Dansko Shoes are killing my feet!!!

Nurses Uniform/Gear

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Help!!! I paid a ton of money for these Dansko shoes because everyone said they were so great. The tops of my feet are killing me! I have worn them twice and both times, terrible pain on tops of my feet all the way to my middle toe. A friend suggested pads for the tops of my feet that you can buy at a shoe store but it has been almost a week since I last wore those shoes and my feet are still hurting. I'm a size 7 1/2 american shoes but these come in either 37 for size 6 1/2 to 7 or 38 for size 7 1/2 to 8. I bought the 38 hoping bigger would be better.

Any advice out there?

I own a pair of Dansko's with the closed back. Last week I worked a double shift...total of 17 hours. All but 2 hours at the most spent on my feet. I have to say I was impressed with how my feet and legs felt when I got home. My feet are more fatigued after a 100 mile bike ride than they were after that double.

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Specializes in ER.
jimthorp said:
I own a pair of Dansko's with the closed back. Last week I worked a double shift...total of 17 hours. All but 2 hours at the most spent on my feet. I have to say I was impressed with how my feet and legs felt when I got home. My feet are more fatigued after a 100 mile bike ride than they were after that double.

I also have high arches, but that's why I LOVE my Dansko's - they provide great arch support! It does take a while to get used to them. I wore them for a week, just doing errands, and running around - everywhere I went except work. THat was sufficient to break them in and make them not so stiff without having to spend 12 hours in them! Now they feel great! Running shoes, tennies, whatever do NOT have enough support for my arches, and I end up limping after 4 hours at work. The only thing I do NOT like about the Dansko's is the heel - though my feet feel good, the extra wedge type heel on the back really hurts my lower back when I have to stand for long periods of time. Not sure if it's really from the shoes, or if it's just my back.... I guess I need to try other shoes before I give up on my Dansko's, because I can't STAND having sore painful feet that just ache and ache....

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I had to wear mine for about a week to break them in.............so worth it. I now have two pairs.

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When I first started wearing them, they made my legs hurt. I figured it was probably because I was actually standing with proper support, and my feet weren't used to it (I was a pharmacy tech at the time). Now I have a hard time NOT wearing them!

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Specializes in General Pediatrics, Pedi Heme Onc.
suebird3 said:
I doubt I would find any shoes other than gym shoes in size 4 1/2 or 5. If you all have seen any....let me know.

Suebird :p

You should still be able to get DAnsko's they come in kid sizes too.:)

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Specializes in Transplant, homecare, hospice.
rosemadder said:
Resell them on ebay and buy some walking sneakers. I've tried nursing shoes of various brands and other than my Crocs none are comfortable. The walker shoes like Nike or Reeboks worked best for me. (I wear my crocs all the time now cause I can't wear tennis shoes where I work currently).

That's an idea. If you can't bring them to the store for a refund, then try contacting the company directly. If that doesn't work...people buy used shoes all the time on eBay. ?

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Specializes in Transplant, homecare, hospice.
suebird3 said:
I doubt I would find any shoes other than gym shoes in size 4 1/2 or 5. If you all have seen any....let me know.

Suebird :p

Did you do a google search? Look on eBay for new shoes of that size? I bet you'll find em. My grandmother said she had the same problem with shoes.

>>edited: I found a bunch of new shoes in your size on eBay

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Specializes in CTICU, Interventional Cardiology, CCU.

I have 3 pairs o Danskos. One pair I had from nursing school, white mary janes that took for ever to break in. My black dansko's whichI use as an Rn which took 3 months to break in. And my fav. dansko's which are cuodory with little flowers on them that I wear with jeans that took 3 months to break in. While breaking them in it killed my feet, the tops of my feel would ache. But since they are all broken in I LOVE THEM. They mold to your foot and it feels like you are walking on air. I wore my nike running shoes to work one night, and wanted to kill my self, my back hurt, my legs burned ect...I never get that feeling with my dansko's.

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Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.

Are you sure your wearing the right size?? I had to buy quite a larger size than what I normally wear in any other shoe. They shouldn't hurt like that.

I LOVE my Danskos! My back no longer hurts and my feet no longer hurt with my 12 hour shifts--I can't believe how much relief they have brought to my back and feet.

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Specializes in Operating Room.
marilynmom said:
Are you sure your wearing the right size?? I had to buy quite a larger size than what I normally wear in any other shoe. They shouldn't hurt like that.

I LOVE my Danskos! My back no longer hurts and my feet no longer hurt with my 12 hour shifts--I can't believe how much relief they have brought to my back and feet.

This is an old thread, but I just have to say, I LOVE MY DANSKOS TOO!!!

I only have one pair that I bought before I started nursing school, and they are still in good shape 2 years later after wearing them pretty much daily!

I never had a problem with them, although I did put the white padded liners in them once because my husband decided he didn't like them in his shoes (brand new liners). I just put new liners in them because after the first pair, I liked the added comfort.

Just in case anyone has the problem of the original poster, the top isn't suppose to be near your toes, and barely band across the top of your foot! The salesman told me there was only one place that the shoe was supoose to touch on top (the band across), and it should seem loose to me. The shoe was suppose to slip a little when I walk.

FYI, I wear a size 8, and my Dansko Professionals are size "40". I can't wait to start working so that I can get more!!! (I want some of the klog styles for home use!)

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I feel your pain, this happened to me also. However, in my experience, they just needed to be fully broken in. Couple weeks maybe. But I'd rotate them in slowly, instead of wearing the new shoes 24/7.

I've been through a lot of shoes, and always have trouble finding a good pair as I have a high instep, wide foot, plus wear an 11 - and the dankso's are truly gems to me.

As a side note, if you have any wrinkles in the insoles, it will be very uncomfortable. My recommendation, based on my personal experience, would be to rip out the insoles if they are wrinkled. The shoe store can usually get free replacement insoles, and all you would have to do is pay a cobbler to glue them in. However, one pair is still without the insoles, and they are just fine. And I'm not just saying that because I am lazy, it's actually not bad.

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I bought a pair of Danskos since I'm starting nursing school in the fall, and because of my high arches, I think I'm going to have to return them. I suppose I could try to get them stretched as one poster recommended, but seriously, they hurt the tops of my feet SO bad! My arch is just so high that it pushes the top of the shoe into my foot so tightly that I just don't see how I would be able to ever break them in without some serious foot damage!

Anyone else with high arches have luck breaking in their Danskos?

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