âWhy do you always wear the similar kind of slippers? Donât you think you should bring some variations in the style?â This is a comment that I have heard several times in my life.
Well, the viewers might conclude I donât have a good taste for footwear but I know the solid reason behind my choice.
I have got an unusual kind of feet. My feet are long yet narrow with low heighted bridge. The combination makes it difficult for slippers to fit in. A footwear apt in length doesnât fit from the front side. The one well fitted from the front is shorter in length.
The alignment and structure of my toes is in a way that donât let a thong slipper fit in. It hurts my feet badly. Consequently, there is only a specific style of slippers that suits my feet. So I go for it.
I have not just been confined to a specific style but particular brands too. Slippers outside those brands develop problems like corns in my feet.
Had the issue been up till here, it wouldnât be a problem as I confidently knew what I had to select for the comfort of my feet.
Some years ago, it so happened that I started having pain in the heel of my left foot. Standing up after a rest became severely painful.
For a long time, I kept on thinking that the condition happened due to calcium deficiency. In fact, consumption of calcium and vitamin B12 supplements helped alleviating the pain.
Many years passed this way. Nonetheless, last one year was tough. The pain got severe and was not reducing by use of supplements. The last nail in the coffin was driven by the foot sprain. It made the pain unbearable for me due to which I decided to visit an orthopedic doctor.
It is then I found out that I have planter fasciitis and heel spur. In other words, I have a flat foot which is the reason of heel pain.
To solve the problem, the doctor recommended me some stretching exercises. Along with it, I was required to modify my footwear. I need slippers that are in accordance with flat foot i.e. they have arch support in them.
The doctor told me of a market where the slippers are prepared on order. Afterwards, I had a visit to another doctor for hypothyroid problem. He mentioned some brands from where I could get slippers appropriate for my flat feet.
First, I went for those brands. There, I found out that the imported items were no longer available and so they did not have the required item.
After searching the required footwear at various shops I reached a brand that had sandals designed for flat foot. Though I was not very much satisfied with the availability. The sandals had quite hard outer sole. There was a memory foam in the insole, however, I felt stiffness beneath it.
I displayed my concerns to the shopkeeper. He said after continuous usage the product will become softer. As it was the only available option at that time, I bought those expensive sandals.
Using those sandals gave a little relief to the left foot and made my standing posture better. Nevertheless, it brought another problem- the pain in right foot.
Actually, only one of my foot is flat. The other is normal. Wearing a pair of sandals designed for flat feet negatively affected the normal one. Or perhaps the standard shape didnât fit my feet.
I realized that I needed customized footwear to tackle the situation. The market that the doctor told me about quite far away, and visiting it was cumbersome. So I decide to purchase arch support from an online store.
I received a pair of silicon made arch support. It is a jelly like material Though the material appeared softer in hands yet it felt quite hard in the foot. In other words, the product didnât give me relief.
Finally, I decided to visit the market with my brother for getting customized slippers. My goodness! It was a wild goose chase.
We visited shops after shops. No body was preparing customized slippers. Each shopkeeper told us about some other markets where the task could be done.
We visited some other markets but of no use. We contacted certain footwear centers if they prepare customized shoes but they replied in negative. I wonder how come in a metropolitan city like Karachi it is that difficult to get a customized medicated footwear.
Anyways, the last shop we visited had medicated insoles made of memory foam. Though the insoles were not designed for arch support but to give a softer surface for shock absorption, yet I bought it to give it a try.
Putting those insoles in my slippers made it tighter and thus uncomfortable. So I put them in crocs. The use of those insoles alleviated the heel pain to a great extent. Nevertheless, I still had tingling sensation in the arch area.
Along with it an all new problem arose. I started having pain ball area and big toe joint. I guess the closed design of the crocs was not apt for my feet structure.
To tackle the situation, I bought another pair of slippers a little larger in size so that they may be fit in after putting insoles in them.
As I mentioned above, the heel pain was relieved to a great extent but the tingling sensation in arch and the pain in ball area didnât go away. Moreover, I also started experiencing the similar sensations and pains in my right foot.
I decided to buy another kind of arch support insoles from online market. After evaluating several products, I chose one. I was quite hopeful about it.
The product reached to me a few days ago. I put it my slippers. It had firm structure to provide support to the arch and ball area. Nevertheless, after wearing it I realized the standard size is not apt for my feet. I need a customized design.
Moreover, the insoles were harder than the previous insoles I was using. A couple of days ago I went to a local shop on foot, wearing those insoles. Oh boy! What a mistake I made. The product that was supposed to relieve me of pain increased the pain to a great extent, in both the feet. Standing and walking became a feat for me.
I have put back the older insoles in my slippers. At least, they alleviated the pain, if not completely relieved. However, the pain caused by the new insoles hasnât gone yet.
I have scrolled several products online, but I have no idea which one is appropriate. I have spent a lot money to solve my problem but the problem is still unresolved. Does anyone have a solutionâŚâŚ?
The post is my entry to Hive Learners Featured Contest.
(I had decided to take a break from online activities during the month of Ramadan, but the topic urged me write my pain outâŚ.đ)
The images are taken by me via my mobile camera.