Last Summer I bought some rather tough sandals from Ecco with adjustable straps at the fromt of the foot and over the instep. They look like trainer sandals for walking. This year they have added something called an anatomical wave footbed. Only worn them one day , but they were bliss especially contrasted with the low wdges I tried to kid myself would be ok ...Ouch !!! They were very expensive and not v glam but for hols or any where the terrain is unreliable they work so well. The rest of the time I wear specially cushioned trainers for runners. MBT's worked because of the large quantity of foam ,but eventually when the inflammation was v bad in my knees they really made my knees so sore. Still cannot wear em.

yes its great infromative post thankyou kathleen

lyn thats whats happening to my feet over some years now,the arch im told has dropped,toes spreading and forefoot gone very wide with bunion.
constant red inflammed metarsal heads.
so arch support is key do hotter shoes offer this,hell an all trouble with our internet tonight 2 mins to post and il be cut off again.
il try look tomorrow if broadband lets me grr.
melly

Hi Barbs
oh goody
il be looking for some crocs then for garden only.
i sharnt be going out in them easy wash down so ideal for garden.

ohh you also same thing feet,my bunion gets red painful makes whole foot go into spasm grr.
yes know what mean got have some nice girly llooking shoes,that what hubby said to me.
but lol in end my feet i want be comfy well supported.


thanks posting how crocs are.ps wise idea wear them in at home first.
melly

Hannah, totally understand what you mean!!! Nice shoes make you feel better about yourself. I wear flat shoes too, I tried some so called good for the feet ones from flyflot, and they hurt my feet!!! they were expensive too!! At 16 you're entitled to care about your appearance, I still do at 56!! I have a daughter just turned 17, so totally understand your way of thinking!! Take care x

Hi Hannah - if you want to try some nice shoes that are just a bit wider than normal and not old biddish - check out Viva La Diva website and look at ee fits. Lovely to see you posting.

Julie xx

Thanks Julie I may just do that!
xx

Hi, I've worn Crocs ever since I got RA and they are fabulous. Crocs do work with the American Associations for Arthritis and Diabetes, so they do have specific footwear for those conditions I think. I have the Caymens, the wellies, the MaryJanes and the Patricia sandles.

I'm 5"9 and I hate being tall...

Hi Hannah. I'm 5'9" as well, and I hated being tall when I was your age. But I wouldn't have it any other way now. You can see things at concerts, you don't get your head jammed into someone's armpit when commuting on the Tube, and its always fun looking down on your boss.

Don't know if this info will be of any use to anybody as it is ages since the last post on the subject
Feet were my big problem before I was diagnosed, and I was living in holland at the time. In agony I was desperate to get comfy at any price. I bought two pairs of shoes from xsensible (http://www.xsensible.com). They advertise them as stretchable shoes and they were instantly comfy it was wonderful. All their shoes have removable insoles so you can insert your own. I don't know if you can buy them in the UK or not but you can probably buy them online. Because they are wider fitting you may find that you wear a smaller size than a UK shoe. The dutch shop assistant told me that this was because people wear a larger size to accommodate their feet in a narrower fitting shoe. The podiatrist also had pamphlets on these shoes in his offices so that's quite a recommendation.
I wear crocs flipflops as slippers and also have a pair of birkenstock flipflops as they have quite a bit of shaping underfoot (can't think of the right terminology) for those hot summer days though obviously no good for longer walks.
(just had a look at the xsensible website and they have dealers in plymouth and woking)
wishing you happy feet!
.....eve

Hi,
Like so many members with RA I have spent a fortune on shoes and boots. I now have some special quite deep orthotics and this makes things even harder. Hotter even the EXF extra wide fitting are not deep enough in the toe box for me so I have now progressed to Easy B (DB Shoes Northampton) and I now wear a 4E width fitting on a size 5 shoe. They are around the same price as Hotters. My latest pair have two velcro straps that pull in opposite directions and these fit well (at present)!!
www.widerfitshoes.co.uk. Telephone 01933 311077. They are a relatively small and very helpful company and well worth a look if its toes that are your problem. They will put you on the mailing list for the regular brochure (just like Hotter do). You can order up to 8E widths. They also have canvas and sandals that take orthotics.
I would definitely recommend taking a look as the brochure is quite detailed.
For me normal wide fitting shoes are never wide enough across the toes.

Hope this is of some help
Sue