Coping with sore feet after walking all day?

[Kelly800]

Hi everyone! Bare with me I'm pretty new here! I have been having some trouble with my feet recently, and I wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions so I don't have to give up my heels!

I work as a waitress at three jobs. Two are full time and one is part time. Needless to say, I'm on my feet a lot! Now to get better tips (and really just because I love how they look and how I feel) I wear heels to work in. I usually wear a nice pair of 5" pumps, but sometimes I'll mix it up and wear boots or something. Usually it's a 4-5 inch heel though. The problem is, my have started to hurt bad at the end of the day. Like I said, I'm standing pretty much all day. I usually start my day at 6am and I'll work straight through until 10 or even midnight or later depending on how my jobs line up. As you can imagine, by the end of a 16 or 18 hour day, my feet are killing me! I walked over 30 miles yesterday to give you an idea of how much I'm walking! I've even found that my feet are numb in parts by the end of the day! The worst part is that my feet are stuck in the shape of my heels after I take them off, and they stay that way unless I do some deep massaging to break up the muscle tension. I usually can't even bend my toes at the end of the day ...

I just wanted to know if, first, the pain and stiffness is normal after days like I work, and, second, if there is anything at all I can do to help possibly relieve the pain. It feels like I'm walking with rocks in my shoes by the end of the day, and I'm having trouble sleeping because of foot cramps and leg cramps. If anyone has any ideas, I would greatly appreciate it!

[Heelster]

First off, I have to assume your wearing good quality heels, or your comfort threshold is pretty high. My first thought is that it might be in your best interest to wear some heels with a bit less height. Depending on what kinds of waitress work your performing, you may want to consider a bit of platform as this will give the illusion of 5" heels, but they may actually be much less. Break up the pattern a bit and see if this helps

 

Hopefully bunions are not in your family history

[Thighbootguy]

@Kelly800 before I read @Heelsteradvice, I was going to write the same thing.  There is a BIG difference in wearing a 5" heel and a 4" heel.  I don't think going to a 4" heel would affect your tips too much.  A platformed shoe is also a good option, even at the 4" height.  

Try working your way down to flats.  You may not be able to do that all at once if you really have changed what your muscles are expecting.  Do it over a period of several weeks and keep track of your tips.  If you are giving good service I don't think your tips will change too much.

The bottom line is don't wreck your feet, you only get one pair.

[Thighbootguy]

An additional thought:  If you find yourself standing still, lean back just a little and let your heels carry most of the load.  This gives the balls of your feet a brief break.  I admit that I rarely have seen a waitress standing still, but that brief break can feel good.

[krazykev64]

I can easily walk in 5 inch heels but there is no way i would wear them day in day out for 10+ hours at a time.  for your job i would consider a 3 inch heel a maximum or maybe 4 with a platform.  you are at risk of serious problems.  personally if your job allows it i would wear flats for a month or two to allow your feet time to recover.  i normally wear a 2.75 to a 3.75 heel as daily wear but i dont wear them for 10+ hours every day like you do.  on the other hand i wore these heels for at least 8 hours per day for a whole month (31 days) and found them very comfortable but when i attempted to walk a half marathon in them i was barely able to stand.  they have a 4 inch block heel with a 1 inch platform.  they were also a bit on the large side which i suppose is better than being tight