birkenstock's- are they supposed to hurt?

[DawnM]

I have never gotten my Birks to the point of being able to wear them all day long. I wore them today for just a couple of house to go shopping and out to lunch.

My feet are HURTING now.

Is it supposed to be this way?

Everyone says these are SO comfortable. I haven't experienced it yet.

Dawn

 

[cydswipe]

Give them LOTS of time! Short spurts of wearing them will get your foot's imprint and eventually "break down" and mold to YOUR feet.

Where does it hurt? I remember my arches being uncomfortable and the heel cup...

LOTS and LOTS of wear.. just in short amounts!!

Try not to get them wet...

 

[spacemountainmom]

I had a pair I bought about 5 years ago. I loved, loved, loved them. My mean and nasty dh threw them in the trash last winter.

I got him back....I bought 3 pairs to replace them!!!

I will admit that the two pairs that were a different style from the first pair seemed to take some time to break in. The pair like my original ones felt fantastic right out of the box. Maybe it depends on the style???

It seems to me that I have heard that they do need a break in period. I would give them some time and see what you think.

 

[DawnM]

Yes, my arches are really sore.

Dawn

Give them LOTS of time! Short spurts of wearing them will get your foot's imprint and eventually "break down" and mold to YOUR feet.

Where does it hurt? I remember my arches being uncomfortable and the heel cup...

LOTS and LOTS of wear.. just in short amounts!!

Try not to get them wet...

 

[ILoveMyGirls]

only wear them for about an hour at a time around the house. i had told my sister to get some and she did and HATED MY GUTS and THEN when they were broken in SHE LOVED THEM and that is all she will wear now.

the breaking in period is hard.

 

[bumbershoot]

I had a pair I bought about 5 years ago. I loved, loved, loved them. My mean and nasty dh threw them in the trash last winter.

Why did he do that????



OP I've never gotten my Birks to be comfortable. Not ever. They've never broken down enough. And I have wide feet, and they just aren't wide enough...my feet do not stay within the bounds of the footbed, they want to go up on the ridge, and that's not comfy, no matter how many years I tried and tried and wore them and tried.

So NO, they don't work for everyone. Just like Crocs (which are super-comfy for me, as long as I buy just the right ones). Just like ANY shoe.

 

[CoolDisneyKitten]

I have never been able to wear them. I get blisters where the strap crosses over my feet.

 

[Fall1]

They do need lots of time to break in. Mine never got comfy and my podiatrist said they are very flat and if you have flat feet they wont' really be comfortable ever. That was my problem...wide and flate feet.

 

[DawnM]

Well, I think my feet are fairly flat as well.....so maybe they won't work.

I have never been to a podiatrist since becoming an adult, but I did have one tell me when I was a teen to wear inserts on my heel area to raise my heel....now I can't even remember why. The problem is that I hate wearing fully enclosed shoes. I wear crocs, sandals, slip on Clark's clogs, that sort of thing.

Dawn

They do need lots of time to break in. Mine never got comfy and my podiatrist said they are very flat and if you have flat feet they wont' really be comfortable ever. That was my problem...wide and flate feet.

 

[Swimnoid]

I have had lots of birks and they do take a loooooong time to break in. I got a pair resoled this year, actually new sole, new cork beds, the whole bit and they were comfy right away. I had one pair though, that NEVER got comfortable, just on one foot though! The arch is too high and the heel cup too deep. weird.

 

[MEM]

Mine took a long time to break in, too, and I still can't wear them if I'm doing a lot of walking. I tend to wear them at home as slippers since with my plantar fasciitis I can never go barefoot again (except at the beach).

 

[Duckiedee]

I haven't had a pair, but my podiatrist told me they need to be broken in like orthotics... when you first start wearing them it is an hour the first day, 2 hours the second day, 3 the third day etc... And to back it up a day or two if they are hurting.

The reason you were probably told to raise your heel is that it allows the calf muscle to relax which then can help (is it ligament or tendons?) going into your foot.

 

[Ken_Breadbox]

I have had lots of birks and they do take a loooooong time to break in. I got a pair resoled this year, actually new sole, new cork beds, the whole bit and they were comfy right away. I had one pair though, that NEVER got comfortable, just on one foot though! The arch is too high and the heel cup too deep. weird.

I have obscenely high arches--jaw-wideningly high--and the podiatrist I went to told me that Birks were absolutely the worst possible things I could wear on my feet.
"But they feel so comfortable", I said.
"Yeah, they're comfortable the same way junk food tastes good. Think of your heel pain as acute indigestion."
She said the problem with Birks is that they have a 1:1 ratio. In other words, they're flat. Human feet aren't flat--even flatfoots aren't flat like Birks are. Sandals worth wearing, she said, were contoured and had a heel. Of course, sandals worth wearing make Birks look cheap...

 

[ceecee]

I've gotten different styles and some were uncomfortable. The classic ones I've never had a problem with. Some have the suede straps which will not hurt the tops of your feet.

 

[mistysue]

Wow, I've never heard anybody complain about them before, but it seems many of you had issues with them.

Most of the shoes I have ever worn have been birks, I own about a dozen pairs and love them all.

Then again, normal shoes hurt me. I can walk around barefoot but flip flops bug me.

 

[bumbershoot]

I have obscenely high arches--jaw-wideningly high--and the podiatrist I went to told me that Birks were absolutely the worst possible things I could wear on my feet.
"But they feel so comfortable", I said.
"Yeah, they're comfortable the same way junk food tastes good. Think of your heel pain as acute indigestion."
She said the problem with Birks is that they have a 1:1 ratio. In other words, they're flat. Human feet aren't flat--even flatfoots aren't flat like Birks are. Sandals worth wearing, she said, were contoured and had a heel. Of course, sandals worth wearing make Birks look cheap...

That is the strangest thing I've heard...the things HAVE arches, that's why those of us who do not, naturally, have arches have such PAIN when we wear them. You *have* arches. You should match with the soles b/c of that, and if they are comfy, they are comfy. If I were seeing that guy, he would have been fired. Not sure he's ever seen a Birkenstock.

 

[Crafticus]

Birkenstocks hurt the bottom of my feet after an uninterrupted walk of 10 minutes or more.

I also have some highly-padded flip flops, but they make my shins hurt fairly badly after walking awhile.

I had my best luck with some nice leather shoes with no fancy arch support and a flat sole. I wore them the entire time in Paris (including Disney), and while they make my heels feel "flat" after while, they didn't cause any serious pains.

 

[timzagain]

I am very glad I took the time to read through this thread. I was contemplating buying my first pair. Now I'm glad I haven't ordered them!

 

[My2Cinderellas]

had a pair that lasted for 10 years or so before I finally threw them out. loved them. They did take about a year to really get comfy - way too long to buy them again.

I now buy NAOT shoes - they have similar styling but are comfy for me right out of the box. I have 3 pairs and will be buying 1 more this summer for sure. They are not inexpensive, but well made comfy shoes is one of the things I am willing to pay for. my favorites are the kayla style - they have just a half inch or so of a heel built in, much more comfy for all day walking/standing than the flats.

 

[taylor3297]

I have worn Birkenstocks for the last 10 years. My foot is flat and is a medium width. I have NEVER had to break in a pair. All have been comfortable from day 1. The important thing is making sure you have the right size. In US sizes I wear anywhere from a 10 to an 11 depending on how the shoe is made. In Birkenstocks I wear a 41 which is a 10.5 in US. These fit me so much better than most US sized shoes. I first tried a size 40 because that is almost equal to a US size 10.

So again make sure you get a good fit.

There are soft footbeds available in the Arizona style of Birkenstocks.

Oh, after two foot surgeries on each foot, Birkentstocks are now about the only shoes that I can wear.