Tag Archives: big toe

Painful Thong Sandals

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Dear Shoe Lady,
What can I do to ease the pain my feet endure trying to wear thong sandals? All the cute sandals are thong type. I have tried using a bandage, but it does not help, just hurts.

Hi Gloria,
I understand the frustration of loving a style that has been less than kind to your precious feet. Before ruling out thongs completely I suggest going to the podiatrist to see if your toes are aligning properly, and there isn’t an underlying foot problem, such as a bunion. Discomfort can appear to be magnified if your big toe is pressing too hard against the second toe. You could also be sensitive to the friction of the material, and might consider looking for one that is closer to satin. If you find that your foot health is not a concern, then seeking another type of sandal will be your best bet. The good news is those alternatives exist! Search for sandals that are similar to thongs, but that cause less friction to your toes.

Annie Bejeweled Silver at AskTheShoeLady.com

Bejeweled by Annie is a Mid Heel Dressy Sandal

Bejeweled by Annie has a tapered front that suggests a thong, but has coverage over the toebox, for a more evenly distributed secure hold.

Good luck on your search,
The Shoe Lady

Hammer Toe Tips

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Q: My elderly aunt has very painful and difficult feet to fit.  She wears a size 11.5 and needs a wider rounded toe to accommodate her hammer toes, but has a narrow heel.  Also, she does better with her heel slightly higher than her toes, but not more than 1 inch.

Can you recommend any shoe styles for me to look at for her??

Thank you so much.

A: Dear Kristen-

Aren’t you the perfect grand daughter!  Were you trained or do you come by this compassion naturally?  A well brought up young lady is such a treasure!

I am in total sympathy with your grandmother, who I am imagining as an otherwise spry, relatively young 70.  Hammertoes are ….. well they are the pits.  Surgery doesn’t really work well.  Those little Dr. Scholls cushions are helpful but annoying because they slip around.  The hammertoes get corns and that is painful.  So keep that compassion flowing.

Yours truly, the Shoe Lady, is a size 11.5 with a narrow heel and with hammertoes.  So I bring more than the usual amount of expertise to this shoe question.

I recommend the big toe box, for sure.  When you can’t find a big toe box in shoes, shoes for a dressy occasion for example, get shoes that are either soft leather or fabric (like dyeables) and take them to a shoe repair shop to have the toe box stretched upward to accommodate those hammertoes.

Look at DesignerShoes.com’s SoftWalk brand styles:

For example, Jupiter style:

Softwalk Jupiter Navy at DesignerShoes.com

Jupiter by Softwalk is a Low Heel Casual Flat

Mary Jane straps are a great design feature when you want a wider toe box but have narrow heels.  It keeps the shoe on your foot!

Look at DesignerShoes.com’s Trotter’s brand styles:

For example, Heloise style:

Trotters Heloise Pewter Metal at DesignerShoes.com

Heloise by Trotters is a Mid Heel Dressy Loafer

A woven leather will give more flexibility on the top vamp.  The vamp comes higher up your foot so it stays on your foot better.  The texture makes any “toe bumps” less noticeable.

Whatever you do, do NOT buy styles that have reinforced leather, or toe cap seams across the top of the vamp where those hammer toes will hit.  That makes me wince just thinking about it!  A seam or a thicker piece of leather will be like steel or a rod against those poor defenseless toes.

Best to your Grams!

The Shoe Lady