead of 2 1/2", Sofft model Aviano.  I really loved the extra height, but even with all that experience wearing the lower-heeled clogs, I found these new shoes to be somewhat of a challenge. These are also the shoes in which I officially made my public heeling debut back in May of 2012. I had these as my only pair of heels for about 6 months, and I was in them at every opportunity at home. I wasn't confident enough to wear them everywhere back then, but I still wore them so much that I had to have them reheeled. I'll probably always keep them for nostalgic reasons, but lately I don't wear them too much because I've moved on style-wise, and height-wise.

 

(Photo 3) Around Thanksgiving of 2012, I found these Sbicca Hutton clogs on Amazon, and something about them grabbed me. I just had to have them. They somehow seemed plain enough that I thought I could get away with wearing them in public. I also loved the fact that they had a super tall (or so it seemed to me back then) 4 1/2" heel. With the 1" platform, the effective elevation is 3 1/2", not a great deal steeper than my Sofft Avianos I'd been wearing every chance I could for the previous 6 months, so it didn't take long to get used to the new, higher shoes. They are still my winter "house" shoes and messing around in the garage shoes. l don't wear them out much any more because I now prefer to wear something slightly more feminine and less clunky.

 

I could go on ad nauseum about my high heeled journey, but I want to emphasize that it has taken years to get where I am physically. There is no way I could have started out wearing the shoes pictured in your avatar without some serious pain. Today, as long as they fit right (and I've found that you have to be very, very picky about fit in a high heel), they would be no problem for me to wear all day and still be smiling at the end of the day. Don't give up, my friend, just be patient.

[Histiletto]

Many people develop their way of walking as toddlers by what feels comfortable to them and their feet adjust to the way they walk. People often buy the cheapest shoes just to get by and most of the time they wear shoes that offer very little support. In my younger years, I would wear those vinyl tennis shoes with the lousy arch support padding until they were almost ready to fall apart. I found that my feet were literally walking over the outer edge of the sole, because the sides didn't hold my feet on the sole properly, which caused the outer edge to wear more than the rest of the sole. These type of developments may prove to make the experience in learning to wear high heels harder, because of the habits or foot abnormalities they may have formed by walking on things like uneven eroded soles. The only way that I was able to somewhat correct this problem was to wear only very supportive, quality shoes which may be a bit more expensive, but the results will help the feet become comfortable walking more correctly, which in turn makes it easier to wear heels as the supports are more effectively applied by walking properly.

 

As also suggested, the idea to try different brands of the type of heels you prefer will eventually reveal the style and type of heels that will be the best for your comfort and pleasure. I still have a number of heels that will probably stay in their cardboard cases because my feet can't be comfortable when I wear them, even though they look spectacular. It also makes it harder to decide what I'm going to do with them, since I still want to wear them. I know life is hard, but some things are just unbearable (as I sit here with a smile).  

[Eager2heel]

Well I went to a DR. It turns out my left leg is getting a very slight bow in it. He looked at my legs and said your left leg is becoming bowed. He said at my age there is not much that can be done to correct it. I never said anything about highheels to him. So I guess I am stuck with lower heels .

[SleekHeels]

In some specialist stores for running shoes I think they sometimes suggest custom insoles with a slightly varying thickness; this doesn't correct the problem as such, but compensates for it and perhaps avoids putting additional strain higher up the leg (like the knee joint for example, which often takes the strain when wearing high heels). I don't know if a similar insole could be used for heels, or even if it would be a good idea at all. Perhaps someone else has some knowledge and experience of this, it would be interesting to know.

[jetheelsfan]

Sorry to hear that there is a problem.  I think you were wise in not mentioning your penchant for wearing heels.  I agree, there are things that can be done to modify regular shoes to increase stability and comfort.