Wobbly Heels

[mlroseplant]

I have a bit of a problem. I have a lovely pair of Charles David sandals, which are generally very comfortable, but after I had them re-soled with rubber (the original, ridiculously thin leather soles lasted less than 10 miles), the left shoe is quite wobbly compared to the right. If you set the left shoe on a flat surface and touch it on the side, it will move quite easily. The right shoe will stay fairly stable in the same test. 

 

This is is not a big problem for initial walking--I guess my ankles are fairly strong--but I discovered just this morning after walking my son to Sunday school, my left ankle becomes fatigued in less than one mile. I thought the heel had broken, but this is not the case. Upon further inspection, for some reason, the left shoe wants to turn outward, and I have to use ankle strength to keep it upright. 

 

I I suppose I could take the shoes back to the cobbler and complain, but I am loathe to do so for a couple of reasons, the most important of which is that I would have to leave work early (twice) to do so. Is there any fix I could do at home to make these shoes (actually just one shoe) more comfortable? I really hate to relegate them to short distance only shoes. By my own rules, that would mean I have to get rid of them, and I really don't want to do that. They were fine before. I look forward to your thoughts. 

[Steve63130]

Mlroseplant,

If you can possibly take the time off to get the shoes fixed professionally by the cobbler, that's the best route. If you have to miss an hour pr two of work, it's far less than the cost of a broken or sprained ankle, which will cause you to miss a lot more work! And the humiliation would not be good either. Get it fixed right. Don't cut corners and try to do it yourself if you aren't sure what to do. You could ruin the shoes.

Steve

[mlroseplant]

After some careful observation and experimentation, I managed to fix the problem temporarily with some layers of duct tape. There is a low spot (or high spot, depending on your point of reference) right under the left edge of the ball of the foot. Now, it is just a matter of finding some material that is a little more durable than duct tape to glue to the sole in just the right spot. 

Or, I may return to the cobbler, as I think I have worn these for the last time until Spring. Surely I will have some time off between now and April.