Birkenstock Shoes was: Re: spasms

[Guest guest]

Excellent points, bug. I had just tried most other alternatives, and

found numerous pairs of custom made, expensive orthotics did not do as

good a job for me in the metatarsal area. They have difficulty molding

it there, or I just needed more than what they thought they should put

in. Multiple trips back for each pair finally resulted in some

benefit. I can walk much longer without heavy duty pain in my Birkies,

after using them for 13 years now. I guess my ankles are strong.

Also, the shoes required for orthotics may be a problem for some, as it

was for me. Unusual arch length, mixed widths, ie wide front, narrow

heel, or swollen feet can make getting shoes to accommodate orthotics

a real trial. Getting them on and tying the laces was a real challenge

for my hands and back some days. I do believe we all have different

foot problems, and there is no one solution for everyone. I just

offered my experience as one example of how getting the right foot gear

may help us. Certainly all the variables should be considered. One

more to add; you must be fairly sure-footed for Birkies. They require

an adjustment, especially on stairs or uneven surfaces. Birkies may

not be the solution for many people. Thanks for giving my view a proper

balanced response. Sorry to be posting in such detail, over what seems

to be a trivial matter, but foot problems can be monumental, and keep

us from being as mobile as we are able.

Regards to all

Sunny

> Shoes that feel comfortable are not necessarily what is best for your

> foot.  Birkenstock's don't offer ankle support for instance, so you

> are

> at much higher risk of an ankle injury.  Abviously you want to be

> comfortable in your shoes and I'm glad you've found something that

> feels good to your feet, but an orthopod would likely disagree with

> the

> Birkenstock choice.  Proper orthodics balance out your foot problems

> in

> a medically sound way that's appropriate for your specific foot.  Any

> other shoes on the market are made for mass amounts of people.  A

> person with flat feet for example, might say a certain brand feels

> better and in fact is maintaining the flat feet problem, not

> correcting

> it.  Wearing the proper shoes can be more painful at first while your

> feet get used to walking in the correct position.  That's just my 2

> cents, I'm not a doc.  I'd just hate to see you do more long - term

> damage.

>

> bug  

>

>

>

>

> Medical advice, information, opinions, data and statements contained

> herein are not necessarily those of the list moderators. The author of

> this e mail is entirely responsible for its content. List members are

> reminded of their responsibility to evaluate the content of the

> postings and consult with their physicians regarding changes in their

> own treatment.

>

> Personal attacks are not permitted on the list and anyone who sends

> one is automatically moderated or removed depending on the severity of

> the attack.

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

My custom orthotics (half foot, a heel and an arch, but ending before

toes) were about $80 for the pair, and they've lasted me for at least

10 years, so that's not too bad price-wise. I got them due to my

back issues, back pain and sciatica (leg pain from disk damage) can

lead to messed up walking, although my MDA neuro says that I seem to

have a gait problem too.

I remember wearing jogging shoes, which became really popular in the

late 70's-early 80's. My feet would wear them down since I pronate

(walk on my big toe and inside of my foot), so I was told only to

wear " basketball sneakers " , which don't have the layers of foam like

joggin shoes, they're more flat.

Take care,

RH

>

> > Shoes that feel comfortable are not necessarily what is best for

your

> > foot.  Birkenstock's don't offer ankle support for instance, so

you

> > are

> > at much higher risk of an ankle injury.  Abviously you want to be

> > comfortable in your shoes and I'm glad you've found something

that

> > feels good to your feet, but an orthopod would likely disagree

with

> > the

> > Birkenstock choice.  Proper orthodics balance out your foot

problems

> > in

> > a medically sound way that's appropriate for your specific

foot.  Any

> > other shoes on the market are made for mass amounts of people.  A

> > person with flat feet for example, might say a certain brand

feels

> > better and in fact is maintaining the flat feet problem, not

> > correcting

> > it.  Wearing the proper shoes can be more painful at first while

your

> > feet get used to walking in the correct position.  That's just

my 2

> > cents, I'm not a doc.  I'd just hate to see you do more long -

term

> > damage.

> >

> > bug  

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Medical advice, information, opinions, data and statements

contained

> > herein are not necessarily those of the list moderators. The

author of

> > this e mail is entirely responsible for its content. List members

are

> > reminded of their responsibility to evaluate the content of the

> > postings and consult with their physicians regarding changes in

their

> > own treatment.

> >

> > Personal attacks are not permitted on the list and anyone who

sends

> > one is automatically moderated or removed depending on the

severity of

> > the attack.

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

http://www.birkenstock.com/locate/

Ann-Marie Mc wrote:

>HI Sunny,

>

>I have always heard such good things about Birkies. I have thought about

>buying a pair so many times, but for some reason or another I never get

>around to it. Thanks for reminding me, now would be a great time to order a

>pair.

>

>I heard you should be your correct shoe size, not to go up a half size or

>even a whole size, since you wear these, is this true?? The reason I ask

>is that I haven't found a shoe store that sells birkies in Pennsylvania. I

>know their manufacturing/headquarters is located in California.

>

>And people they aren't cheap, so save up!!!

>

>Hugs,

>Ann-Marie

>

>

>

>

>

>At 10:20 PM 6/1/2005, you wrote:

>

>

>>have had general pain in my feet, especially the balls of my feet,

>>since I was a teenager. (Dont want to admit it, over 40 years ago).

>>Supposedly " good " shoes and support stockings didn't help much. Heels

>>were/are out of the question. Then custom molded orthotics helped

>>somewhat. I finally found the best solution for me with the metatarsal

>>arches (forward and center of the regular arch) found in Birkenstock

>>sandals. Additionally, the sandal/shoe has a footbed made of cork,

>>which compresses over time to mold to feet as they are actually bearing

>>weight in walking. These darlings have allowed me to walk with more

>>comfort now than

>>

>>

>

>

>