Will the Tri-Star fit my size 12 men's shoes?

[conejo23]

Kmcg....you're most welcome. Here's something you can try for your plantar fascitis:

Plantar Fascia Stretch

It's not going to address the core reason why the fascia on the bottom of your foot is getting constricted and tight, but it will help keep it more pliable and stretched out, which should improve the symptom. If you (or anyone else) has any questions, please feel free to email me at the email address in my profile. I'm happy to help.

Lani, that's a matter on which reasonable people can disagree, lol. From my personal and clinical experience, I'm not a fan of shoes that alter our fundamental gait mechanics in the attempt to present a demand over and above normal gait, or to somehow modify the nature of the demand our bodies receive during normal gait. I'm a big fan of barefoot. We folks at Egoscue were HUGE fans of the minimalist footwear movement before it became a movement. Pete Egoscue played a role in the development of the Nike Free, which was a step in the right direction. We've been huge fans of Vibram FiveFinger shoes for years. I'm wearing a pair of them right now! In my opinion, the more you allow your foot to do what a foot is designed to do, the better. Most shoes are pretty rigid and encapsulate the foot, preventing it from flexing, extending and rotating the way a foot will naturally do when barefoot. Basically, they crutch the feet. And what happens to a body part that is crutched, does it grow stronger or weaker?

A lot of people tell folks with plantar fascitis, for example, to wear expensive custom orthotics or special shoes. Me? My approach is a bit different. Help address the reason WHY the person has plantar fascitis, then I'll tell them to go find some grass nearby and walk for 5-10 minutes a day barefoot. And if you live near a beach with deep sand? Perfect. Go walk barefoot in that as close to daily as you can. It's like weightlifting for your feet, and they'll quickly grow stronger.

That said, pretty is as pretty does. Trust your instincts. All the theory in the world is great, but if you feel better, stronger and more functional wearing a certain kind of shoe, then wear it. But my personal and professional advice is to consistently wear as little shoe (in terms of structure and built in 'support') as possible.

[Lani]

Wow... I bow to your wisdom! /bow bow bow

[conejo23]

Lani, lol, you're very kind, but here's the #1 piece of advice I give every client:

Trust your instincts. Don't let what some supposed "expert" tells you lead you to deviate from what your instincts tell you to be true. Your body knows what it wants. The trick is to hear its request.

I remember I had a client once, knees and feet in horrible positions, posture was just a wreck, gait was a mess, bad back pain. They asked if I thought they could run safely and my response was "um, no, let's get you walking reasonably correctly first". 99 times out of 100, that was exactly the right advice given what I saw in front of me. But God bless 'em, their instincts said 'i think I'll feel better if I go running', so they did. And they felt better when they did it!

All the 'rules' and theories are great, but trust YOUR BODY'S wisdom well before mine.

Keep on rockin'.

[crispinros]

I can get size 13 Keens in mine as well as 13 dress shoes so I think you will be fine.
I am usually wearing my running shoes/Hiking shoes.
Normally I stick them in the small side of the divided front pocket where the height may be the issue but they can always go in horizontal somewhere and then Bigfoots shoes could fit,not that I have seen him wearing any.

Ed

I fully agree with Ed's solution, in fat many of the times I have also adjusted my shoes in the same manner, as I am very much fond of shoes hence generally I keep on coming across such situations.

[barryblack]

I can get size 13 Keens in mine as well as 13 dress shoes so I think you will be fine.
I am usually wearing my running shoes/Hiking shoes.
Normally I stick them in the small side of the divided front pocket where the hieght may be the issue but they can always go in horizontal somewhere and then Bigfoots shoes could fit,not that I have seen him wearing any.

Ed

I am intereseted in that info too... Do you have a pic of that set up :=) thanks!!!!

[Trailhiker]

Lani.....thanks for that Keen endorsement.

Re your heal spur, I'd like to offer a suggestion. I'm the clinic director of The Egoscue Clinic in Austin, TX. We practice The Egoscue Method, which is basically using corrective exericses to bring a body back to postural balance, alleviating pain. Heel spurs happen when the body has lost postural balance and gait becomes compromised. It's a friction response, much like a callous or a blister. Bone spurs happen when the foot no longer strikes the ground as it was intended to do, thus causing excessive friction. The body responds to that friction with a protective mechanism, laying down calcium deposits to try to protect the impacted structure, and spurs begin to form.

A great way to start working on some of this stuff on your own is with Pete Egoscue's book "Pain Free". I've lost track of how many people have told me it was of immense benefit to them. The MBTs are cool shoes, but they aren't addressing the core reason why you have the spurs in the first place. This book will help you figure out WHY you have the spurs. My suggestion would be to read the first three chapters, then start doing the exercises to promote functional loading of the foot during gait. If you have any questions about the book, I would be more than happy to assist you directly and answer your questions by phone or email, my complements.

Sorry to take the thread off topic, and if my post here is of no interest, please feel free to just ignore it. It's not my intention to intrude, just offering some help.

Thanx for the detour!
And thank you for the book recomendation!
I just ordered it and its on its way!

[Mausermama]

I'm joining in the conversation now too, because this is of great interest to me. I don't have specifically heel pain, but my plantar fascia was injured closer to the front arch of the foot (I'm horrible with specific names). I've been investigating minimal footwear and love the idea, but I live in a house with hard wood and tile flooring. I walk on concrete or asphalt when I'm outside. I get that going barefoot is best when in a natural environment, but today so much is decidedly NOT natural. Is it still ok to do the minimalist or barefoot thing, or will I end up injuring myself more?

Most of my life I've worn Birkenstock shoes. It has only been since I started running about 4 years ago that I started to deal in foot pain. I have stopped doing complete runs and have switched to run/walks, but it is the only exercise that I actually do, so I hate to stop it. BUT I can say, I hate wearing my running shoes. I went to a running specialty store to be fitted, but they always feel a little uncomfortable to me. I am also developing a bit of a bunion now, so that is part of the issue, I assume. Anyway, I'd love to switch over to minimalist all the time, but the surfaces I walk on most are making me hesitate.