Shoe arches when you get a larger size

[El Cascayal]

Got to thinking while walking this morning in new shoes. If for the Camino many recommend getting 1/2 to 1 full larger shoe, what happens to the arch that gets shifted? Does it throw everything else out of whack? Like ankles, hips, back. Any thoughts out there? Here thinking about the old song : the hip ’s connected to the...thanking you all in advance.

 

[henrythedog]

Yes.

With adult shoes - certainly in UK and Euro sizes - the proportions remain constant, so the high point of the arch would be further away from the heel in a larger size.

Personally, the first thing I do with new boots and trainers is remove and dispose of the insole and replace it with a quality one; in my case ‘super feet green’.

The recommendation to buy larger footware is totally spurious. A better recommendation would be to consult a trained fitter at a specialist running or walking oriented shop, explaining your intended journey to them first.

Of course you would wear-in your chosen footware whilst carrying a representative load for several days before setting off on Camino ...

 

[RRat]

Got to thinking while walking this morning in new shoes. If for the Camino many recommend getting 1/2 to 1 full larger shoe, what happens to the arch that gets shifted? Does it throw everything else out of whack? Like ankles, hips, back. Any thoughts out there? Here thinking about the old song : the hip ’s connected to the...thanking you all in advance.

If your plans are months in advanced, purchase the least expensive hiking shoes at a discount store or on-line in one size larger. Wear them for a few days. You might find that you have been squeezing your feet into a too small shoe all along. None of us wants to admit we have big feet.

 

[Deleted member 61803]

There was a study carried out in the US Marines regarding boot fitting which specifically looked at the issue of arches.

It still recommended getting boots which fitted the days end swollen feet, a natural occurrence, which might just lead to you getting a size larger than that which fits you in the morning. It then recommended insoles dependant on the type of arch. Flat, average or high.
I cannot now find the document as it was bookmarked on a broken laptop, sadly. I'll try and hunt it down again and post a link if I find it.
An army may march on its stomach but the stomach is carried by the feet.

 

[verutum]

Got to thinking while walking this morning in new shoes. If for the Camino many recommend getting 1/2 to 1 full larger shoe, what happens to the arch that gets shifted? Does it throw everything else out of whack? Like ankles, hips, back. Any thoughts out there? Here thinking about the old song : the hip ’s connected to the...thanking you all in advance.

I got to Pamplona with some sore feet. I tried to have some new boots sent from the USA but the Spanish would not send them from Madrid to Pamplona for some screwy reason! I went to the shoe store and the nice lady there gave me some Columbia walking shoes that were 3 sizes too big. She said try them on. They felt great. Snug fit at heel and arch but with LOTS of toe room and I am glad about that. On reaching Zubiri you will know if your shoes were the correct ones to wear!!! I never saw so many bloody, blistered feet before that at Zubiri, not even in Army boot camp. So take care about your shoes.

 

[wayfarer]

My brother got regular fitted boots when we did our camino in 2012, the girl where I bought my boots, who was a hiker herself, told me to put on the boots, push my foot forward until my toes just touched the front of the boot, then I should be able to fit two fingers between my heel and the back of the boot, I thought the boots felt a little large for me but I took her advice and was I glad. My brother suffered from blisters when his feet expanded after about a weeks walking, My feet grew into my boots and I didn't get a single blister for the whole camino. The downside was none of my regular shoes fit me for nearly a year after returning home.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Information here may or may not help you. You decide.

Between caminos I went up one US shoe size to an 11, probably because of fallen arches. I got doctor prescribed size 11 insoles and size 11.5 walking shoes and I replaced the insoles with the prescribed ones. I walked a lot with this combo pre-camino and I had no problems with anything, especially for your interest, slippage because of the size mismatch between insole and shoe.

Around day five of the camino my knee started to give out. At the end of the day, due to a prior similar experience, I decided to bulk up the instep with wadded paper. This made things much better and by the following day I no longer had this problem, I had a different one; the top of my foot over the arch was now rubbing the tongue of the shoe. I re-laced the shoe and now, a year and a half later I'm still walking with the paper under the insole and the strange lacing.

There are many ways of lacing to solve various foot problems including prevention of your foot sliding forward. So you could try that pattern with your old insole and new larger shoe to dave a few bucks on new insoles. However, I suggest that you test them on longer walks, on various types of ground/pavement with ups and downs and for a good number of days in a row (guess why I'm suggesting this extra trial period).

Here's a pic of my new lacing on my left shoe.


Here is a search for forum threads about lacing.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/search/1495417/?q=lacing&c[title_only]=1&o=relevance

 

[malingerer]

Yes.

With adult shoes - certainly in UK and Euro sizes - the proportions remain constant, so the high point of the arch would be further away from the heel in a larger size.

Personally, the first thing I do with new boots and trainers is remove and dispose of the insole and replace it with a quality one; in my case ‘super feet green’.

The recommendation to buy larger footware is totally spurious. A better recommendation would be to consult a trained fitter at a specialist running or walking oriented shop, explaining your intended journey to them first.

Of course you would wear-in your chosen footware whilst carrying a representative load for several days before setting off on Camino ...

I for one do NOT consider larger size spurious! And NO to fancy specialist running shops as well! I cant afford them. But I do use MEINDL BOOTS ON RECOMMEDNATION with a larger size from years ago and have never looked back. And I heartily agree with super green feet which I have also used for years. The insoles that is! Buen camino.

Samarkand.

 

[Deleted member 61803]

I agree
The superfeet green suit my feet, but they do take some getting used to at the beginning as they get your feet problems sorted. However they don't suit everyone and may even damage the feet of some. My personal opinion is that you should use specialist ínsoles like this only on advice from a qualified person who you have consulted personally about the problems you have.
I got advised to use these due to having plantar fasciitis, they only partially resolved the problem, as I was, also given a method of exercising my feet involving tennis balls, bean cans and other foot stretches. So it was a few things at the same time. I cannot take vitamin I (ibuprofen) so didn't take any pain relief at all. Don't know if I'm totally cured but I no longer have that pain like a knife sliding into my foot.