I Have Wide Feet, So I Asked 2 Podiatrists to Help Pick 15 Ache-Free (and Good-Looking) Shoes

Have you seriously considered how much your feet might be harshing your mellow? I never gave too much thought to my poor little feet—formerly 7.5, now 8 after having a baby—as I pushed their chonky volume into stilettos every day when I worked on Madison Avenue. As a petite woman, I liked the extra inches the shoes gave me, as well as the way they lengthened my legs. What I didn’t like was the way the skin on my feet would bulge from the straps as my feet expanded during the day, or how pointy-toe pumps created a burning sensation in my front foot—until it all went numb. And then, after 12 hours of hobbled wear, I could take them off and go barefoot, so all good, right? Wrong—I eventually needed bunion surgery when my foot pain became chronic and my big toe wouldn’t stop swelling.

My doctor told me that years of squeezing my foot into too-tiny high-heeled shoes had contributed to my foot issues, including actually shifting my bones and toes into a splayed, wider shape. And until recently, I thought my cute shoe days were over, since I needed to wear wide and, if not supportive, then at least not pinching, shoes. Often this rules out royals-approved flats or the seemingly most comfortable flip-flops. Imagine my surprise when I got a pitch from Jessica Simpson’s fashion team that the star was making shoes in wide widths; that discovery started me asking other women, as well as some podiatrists, about the best shoes for wide feet. I discovered that not only have a clutch of new companies selling wide widths debuted, but also some fashion brands have expanded (!) into offering wide widths. Here is my edit of styles I’m loving today, as well as some expert intel from doctors.

• Dr. Elizabeth Daughtry is certified in foot surgery by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery and is on the medical staff at WakeMed Cary, Sampson Regional Medical Center and Harnett Health System. She serves on the Executive Board of the North Carolina Foot and Ankle Society as Secretary, and on the Executive Board as Treasurer of the American Association for Women Podiatrists.
• Dr. Jacqueline Sutera is board certified in foot surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons. She is on the medical staff of Hackensack Meridian Pascack Valley Medical Group. A graduate of Fordham University, she attended the New York College of Podiatric Medicine where she earned the degree of Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM). She is also a spokesperson for the American Podiatric Medical Association and the New York State Podiatric Medical Society.

“Several factors will help determine whether or not you need to choose wide-width shoes,” says Dr. Daughtry. She cited the following as telltale signs:

• Discomfort or pain
• Numbness/tingling in the toes
• Spillover
• Visible wear or pressure marks
• The development of toe deformities
• Painful skin lesions such as calluses or corns

“Obviously, measuring your foot with a Brannock device [that metal measuring tray you’ll find in shoe stores that measures both the length and width of feet] is necessary to know your proper shoe size; however, just like with clothes, some companies and styles of shoes run smaller than others,Dr. Daughtry says.

Don’t have a Brannock device handy? Dr. Sutera suggests eyeballing it, to start. “Compare the shape of your foot with the shape of the shoe you are interested in. Put the shoe next to your foot and look down. If you have bunions, hammertoes or tailor bunions, you may need wide shoes. Select a style that has enough room for your forefoot without cramming.  In general, avoid styles that are tight, narrow and pointy.”

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