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What to do if my steel toe boots hurt my toes?

One of our customers had a question,

“The space between my toes and the steel toe is about 1.5cm. When used for about 6 hours straight, my toes begin to feel pain especially the 3rd and 4th digit. What should I do?”

We have a lot of customers with this question so we thought we would share Bob’s answer with you:

It sounds as if the side of the safety toe is rubbing the side of your toes. Remember, safety toe comfort comes in length, not width; you have to get the shoe long enough to accommodate the back and forth toe movement in the shoes. The proper fit occurs when the widest point of your foot (The Ball) is located exactly in the widest part of the shoe. When that happens the arch of your foot fits precisely with the arch of the shoe, giving you maximum support from the shoe.

So what is happening? Your arch has probably dropped some extending the toes of the shoes forward. Take your hand and put it on a table with the fingers going forward and the thumb back. That is the shape of your arch, Now move the fingers forward and you get the action of your arch and toes as you take a step. The arch of the foot drops as weight is placed on it, and the toes slide forward into the shoe. This back and forth motion of your toes is why you need to fit your shoes (not just safety shoes) using your arch measurement.

The arch measurement can be obtained with a Brannock Foot Measuring Device you should find in most good shoe stores. Without that measurement, you can get a pretty good idea how your arch is fitting in your current shoes by feeling for the ball of your foot while wearing your shoes. Rub the side of your foot and feel where the “ball” (bone) of the foot is located in your shoe. Turn the shoe over with the sole facing you, and you can see where the widest point of the sole is. That is where the “ball” of your foot should be. If it is slightly forward of that precise point, it is too far forward and you need a longer shoe.

Suggestion: Try to get your foot measured in a shoe store before you buy your next pair of safety shoes to see if your arch has dropped a little extending the toes further into your shoes to the point where they are rubbing the safety toe.

Over time, as you get older, weaker, weigh more, and your arch drops, your foot will get longer. It happens to everyone!

Now, your foot really hasn’t gotten any bigger, it’s just changed shape. The arch drops and the toes and arch extend further in the shoe. That means you need a longer shoe, may be a US 7.5 (8 is probably too big). Now unfortunately, when you go to a longer shoe, it is going to feel “bigger”. You should be getting a narrower shoe as you go up in shoe size to conform to your foot just getting longer, not bigger, but that isn’t possible because shoes today are made mostly in mediums and wides. That may require you to buy an insole for your shoes to “take up” the extra room. You can buy a thin flat insole that you can put under the shoe’s insole or a ¾ insole unit you put on top of the insole, or a high quality, full, replacement insole (thicker than the original insole) to replace the original. You are trying to make the insole slightly thicker to take up some of the additional room in the ½ size larger shoe. Try them on with the shoes you want to buy to see what works for you.

Also, you can look for and get a wider safety toe shoe. Safety toes come in lots of different sizes and shapes, and some come in a very wide shape, known as “oblique”. Regardless, you should try to find one with a larger toe box. When you turn the shoe over and look at the sole you get a better picture of the shape of the safety toe. If the toe or shoe fits tight, you just have to get a longer shoe.

One more tip: These bigger brands typically have their shoes made by several different manufacturers. Different styles within the same brand will fit differently because of this fact. Again, you just have to try the shoes on and test the location of the “ball” of your foot in the shoe to make sure you are getting the right fit.

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Are Diabetic Work Shoes Made?

We had a client ask if we had a Diabetic Safety Shoe. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a diabetic safety shoe.  What we (the customer and our sales person) have to do is find the most comfortable shoe for these customers.  It’s critical to get the correct fit.

We need to know who the diabetics are, so when they come to our shoemobile we’ll know to take extra care with these customers to make sure they get a very good fitting and comfortable shoe.  (The customers’ toes have to have plenty of room!)  And we’d like to know what kind of shoe they want, like 6 inch waterproof, lightweight athletic, etc., so we can be prepared with the right inventory for these customers.

Wider toe boxes and lighter weight shoes are what is typically needed for diabetics!  We all (the diabetic customers  and the sales person) need to be careful  to get the customer in a comfortable good fitting shoe, but there really is not a certified diabetic safety shoe.

IMPORTANT:  The first day the customer wears their new shoes for work, they should wear their old shoes to work and then change into their new shoes at work!  That way if there is ANY discomfort, the new shoes can be swapped for the old ones and the customer can continue working without discomfort and without creating a problem with their feet.

The client came back and asked about composite toe shoes for the diabetic customers.

As for the suggestion of using Composite Toe Safety Shoes for Diabetics, that is certainly a good suggestion.  Composite toe safety shoes have 2 advantages:  one is they are lighter, which is always a big benefit for diabetics, and secondly, they have a larger toe box, which gives the toes more room.  Toe room is the critical thing for diabetics; and because composite safety toes have to be bigger than steel to provide the same protection, that fact makes them a natural for diabetics.  (The reason they have to be bigger (more toe room) is composite materials are not as strong as steel; thus to make the composite toe provide the same protection as steel, the composite toe has to be thicker than the steel toe and the shape of the toe has to be more bulbous.)

There are some steel toe boots that have wider toe boxes, too, like the styles that have a more “oblique style” to them, as you would see in the old earth shoes (non-safety) or in KEEN Utility Safety Shoe styles.

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Finding a Comfortable Pair of Safety Shoes

The most critical thing with purchasing a pair of safety shoes is finding one that is comfortable!

Most problems with the comfort of safety shoes is caused when the toes (usually the large toe or next to the smallest toe) comes in contact with safety toe and “rubs” a blister on the toes.  Generally this is caused because the Customer is trying to wear safety shoes that are too short.  Yes, that’s right—too short…and not too narrow!  As my Dad taught me, comfort comes in length not width.  Here’s the reason:

The only way to relieve the Customer’s toes from the rubbing sensation of the safety toe is to move the safety toe away from the Customer’s toes.  To do that you need to get a longer shoe not wider.  A wider shoe will still have the safety toe located in the same area relative to the toes, and the safety toe will still be encroaching on the foot.   The longer shoe moves the safety toe forward in the shoe away from the toe of the foot.  The reason Customer’s talk about the rubbing sensation is because as you walk, the foot does actually move forward in the shoe naturally.  If the safety toe is too close to the Customer’s toe, then the toe will rub the safety toe of the shoe.

There is a way to determine the proper length of the foot, and that is to have your foot measured by a trained shoe salesman.  Normally, the standard device being used today is the Brannock Device, but many stores have electronic measuring machines in them too.  From what I have seen personally these do a very good job.  These measuring devices measure two dimensionally, length and width, but not thickness or girth of the foot, but they are still very helpful in determining the right size.  The most important measurement is the arch measurement (sometimes called “ball measurement” because that is what is measured).  The arch measurement is important because it measures the distance from the back of the heel to the widest point of the foot, and that is important because you want to get the widest part of the foot in the widest part of the shoe!  This also causes the shape of the foot’s arch to match the shape of the arch of the shoe, which will provide the wearer of the shoe the maximum support from the shoe.  Typically getting the wide part of the foot in the wide part of the shoe provides relief to the foot because as you step down on the foot the wide part of the foot has room to move forward into the tapering toe of the shoe.  If the foot is too far forward in the shoe, then the wide part of the foot starts to flex forward in the shoe from the tapering part of the shoe which causes the wide part of the foot to “jam” into the narrower part of the shoe where the safety toe is.  That is why it is critical fit all shoes using the arch measurement and not the toe measurement.

The second idea for getting a comfortable safety shoe is to compare the shape of the front part of your foot and with the shape of the shoes you are trying to wear.  I am including some pictures I have taken of my Customers’ feet.  Since everyone’s foot is a little different, yours is probably a combination of these photos.  Note that the toe shape of the foot should approximate the toe of shoe you are trying to wear to get the most comfortable toe.  In other words, if you have a “straight toes” or the “extremely wide foot”, you need to be wearing an oblique toe shoe or an extra wide safety toe style. Trying to wear a pointed-toe Wellington boot is just not going to be comfortable, and you can see that by comparing the width of your toes to the width of a narrow toe safety shoe. 

So if you have problems with the safety toe rubbing your toes or wearing holes in your socks, you need to look at the extra wide safety toe shapes, like the oblique toe styles.  If you need help finding the right styles call our office at 1-888-933-5540 and we will show those styles to you.

And, if you have a wide foot, or a foot with your toes all about the same length, or your big toe is straight forward from the ball of the foot, you need to he wearing the oblique or extra wide safety toe styles.

So the main thing to getting a more comfortable safety shoe, especially for “toe comfort”, is to make sure you have “toe room” in your safety shoes.  The first thing to do is get your arch measured and make sure you are wearing that length shoe.  Get the wide part of your foot into the widest part of the shoe so your shoe’s arch will match the shape of your arch and give you maximum support.  Next, make sure the shape of your foot approximates the shape of the safety toe you are trying to wear.   Give your toes plenty of toe room!

One last tip, when you get your new shoes, try them on in the store first.  Make sure that your toes feel no pressure on the side of the big toe or the side of next to the smallest toe.  Any pressure there means the shoe is too small or too short..  Do NOT try to wear new shoes and think this tightness on your toes will “break in”…your toe is the only thing that will “break in” with a big, bad blister!

Finally, NEVER WEAR A NEW PAIR OF SHOES TO WORK!  WEAR YOUR OLD SHOES TO WORK, THEN CHANGE INTO YOUR NEW SHOES AT WORK.  THAT WAY, YOU HAVE THE OLD PAIR TO WEAR IF THE NEW ONES HURT YOU OR ARE UNCOMFORTABLE.

Call us if you need more help! 1-888-933-5540

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Comfortable Safety Shoes

One of our customers asked this question: I am in need for a wide size 11 composite safety shoe. I bought a pair from a local store but they hurt my toes and feet so bad I can’t stand to wear them. Is it possible to find a comfortable safety shoe or must I live with painful hurting feet.

Unfortunately, you probably got your shoes too short.  Try a longer shoe.  

When you try on new safety shoes, you should feel NO PRESSURE on the sides of your toes.  (Where your toes are probably rubbing the side of the safety toe.)  If you go to a shoe store, have them measure your foot and ask them to give you the “Arch Measurement” or “Ball Measurement” (same).  This is the critical measurement to wear safety shoes comfortably and you should try to wear the closest shoe size to this measurement you can.   

If you tried a 10W and it bothers your toes, please try the 10.5M.  Go up a half size, and narrow the width if you can.  This may seem wrong, but believe me it works.  The longer shoe will get the safety toe further away from your toes and allow the foot to “flex” forward in the shoe without touching the safety toe.  Comfort in safety shoes is achieved by wearing a long enough shoe to give your toes room to move forward in the shoe when walking.  This movement of your foot back and forth in the shoe during walking is natural; but when the shoe is too short, the safety toe encroaches in the flex area of the foot and toes.  Thus the rubbing you experienced.

Try the longer shoe and you will have more comfort.

You may need to try a different style or brand, or a style with a larger safety toe.

Hope this helps.