Advice on 12 hour shifts

PMFB-RN, RN · Aug 22, 2010

Wear good running shoes. What I really don't understand is why don't you just work 8 hour shifts?

caliotter3 · Aug 22, 2010

It would be worth your effort to find a good pair of shoes with good inserts. And I agree that you should have looked for an 8 hour shift position.

crb613, BSN, RN · Aug 23, 2010

I wear Nike Shox, Air Max,Crocs, and Danskos. I just mix it up as to when I wear what. Sit when you can, and do not wear old shoes...when mine start to break down I can feel it in my low back. Also if you are carrying any extra weight that doesnt help either! A lot of people swear by the white support hose, I am not a fan. I have never had any problems really with standing...one week I do 3-12s, next one 4-12s. Good luck!

btw..changing shoes and socks half through your shift should help too!

Penguin67 · Aug 23, 2010

I used to wear running shoes, but have moved to Danskos. You need to learn to walk in them, as it has a different feel. Some like them and some don't, but my feet don't ache in them after a long day.

mustlovepoodles, RN · Aug 23, 2010

I have worn New Balance shoes for-just-about-ever. I have post-tibial tendon dysfunction, which causes pretty severe pain in my arch and inside ankle. I can no longer be on my feet for 12 hours, or even 8 hrs. I work in an elementary school and a lot of my day is sitting or walking short distances. New Balance makes it possible for me to work at all. I have 2 pairs and I wear them everywhere--shopping, church, funerals, everything.

Have you talked to your doctor about this? Has he suggested any sort of brace for your ankle, to keep your foot shored up? The best advice I can give you is TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET. They are your bread & butter. Take care of them now and they'll be good to you later. If you mistreat your feet, you *will* pay for it down the road. Its only a matter of time.

DroogieRN · Aug 23, 2010

I tend to have stress fractures -- Danskos were recommended for that very thing, and I pretty much agree. I alternate between them and my Shox and my feet do OK on 12h shifts -- that fourth one in a row kicks my butt, though!

canigraduate · Aug 23, 2010

My first couple of weeks were tough, but my feet adjusted pretty quickly. I wear Shape-ups, and I LOVE them. Before the Skechers, I wore Rockports. They were great, too, but my shoe was discontinued. Before the Rockports, I just wore running shoes, and they were BAD.

A lot of people swear by Danskos. I have never tried them but I have heard lots of good things about them.

I also wear support hose. This doesn't affect my feet much, but I can tell the difference in my calves when I forget them.

And I wear extra cushion in my socks. I think that thick socks help cushion your foot or something.

One thing you can do is start walking briskly or running for a mile or two on days when you are not working to keep your feet in condition.

Hope that helps!

Ruby Vee, BSN · Aug 23, 2010

wear good running shoes. what i really don't understand is why don't you just work 8 hour shifts?

with the economy the way it is, jobs are hard to come by. perhaps the op couldn't find a job that didn't require 12 hour shifts.

50caliber · Aug 23, 2010

New Balance

Ruby Vee, BSN · Aug 23, 2010

i graduated in may, and have been off my feet (stress fracture) pretty much all summer. i did one 8 hour shift at work last week and it kicked my behind! my feet were killing me when i got home and my heels were swollen. i am starting a new job & will be working three 12 hour shifts a week. any advice on how to prepare my body to make it through 12 hours on my feet? i am hoping i will just get used to it after the first few weeks, as i did last summer. i am hoping the stress fracture does not come back. i think i just need to get used to it again.
how do you make it through 12 hour shifts?
what shoes do you wear?
how was your first few weeks on 12's?
how long did it take to get used to it?
how do you feel after a 12?

i wear danskos -- recommended by my orthopedic surgeon and my physical therapist for my back and knee issues. even though they have stainless steel arch supports, i bought two pair and alternate. it takes more than 24 hours for a shoe to recover from being worn all day, so not only do they last much longer with alternating, they're more supportive.

i've been working 12s for 27 years. my first few weeks on 12s were heaven -- because i didn't have to work 8s and be there 5 days a week! of course, i was in my 20s then. once upon a time, i could work 6 12s in a week and still go out after work . . . a long time ago. now i feel exhausted afterward. but strangely enough, i feel exhausted after an 8 as well. i go home and take a nap until 8 -- about the time i'd be getting home from my 12!

the only time i had trouble with 12s was immediately after my medical leave for back/knee surgeries. but i worked up to it.

dragonflyaltoids · Aug 23, 2010

I have rheumatoid arthritis with permanent joint damage in my knees, I went to an orthopedic shoe shop and I recommend it to you as well, there are shoes specific to the problem where on your foot your pain is i.e. tarsal, heel, arch, etc. and they work with you to help you to find the right shoe for your body.

I have two custom pairs- a birkenstock with the factory insert and another insert to help with knee pain, and a shoe call Finn comfort which I love but cost almost 250! but!! I've had them 3 years and only had them resoled once cost me 60 and the shop paid to ship them and while they were there they put new insole in them so total cost was about 100 for a new shoe! And I have gotten my money outta those shoes!

My other advice is I work 3 12's in my pay period but I work 2 then off 1 just for a rest, not so much physically but my mental health gets worn down after 3 days in a row, Best of luck to you, take good care of your feet!