Krapsparov

I love wearing heels, I like how they look, how they make me walk differently in fact the whole package.
The problem is, if I am being dragged all over the city from pub to pub my feet hurt to such a point that it ruins my night.
Is it a matter of getting used to the pain or does the pain just go away.
If I could have an operation to cut the nerve endings off in my feet, I would gladly have it.

Cheers
Jon

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Never try to baptise a cat

chris100575

Hi Jon, thought I was the only one sad enough to be kicking around the internet on Christmas Day!

The "Party Feet" gel cushions do help if you actually put them in but unfortunately they're not magic. If it turns out to be some sort of conditioning thing, I'm seriously going to start watching TV in the evenings while standing in heels.

I think I'd be wearing them all the time outside of work if it wasn't for the pain in the balls of my feet.

Chris

dr1819

A lot of it really is conditioning, but a more important aspect has to do with the fit of the heel itself, and whatever built-in cushioning is available.

The modern running shoe allows people to go 28 miles without pain in their feet, but the modern heel doesn't allow people to go 2.8 miles without crumpling to the ground in pain.

With few exceptions, heels are designed and built for looks, not comfort.

The best way to shop for heels is to find one that fits like a glove in thin socks, no tight spots, and then spend twenty or thirty minutes standing in them while looking at other shoes, talking to the shopkeeper, etc. If there's absolutely no pain whatever, anywhere, they're probably well-made, ergonomically speaking.

Krapsparov

I should do that.
I only wear heels if I am going out, and only if I know where I'm going.
Even playing my own gigs is a pain as you have seen the amount of gear we have, and the rest of the band have usually buggered off when its time to load up at the end of the night.
The only downside to wearing them round the house is the false sense of tolerance you get. Traipsing around on carpet is a different animal to the high street.
It’s good advice though and I will certainly give it a go.
Cheers for the plan of attack

Jon

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Never try to baptise a cat

chris100575

Fit isn't a problem for me, if they don't feel right I don't buy 'em. If conditioning is important I'll work on standing in them. Would it be worth wearing higher heels than the ones I'm planning on going out in?

Chris

micha

Hi Jon,

I would never accept to cripple my feet only for my passion. I'm wearing my high heels in the same manner as many girls are doing: never extreme high heels on a long shopping tour in the city. High heels should be a pleasure but never a pain!

micha

admirer5577

Dr Scholls Party Feet is one good idea. What I don't like with them is the fact that are made only in one size to fit women shoes EU 36-40 (US 6-10 I guess) so when your shoes are bigger the will not stay in place, even if they are "anti-slip". And when they curl up under your balls/toes it is much worse than being without them.
Another good idea I have tried is to get the full size inserts that you (rarely?) can find in some shops. Your shoes have to be big enough to allow their extra height but if so, they make wonders. Another bonus is that some of them add ½" heel height. In Sweden I have occasionally found these in Lidl shops, where I never shops normally.

To wear high heels for longer period of times you need to practice. Standing and watching TV in heels is probably one way to go but the difference between your own carpeted floor and real life pavements is big. As everyone knows is excercise good for you so what not be determined about it and make a new years resolution that you should walk at least for 1 hour in heels every day. :) I committed myself to just that about a month before I went to Paris some week-ends ago and it worked for me. I spent four whole days walking/shopping in Paris in heels. To be a little bit kind to me feet I usually started with 2-3" block heels for the first couple of hours but in the afternoon/evening it was 4-5" stilettos/thinner heels. And the last day I put myself to the big test, a full day of shopping in 4" thin heels. (BTW; does anyone knows how much you actually walk in a day? I was curious about it so I put on a "step meter" when I walked the parisian streets and a normal day on the town was 20-35.000 steps in a single day. I can understand the protests from the feet.....)

So I guess the conclusion is: training, training and then some more training. The same way women do it, but they normally start at earlier age and work their way upwards at a slower pace.

keep it up (pun intended......)

/admirer

asdf174

Heels=pain fact of life. As a lady friend of mines says heels are for those who want to go to heaven.

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It's all good. ~Arron.

chris100575

Thanks for the help guys. I am aware of the difference between standing / walking on carpet and pavement, but I have laminate floors so it is at least a hard surface. Oddly enough when I was viewing the house my second thought after "that looks nice" was "my heels will sound *great* on that!"

The problem to just going for walks in them is that firstly I need to have somewhere to go, and unless I'm doing laps round the block I could end up with sore feet at the point where I'm faced with a long walk back.

I think my plan could be thus: start off just trying to stand in them for an hour or so in the evenings, and once I've built up my endurance start going out in them a lot more.

Bearing in mind that I'm going to be wearing 4" to 4.5" when I go out, is there any benefit in standing in 5" or even 6" heels? I'm working on the assumption that if I use higher heels than I'm going to wear out for training, the 4" ones will be easier? Obviously I'm going to listen to my body and rest when it gets too painful.

Chris

Guy N. Heels

RIGHT ON TARGET!
A part of the treatment for my cancer was Thalidomide, which has damaged the nerves in my hands and feet. This has not made the pain go away, but rather, transformed it into a new sensation that very nearly resembles frostbite. So anyone who thinks that nerve damage in any form is the answer is very badly mistaken.

Heels are not intended for long distance marathons, and nobody is going to wear them as such without paying a price. That is exactly why many women who are required to wear heels for long periods (strippers, bar girls, and others) often have an extra pair of low heels that they swap into at every opportune moment. They know that 8 hrs. in heels can be killers and so they try to be sensible about it. Personally, I cannot be on my feet in heels for more than a couple of hours. Driving or sitting is not so bad, but a couple of hours on my feet is sure to get my dogs barking.

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Keep on stepping,
Guy N. Heels