[PLUG-TALK] Podiatrist ( was Shoe Repair )

[Keith Lofstrom]

Russ Johnson writes:

> I have thick feet and high arches. So I have trouble with most shoes. 2
> or 3 months in a $100 pair of sneekers and I'm in foot pain constantly.
> Can't be good for my overall health...
>
> Anyway, I've been considering looking into some other shoes, but I have
> zero experience looking for "non-disposable" shoes.

First, see a podiatrist.  There are all sorts of things that can go
wrong with legs and feet, and some evaluation and knowledge will get
you pointed towards a solution.  I benefited greatly from one short
visit to Chris Byrne in Tigard;  ask your doctor for a good podiatrist
near you.

The podiatrist may suggest arch supports - I use Spenco full length
inserts in place of the regular insole.   You say your foot is thick,
so that may not work for you.  Beyond that, you may need to get some
orthopedic shoes.  I have had BAD luck with Foot-so-Port near my house,
but that was one pair one time, so YMMV.  

One thing Dr. Byrne pointed out was that most shoes are designed for
fashion, not foot health, and there are important aspects of shoes that
are hard to find.  I do well with rocker soles, box toes, arch supports,
and durable heels - good luck finding all those in a shoe!  

Another thing is lacing;  my tendency is to lace too tight;  but feet
should flop around some in the shoe.  In support of that, socks with
mixed synthetic fabric permit the heel to move up and down appropriately.
The Meyer&Frank gold toe socks were recommended, but they sell two
different kinds of socks (one a rather nasty pilling cotton, the other
a nice synthetic mix) as the same thing. 

So, see a podiatrist, then consider orthopedic shoes.  


Of course, what the world really needs is a Nerd Clothing mail order
outlet.  Stuff designed primarily for health and comfort, with style
fitted in afterwards.  A fitting session in front of a digital camera,
a short lifestyle questionaire, and clothing starts showing up in the
mail.  Nerd Clothing would be individually numbered; after a few months
or years, you would get new stuff in the mail, along with instructions
for sending old items back for wear analysis and charitable donation.
Yes, you would look like hundreds of thousands of other nerds worldwide,
but that would be a GOOD thing.  

Finally, the obligatory shoe joke:   
Q:  How do you tell that a nerd is an extrovert?
A:  He looks at the OTHER person's shoes while he talks.

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com         Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs