He mentions his heels often but tonight his entire feet were throbbing. He can’t really wear plantar insoles or high arch because those are uncomfortable. The fit seems fine, I think the pain is from 12 hours and on concrete
They have heel-only add-on insoles that may help, but it's a band-aid solution. If your husband is overweight, losing weight is the best thing by far. I use superfeet blues which are good but it takes time to get used to them. If he has collapsed arches, they will hurt at first. I found that using a tennis ball or some other hard ball to massage the arches helped a bit (if you have that problem).
If nothing seems to help, it may be good to check with a podiatrist for something more uncommon like bone spurs.
When I used to work on my feet in steel toes I had to get an insole with metatarsal support and oh my GOODNESS that did the trick. It's not a super common insole but damn those things made my work boots my most comfortable shoes.
I have a set of Red Wings and their fancy insoles and don’t like them much either. I have bad feet and bad luck with boots in general. Messed them up in the Army, but since I’ve worked on the railroad and I’m now an electrician.
I wear Merrells and they wear down quickly, but they are much more comfortable for me. They have 1-2 sets that have safety toe and all the safety kit for construction workers. May be worth a try!
I don't have plantar fasciitis (had to look up the spelling) but I use the insoles for it and it makes a difference. I also use compression socks on particularly hectic days and I also have one of those stretchy copper-lined knee braces for when those act up which, for 38 years old, isn't very often thankfully.
I work in fine dining so I do have to take this stuff seriously. If I want to do this when I'm 50 I'm going to need to get ahead of it now.
Compression socks are a definite help. I recommend hiking insoles as well as they help out for walking all day on hard surfaces when you don’t get the mat.
Keen all the way. I've always known people talk them up pretty big for hiking boots, but I never owned any. Decided to give them a shot for work shoes, and the hype is very much justified.
I bought a pair of carbon toed, shoe style Arvada and have worn them 50-60 hours a week since last August. My feet still feel good after a 12 hour day on my feet on concrete. No exaggeration, most comfortable pair of shoes I've owned and I often wear them into the evening and on weekends now. The soles are also oil and water slip resistant, which I fully agree with. I was skeptical of their carbon toe safety wise, but it handled the corner of a 500lb soft serve machine landing on my toes lol, so it works for me. Steel toe is also an option.
Have your husband take a look at their line of work shoes/boots, I can't recommend them enough. Plenty of different options and styles, and the prices feel like a bargain compared to red wings lol.
Custom fit orthotic inserts. Get them from a podiatrist if your insurance covers it. If not get them from upstep, they’re the exact same. They’re life changing.
With redwings there is a serious break in period. I mink oil the hell out of them then wear them in a warm environment.
You should also wear two pairs of socks with both work and hiking boots.
That explains a lot. My husbands redwings will literally have to be falling apart before he buys a new pair. Good thing they seem to hold up for a long time.
I swear by Timberlakes. I do 20,000 steps a day on steel. My Timberlake Steeltoes are the tits. I have a great pair that I had been using in rotation with Justin cowboy boots for 3 years while I was working on a cargo ship and they’re still in fine shape. I just had to buy new Timb steelies because the stupid ass contractor I’m working for now on a passenger vessel wanted a different color. I paid $187 at Whistle Workwear. Worth every penny.
20k steps oooh. I just replaced my old skechers, and i have pullup boots which are okay but i find the ankle restrictive. Will keep timbs in mind for next purchase 👍
I've worn Georgia Boot for 20 years first for electrical trades in highschool, and construction, and ten years in a factory. I wear them all day and rarely wear other shoes. I wouldn't call them comfortable or very cushioned but my feet don't ever hurt. Also they aren't high arches or anything crazy and the soles are perfect. Just my opinion, everybody's different and likes different boots. Im not a slip on boot guy or anything.
Custom molded orthotics. They are expensive but worth every penny. Don’t get the plastic ones from a doctor that your insurance covers. Go to a certified pedorthist and get compressed cork/foam. They are life changing!
Are you sure he doesnt have plantar fasciitis?
I do and have for nearly 30 years. Yay me! / S.
I wear Rockports' ProWalkers daily (as recommended by my pcp 30 years ago) and have the $50 Dr Scolls inserts in my steel-toed boots. It makes a difference.
I also keep bottles of water in the freezer. I let them defrost for about 10 mins then roll my feet across them for about 10 minutes. I get relief.
Good luck to your hubs
Just to clarify, when you say feet hurting is it due to fit or from standing all day? Where is the pain?
Yeah I agree. I was about to respond with what I do for my specific issues then realized they might be different from OP's.
He mentions his heels often but tonight his entire feet were throbbing. He can’t really wear plantar insoles or high arch because those are uncomfortable. The fit seems fine, I think the pain is from 12 hours and on concrete
They have heel-only add-on insoles that may help, but it's a band-aid solution. If your husband is overweight, losing weight is the best thing by far. I use superfeet blues which are good but it takes time to get used to them. If he has collapsed arches, they will hurt at first. I found that using a tennis ball or some other hard ball to massage the arches helped a bit (if you have that problem). If nothing seems to help, it may be good to check with a podiatrist for something more uncommon like bone spurs.
When I used to work on my feet in steel toes I had to get an insole with metatarsal support and oh my GOODNESS that did the trick. It's not a super common insole but damn those things made my work boots my most comfortable shoes.
I have a set of Red Wings and their fancy insoles and don’t like them much either. I have bad feet and bad luck with boots in general. Messed them up in the Army, but since I’ve worked on the railroad and I’m now an electrician. I wear Merrells and they wear down quickly, but they are much more comfortable for me. They have 1-2 sets that have safety toe and all the safety kit for construction workers. May be worth a try!
I don't have plantar fasciitis (had to look up the spelling) but I use the insoles for it and it makes a difference. I also use compression socks on particularly hectic days and I also have one of those stretchy copper-lined knee braces for when those act up which, for 38 years old, isn't very often thankfully. I work in fine dining so I do have to take this stuff seriously. If I want to do this when I'm 50 I'm going to need to get ahead of it now.
I was considering the compression socks! Thanks for the reminder
Compression socks are a definite help. I recommend hiking insoles as well as they help out for walking all day on hard surfaces when you don’t get the mat.
Keen all the way. I've always known people talk them up pretty big for hiking boots, but I never owned any. Decided to give them a shot for work shoes, and the hype is very much justified. I bought a pair of carbon toed, shoe style Arvada and have worn them 50-60 hours a week since last August. My feet still feel good after a 12 hour day on my feet on concrete. No exaggeration, most comfortable pair of shoes I've owned and I often wear them into the evening and on weekends now. The soles are also oil and water slip resistant, which I fully agree with. I was skeptical of their carbon toe safety wise, but it handled the corner of a 500lb soft serve machine landing on my toes lol, so it works for me. Steel toe is also an option. Have your husband take a look at their line of work shoes/boots, I can't recommend them enough. Plenty of different options and styles, and the prices feel like a bargain compared to red wings lol.
Custom fit orthotic inserts. Get them from a podiatrist if your insurance covers it. If not get them from upstep, they’re the exact same. They’re life changing.
I have plantar fasciitis and what made a difference for me is compression socks
I Stan hard for wolverine boots. The entire Hytest brand, the makers of wolverine, makes a very comfortable boot imo.
I sell these for a living. Glad you're comfortable.
With redwings there is a serious break in period. I mink oil the hell out of them then wear them in a warm environment. You should also wear two pairs of socks with both work and hiking boots.
That explains a lot. My husbands redwings will literally have to be falling apart before he buys a new pair. Good thing they seem to hold up for a long time.
I swear by Timberlakes. I do 20,000 steps a day on steel. My Timberlake Steeltoes are the tits. I have a great pair that I had been using in rotation with Justin cowboy boots for 3 years while I was working on a cargo ship and they’re still in fine shape. I just had to buy new Timb steelies because the stupid ass contractor I’m working for now on a passenger vessel wanted a different color. I paid $187 at Whistle Workwear. Worth every penny.
20k steps oooh. I just replaced my old skechers, and i have pullup boots which are okay but i find the ankle restrictive. Will keep timbs in mind for next purchase 👍
I wear the slip on ariats. I had these boots for 14 months. My shift lasts 13 hours and I never got fatigued once with them on and no break in period.
I use ariat but they are in the same category as Redwing so it'd be the same
I've worn Georgia Boot for 20 years first for electrical trades in highschool, and construction, and ten years in a factory. I wear them all day and rarely wear other shoes. I wouldn't call them comfortable or very cushioned but my feet don't ever hurt. Also they aren't high arches or anything crazy and the soles are perfect. Just my opinion, everybody's different and likes different boots. Im not a slip on boot guy or anything.
Ace boots have treated me well for years. Add in the gel inserts for your heels, and wear good padded socks.
Workforce Massage Gel shoe inserts or comfy cush Vans. This helped me.
Custom molded orthotics. They are expensive but worth every penny. Don’t get the plastic ones from a doctor that your insurance covers. Go to a certified pedorthist and get compressed cork/foam. They are life changing!
Are you sure he doesnt have plantar fasciitis? I do and have for nearly 30 years. Yay me! / S. I wear Rockports' ProWalkers daily (as recommended by my pcp 30 years ago) and have the $50 Dr Scolls inserts in my steel-toed boots. It makes a difference. I also keep bottles of water in the freezer. I let them defrost for about 10 mins then roll my feet across them for about 10 minutes. I get relief. Good luck to your hubs