Best shoes for plus size women

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I will be starting Nursing school in the fall and need some advice about shoes. I am 5'11" and overweight at the moment and have some back problems. I am wondering if anyone has similar problems or is in the same situation physically and what types of shoes you wear to minimize the fatigue, swelling, and pain at the end of the day. Thank you all very much in advance! :D

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I'm not as tall as you are, but am a little overweight. I tried Dansko's and wore them for a long time, then started having really severe heal pain. I switched to Merrell's Jungle Moc and LOVE them. No more pain. I can walk in the morning after getting out of bed with no pain.

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I don't know specifically about shoes for school (I start Aug 23rd), but I run in new balance and I picked up a pair for clinicals as well. They have amazing arch support and are really the only brand I've found to be continuously great regardless of the style for larger women.

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I tried New Balance as well when I first started school and working 12's as a PCT. My back would KILL me by the end of the shift. That's when I switched to Dansko's which really helped the back, but just didn't work over the long haul. Honestly, there are so many shoes and feet are so different, you may need to just try a few pairs to see what works best for you. Good luck in finding a comfy shoe AND with school! Congrats on getting into school!

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Oh, I was thinking. Do you have a specialty running store near you? They will fit you for sneakers and they do stride analysis or some such thing which could help you get a better idea of what type of shoe/ support to look for.

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I'm overweight and I swear, I have spent more money trying to find the best shoes for me over the last 4 years.

I avoid shoes like Danskos and Nursemates - they are too rigid and too heavy, felt like hard blocks on my feet. I find anything with a heel gives me ankle pain and swelling by the end of the night, as well. I don't do well with athletic shoes - my feet tend to rub in them.

I have had the best luck alternating a pair of Crocs (the cushioning is nice, especially when you're overweight, as I am, but they aren't supportive enough to wear every day) and a pair of Birki's clogs (amazing support, low to the ground, lightweight, but not squishy like the crocs. Though, once they are broken in, the footbed feels great). My feet feel better if I don't wear the same pair of shoes every day.

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I too am tall and overweight and still on the search for a shoe that provides a good footbed, support, shock absorbancy and comfort ... and a bit of style! Some of my experiences are as follows.

The Dansko Professional with enclosed front and back walk very nicely and were comfortable at first, but it did not take long for the heel pain to start. After that, the ball of my foot became painful and then my feet seemed to move around too much in the shoe and everything hurt! Because I like their look, I do still try to wear them from time to time in some vein hope that they will be more comfortable and typically last no more than one 12 hour shift on them at a time. This stuns me because everyone I talk to seemed to rave about how comfortable they are!! Maybe it is the weight.

Crocs make your feet hot and then sweat. Never had sweaty feet until I started wearing them. They feel pretty good, but as someone else already said, they do not provide good support.

Birkenstock has worked out best of the shoes so far. Excellent foot bed and loads of toe room. But as a heavy person, you really notice the lack of shock absorbancy quickly. My heels get quite sore near the middle of the afternoon.

Thanks for bringing up the question and hope there will be more suggestions!

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These are what I'm wearing now...http://www.landau.com/product/COMFORT. They are fantastic! I thought they'd make my feet sweat but they don't. They're squishy and springy inside which makes walking in them amazing. And they were only $38!! I'll be buying at least one more pair in another color when I add scrubs to my collection (I'm a new grad). There's another version of this shoe called Revive that is the same but with more cushioning inside. I might go for those! I'm 5'4" and about 220lbs and they work great for me. So much better than the cross trainers I used through nursing school.

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Birkenstock has worked out best of the shoes so far. Excellent foot bed and loads of toe room. But as a heavy person, you really notice the lack of shock absorbancy quickly. My heels get quite sore near the middle of the afternoon.

Have you tried the newer Birks with the soft footbed? I've been really curious about them, because I love my birks, but sometimes miss the cushiony-ness of crocs. Apparently they have an extra layer of latex foam in the footbed to add a little more cushion. I really want to try them out, because I love love love the support my birks give.

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Which Birks are you wearing? What is the model?

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I have a pair of the Dorians (Mary Jane-ish with criss cross straps). They make most of their clogs with a soft footbed option now, it seems, also.

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I wear the Tokio. It has a sling-back, which is acceptable where I work. I did not know they had a softer version! Just checked out their web site and see they have a "Tokio Soft", which I presume is the one you are referring to?

Anyone else have any experience with the soft versions of Birkenstock?

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