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.
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
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
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
My friends and I are going to make a big trip to an outdoor mall that has like 3 or 4 shoe stores in a few weeks to hang out together while I quest for shoes. I’m very excited. I know I’ll probably end up dropping a lot more money than I want on shoes right now, but I gotta get better.
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.
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 wore skate shoes to get the injuries, and I wear them to walk comfortably now.
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
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:
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.
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.
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.
If my incredibly accomplished ankle surgeon/podiatrist wanted me to have special shoes, he would have told me lol. He told me that I have to figure out what feels good for me since every case is different. I also have some bad nerve damage on the left side of my leg from the injury and surgery. Can hardly feel anything other than the hardware. Numbness goes from the bottom of my foot to my knee. It’s not helping shoes feel good either lol.
Try these barefoot shoes.
