Nursing shoes for overpronators

Nurses Uniform/Gear

Published

Hello,

I'm beginning nursing school in 10 days and am having trouble finding shoes that will accommodate my Superfeet inserts, since they help lessen my overpronation. I tried on Nurses Mates, since they seem to have the best reviews, but they don't fit with my inserts. They also definitely will not work for me without the inserts. I can already imagine all the knee pain I'll have if I don't use my inserts. Any ideas? Thank you!

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

I can't say enough about how Danskos have saved my feet! :redbeathe

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Thanks! I'll check those too. Are you an overpronator? I just need something that offers a great deal of arch support or that will allow me to fit my inserts.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Psych, Tele, ICU.

Try regular tennis shoes if you can. My son is an overpronator, and wears inserts in his tennis shoes. I am a supinator...danskos are amazing.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept, Med-Surg.

I'm an overpronator...I also have really bad plantar fasciitis in both feet right now (they really should just call it "nurse's foot") and achlles tendinitis in my left foot. I can tell you this...don't bother with NurseMates. I don't know anyone who really wears those. Most of my coworkers either wear Dansko's or running shoes.

Dansko's didn't work well for me. I have had much more success with really good running shoes. I LOVE Asics and they fit my inserts. I alternate between the Evolution and the walker ones. I order from Zappos. Both are solid white, so you should be able to wear them in nursing school.

Best of luck in finding the right shoes and in nursing school!!! :yeah:It'll take a few weeks to get used to those 12 hour clinicals! :D

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I wear Nike Lunar Glide 2's. They are amazing and my feet never hurt after a 12 hour shift.

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I also overpronate. I don't use inserts, but I have great luck with Birkis...they keep my feet stable. I tend to turn my ankles in taller shoes.

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Wow. Thank you, all! I see I have more choices than I thought! I will spend some time this week trying on these brands and seeing what works best. Thanks again! :yeah:

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Traum-a-rama, have you been able to keep your achilles tendonitis at bay with your current shoes?

When I worked in a restaurant (walking non-stop for 6 hours) before nursing school, I wore danskos and still got recurring tendonitis. I also have plantar fasciitis and wear a night splint whenever I can remember! After I stopped working a few months ago, when I got into nursing school, my tendonitis went away--but I just know it will come back once I'm on my feet for 12 hours! Have you tried New Balance or would you just recommend your Asics? Any advice would be awesome!

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Specializes in Emergency Dept, Med-Surg.

Sandra Kay,

I'm never completely pain free, but it's more tolerable. It was only after I worked 3 in a row that the fasciitis and tendinitis would flare. I hated wearing the expensive dorsi-boots at night because you can't walk on them, and I often have to get up to use the restroom...so, podiatrist told me to invest in the cheaper alternative, the Strassberg socks (sp). I think Amazon sells them.

I had to find the time to go to physical therapy. In addition to the exercises, they used some ultrasound technique (not the heat kind) on my achilles. It helped so much. For my feet, I keep plastic bottles of water in the freezer to roll my feet. Other exercises I learned are to roll a tennis ball around on with each foot for 2 minutes, and to dump about 20 marbles on the floor and use my toes to pick each one up and put it in a container. Goofy, I know. It gets time consuming, but every time I forget or ignore it for awhile, it comes back with a vengeance.

I also alternate my shoes every day, and yes, I do find New Balance very comfortable and wear a pair of walkers when I give my Asics a rest. I think it's whatever fits best for you. I find the "cork" shoes like Alegria and Birki's very comfortable, but they don't give me the heel support I need.

Wishing you the best in your schooling and career...and in finding a pair of shoes that work for you!:nurse::redbeathe:nurse:

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Traum-a-rama,

Thank you so much for your help! I'll totally look into the strassberg socks and since my new balances are getting worn, look into finding a good replacement. At the end of the night Or after working out I usually have to ice for 2 cycles of 15 min on/ 15 min off. I have a home ultrasound kit that seemed to be useful, but since my tendinitis went away I stopped using it. I haven't been working for 3 months now and my feet have been feeling good so I'm curious to see what will happen come January when clinicals start!

Thanks again for the solid advice and good luck to you as well! Have a great holiday season!

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Specializes in Associates of biology.

I suffer the same things with my feet. However, I’m worried they won’t accept me into the program once they see my health records including all the peripheral neuropathy, chiropractic, podiatrist visits, and history of bi-polar. As a student I make A’s and B’s using special accommodations at school. I’m sure I can pass any physical/ mental fit test evaluation they give. Afterwards I might go home and cry for my momma but I’ll pass LOL. My bi- polar has been stable for years with medication and no hospitalizations. As for everything else I’m able to keep at bay with the proper shoes. Obviously over use can flare anyone of those things up. Usually I can move at my leisure. So I rarely need to take meds for it. However, I’m concerned if these things will result in a denial. If so there’s no point in going through all of the disclosures. Any thoughts or information to help bring clarity on whether I should apply or not would be appreciated.

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