My new equipment acquisition comes in the form of, yes, ugly shoes.
Oh, those aren't so ugly, you say. But you are wrong. Because these are what I will be wearing everyday no matter what else I am wearing.
They are very comfortable shoes, but having them is, for me, a concession that I had sworn to myself I would never make. Yet, here I am.
I went to the orthopedic shoe store with the best of intentions and highest hope. Maybe I'd find something that was a least all one color, even if it was a trainer. Maybe I'd even find something with some nice detail! The pedorthist brought 4 boxes of shoes. We started with Finn Comfort, an ugly but all black shoe that could pass as office casual. I walked from one end of the store to the other. He went to fetch an arch orthotic. I walked again. He retrieved a pair of MBTs, which worked great for my hip, but was nearly impossible to balance on with my left foot's severe pronation. We tried another shoe, but I was back to dragging my foot and near-collapsing every few steps. And so I knew what the final box would contain, and what I must buy.
New Balance.
Damn it.
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7 comments:
I am a slave to "ugly" shoes. They must have room for an insole that keeps my ankles from turning. Sucks big time! In summer when all those cutsie flats are out I want to cry, but the pain later after wearing them isn't worth it! NB makes alot of styles, maybe you could find one in a regular store you like better? Those aren't too ugly:)
Take Care,
Becky
Honestly, I was expecting worse when I read "ugly shoes." They're really not ugly, but I can understand why you're dismayed at having to wear them with every outfit. It would be nice if you could find different styles in other stores, as Becky said.
And thank you for reminding me to be grateful that (so far) I don't have EDS issues that have a major impact on my choice of shoes. ;)
If only I could indeed have a different NB style. But the problem is that this particular assemblage of features comes in only one color, one style.
I have some other shoes that I can wear for dress occassions where I am sitting down most of the time, though lurching to my seat sort of robs me of any pretense of elegance. It's just that it seems so unfair to have to spend so much money on a pair of shoes that I would never have chosen had I any other choice. And I mean, never have chosen: I have never been athletic, and the few sports that I have enjoyed have not required athletic shoes of any sort. And I still have to go get longer shoe laces, because with the orthotics added, they can't even lace up properly.
At least I can wear other shoes if I know I'm not going to be on my feet. When MD was still wearing her KAFOs, she pretty much had no choice but NB because she has big feet and the KAFOs made her shoe size all that much larger. And then the NBs themselves added on several centimeters. Yarrrrr! Big Foot was here!
I wish someone would pay some real attention to styling the shoes that those of us with seriously gimpy feet and legs end up in. I'm already having to pay an exorbitant amount of money for shoes and orthotics. Is it too much to ask that I don't stick out like a sore thumb every time I wear a dress or slacks to work? Must it always be casual Friday for me? I have a closet full of lovely dresses that never get worn, and the culprit is the inability to find shoes.
It really does puzzle me that no one's paid attention to the style issue, and that no one's been frustrated enough with the situation to start their own line of orthopedic shoes. There are stylish ring-splints, stylish medical ID bracelets, and even stylish hospital gowns now, so what's taking them so long to come up with stylish orthopedic shoes???
I suppose getting a pair of shoes custom made would be exorbitantly expensive, considering the ones on the shelf are already pricey.
The whole thing truly sucks. If I knew anything at all about shoe making or orthopedic shoes, I would try to help you out, but damn it I'm clueless. Sorry :(
Naw, it doesn't suck. I've seen suck. This doesn't rise to that standard. This is just damned annoying. You'd think that in this day and age, there'd be a way you could plug in all your measurements and specific orthotic needs and then plug in some stylistic choices and a better shoe could be assembled out of stock components. And it's sort of disappointing, because orthopedic shoes in general have improved in looks. It's just where it comes to severe orthopedic issues that choices evaporate. So I go in, I see all the Naots and Clarks and hope that there is something there for me. And, again, there isn't.
At least I can afford shoes that I can walk in. Not being able to do that does qualify as sucking.
Try Brooks Addiction shoes. They have a no-pronate roll bar through the middle, but they've been working for a few years on making the style look less orthopaedic. It's still a sneaker, but it's a little more fun than the long, athletic looking New Balances. Brooks are commonly found at running stores.
I've worn Brooks before, and they were as athletic looking as New Balance, though I like them better aesthetically. The store I went to wasn't carrying them, but I will look into this new style. I'm open to trying most anything.
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