shoes or no shoes
Does anyone else have any input or opinions on wearing shoes or no shoes. I feel like when I am at home cleaning house, for instance, for 2-3 hours at a time, if I do not have my good shoes on the whole time, the pain intensifies much worse. Is this common and "normal" to need the support with RA that's affecting the hands and feet the worse? I am recently diagnosed and waiting appointment with Rheumatologist.
Hi, mdon94! I think you will get different answers from different community members. I know that many in our community find wearing the right shoes to be very helpful and comfortable. For some members, it is normal to need that extra support while walking or doing chores. You might find this article on shoes (and the brands that work best for each person), interesting -- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/springtime-sandal-shopping/comment-page-1/#comments. If you haven't checked it out already, you might find it very relatable. You might also like the comments following the article.
I hope your first appointment with your rheumatologist goes well! I thought you might also like this article about what to expect at your first rheumatologist appointment -- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/what-to-expect-at-your-first-rheumatologist-appointment/.
Thank you for reaching out to the community. We're glad you found us! Best, Erin, RheumatoidArthritis.net Team Member.
Hi mdon94,sorry to hear that your having some feet difficulty. I have a little bit of experience with this through my wife, Kelly Mack, who has RA and is a site contributor. Kelly has special inserts in her shoes to help with her balance. You may want to speak with a podiatrist to see if they can help. Here is an article on dealing with shoes and RA.
Best of luck and keep us posted. Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)
Hi mdon94, I just wanted to chime in here as well.
In my personal experience I like to have a pair of sandals, a pair of very minimal and breathable shoes, and a pair of really supportive shoes with orthotic inserts. I don't know if there is any rhyme or reason to it, but what shoe is most comfortable changes by the day it seems. I too find that being barefoot around the house can cause my foot pain to intensify. But so can shoes that are too tight.
Best of luck and I hope your appointment with the Rheumatologist goes well. Please stop by the site and Facebook page if you need any support or have more questions.
Best wishes— Michael (RheumatoidArthritis.net team member)
My first symptoms were sore feet. I had bummed around in flip flops all summer and assumed that was the problem. I started wearing my New Balances and socks and the symptoms mostly subsided, but I had a family Dr appontment anyway so I told him about it and he ordered some blood work. Then I went on vacation and got a call telling me my RA factor was thru the roof. That started my journey into this.
I recently bought some good fitting inserts from a running shoe shop and they seem to help quite a bit.
So get thee to a sports shoe store and get some good stable walkers with well fitted inserts.
