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That's what I was thinking as well-- it sounds like your foot is sliding forward, OP. Try looking up the "heel lock" lacing method. I also find I can reduce forward slippage in a shoe by lacing a bit more tightly around the instep area (don't cut off circulation, but make it feel snug and secure). You can try loosening the laces at your toes a bit as well. A shoe repair shop should be able to possible bump out the toe area for you a bit if needed (if the shoes are leather). Or you could try the heel gripper pads.
Nothing is going to be perfect if the shoe is too wide for you, but some of those things could help.
This is why having a genuine, knowledgeable shoe salesman is good.
They will tie the shoes on properly and, after you walk around in them a bit, place a ramp down so you can simulate walking down a slope.
These people do more than dig out the box of shoes and run the cash register. They match the shoe to your feet and intended purpose. I have had them steer me towards a different brand (when the store sells both brands), because a particular model of shoe is likely to fit better than the one I was asking for.
It is well worth paying full MSRP for shoes that will be comfortable and useful. At that point, if I see the same year-model of shoe on sale online I buy it, because manufacturers sometime change the lasts next year even if the shoe’s name remains the same.
Some brands’ “run small” means they run short, but some run narrow instead. I like Keens, about which one shoe salesman quipped, “People in the wet NW love them because they fit our duck feet well.” I recently had to buy a pair of watersport shoes 1.5 sizes large because they ran so short, whereas another pair were OK lengthwise but had too low a toebox at the outer sides.
If you have bunions, that will make foot pain worse. I had bunion surgery, best decision I ever made. Many shoes these days are poorly constructed and not made to last, or for comfort.
This is why having a genuine, knowledgeable shoe salesman is good.
They will tie the shoes on properly and, after you walk around in them a bit, place a ramp down so you can simulate walking down a slope.
Life is too precious to tolerate painful shoes!
When I shop for shoes for more athletic activity I go to sporting goods type shops that have an instore ramp available. If I buy online I set up a ramp in the house and test them myself.
Painful shoes are more than that. They're also a waste of $. Even if you decide to keep them but tell yourself you'll only wear them in ideal circumstances, eventually you'll find that you pass them over for another pair more often than not. They'll just sit in the closet gathering dust. Maybe long enough that they no longer fit at all (yes, the ligaments in your feet relax with age/wear and tear, even hormonal changes, so your feet spread, meaning larger shoes). Might as well return or donate them.
I often have to loosen the laces on my athletic shoes as far as they can go, especially near the toe box. I sometimes will stuff a couple of heavy socks into the toe box overnight to expand them. There are stretching devices for shoes that will reduce the problem of tightness. I have one pair of shoes where I've cut out the portion over my little toes, that I wear when recovering from having had them get the skin worn raw.
When I shop for shoes for more athletic activity I go to sporting goods type shops that have an instore ramp available. If I buy online I set up a ramp in the house and test them myself.
Painful shoes are more than that. They're also a waste of $. Even if you decide to keep them but tell yourself you'll only wear them in ideal circumstances, eventually you'll find that you pass them over for another pair more often than not. They'll just sit in the closet gathering dust. Maybe long enough that they no longer fit at all (yes, the ligaments in your feet relax with age/wear and tear, even hormonal changes, so your feet spread, meaning larger shoes). Might as well return or donate them.
I’ll never forget the coworker who asked me how much my shoes cost. They were $80 a pair back then and oh, so comfortable. I bought a few more pairs when they went on sale at about half price and finally used the last pair not long ago.
She practically exploded with jealous astonishment that I had actually paid $80 for good shoes that fit. She said she had bought shoes only on sale, $10 per pair, so she bought several pairs of them. And she HATED how they hurt her feet! I pointed out that my one $80 pair of shoes would serve me well for a long time, whereas she had wasted almost the same amount for shoes that she never, ever wore.
I need a higher toe box and was going to buy a stretcher but then spotted shoe stretch spray. I think I'll try that first. Maybe shove crumpled magazine pages into the toe box after spraying. If it doesn't work, I'll buy a shoe stretcher to use with the spray. There are some that are only $10. Probably won't last long but may do the trick.
When I win the lottery, I plan to have all of my shoes and boots custom made. With the amount of money I've spent in my lifetime for various shoe inserts it would probably cost the same!
The only other solution is to find one brand of shoe that fits and only buy that brand.
I need a higher toe box and was going to buy a stretcher but then spotted shoe stretch spray. I think I'll try that first. Maybe shove crumpled magazine pages into the toe box after spraying. If it doesn't work, I'll buy a shoe stretcher to use with the spray. There are some that are only $10. Probably won't last long but may do the trick.
When I win the lottery, I plan to have all of my shoes and boots custom made. With the amount of money I've spent in my lifetime for various shoe inserts it would probably cost the same!
The only other solution is to find one brand of shoe that fits and only buy that brand.
I've already used that solution - that's why I only wear Skechers brand shoes.
Wet feet can enlarge the shoes. Try this trick to make the toe opening wider so that you feel comfortable.
Well, that depends...wearing some shoes with wet feet can ruin the linings if not the shoe itself! Years ago if I needed to break in new leather work or hiking boots quickly I'd stand in a pan of water until they were soaked, then walk around in them changing socks a few times until body heat dried them out again. Utility/recreational boot manufacturers expect their boots would get wet eventually (even if oiled/treated) and construct them accordingly. Depending on what synthetic materials, cloth, or dyes were used in construction I wouldn't do that with just any old shoe.
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