After wearing fivefingers, can't wear anything else without pain

[ovenhead]

I wore my FiveFinger KSOs all summer and fall, at home, at work, and out. Now it's cold and I can't wear my regular footwear without some sort of foot or back pain.

What have I done to my feet and what should I do?

[Bigmantank]

I experienced foot discomfort when I would throw on an old pair of adidas shoes. My feet have changed a lot and the foot bed of my old shoes are molded to the way my foot was (lazy). My recommendation is look into something from another maker, Vivobarefoot shoes have a hydrophobic material on some models which works quite well ( I have evo II with hydrophobic material, think the neo is a better option, I get weird bunching by the bottom of the tongue on my evo's). Hopefully the lontra next year will be a great winter alternative. Cause once you have gone VFF's there is no turning back.

[ovenhead]

Yeah I guess there is no turning back!
Maybe I'll have to give the VFF Flows a chance.

I've tried VivoBarefoot, the Off Road Mid. I really liked the aesthetic of these shoes.. but they were way too narrow.

I don't want to spend a lot of money on shoes that I don't feel completely comfortable in, but I am guessing that's gonna be hard since I'm so used to wearing fivefingers. I just need a winter solution, and something a little more sturdy than my KSOs for mountain hiking in the summer. Suppose I could do some searching across the boards.

Ok, thanks for the reply

[sailorwind]

I'm having the same problem.  Even though I switched to mainly wearing my Merrell Pure Gloves and a pair of Patagonias with the insoles removed (amazing ground feel) and only wearing "regular" shoes with as little padding as normal to work, my back went insane.  Last week I gave in and bought a pair of Flows and a six pack of Riverstone toe socks off Amazon (6 for $20, much much cheaper than Injinjis and very comfy).  The back pain went almost fully away within a few days and my feet haven't really gotten any colder in the Flows with socks than they do in my "regular" shoes (winter boots excepted).

[MCvet]

I currently can get away with VFF ONLY. I hope I never have to go back.

[Horse Rider]

I love my heels almost as much as my Vff's but now they hurt. The joint between my big toe and my metatarsal on the right is inflamed from squeezing my toes into them, but I still love them, in sitting situations. I work in an office... So not fun...

[toh-shu]

while i have not worn VFFs anywhere near long enough to not be able to wear anything else as a normal shoe, i certainly hate running in anything else. Even running a short distance in my nike frees felt heavy and choppy. I know for sure i dont want to run in anything other than vffs again haha.

[sailorwind]

My main problem with my Vibrams is that it puts pressure on a minorly ingrown toenail on my big right toe that I almost never notice when not wearing the Vibrams.  The night before last I made the mistake of trying to get rid of the ingrown part on my own and made it even worse to the point I couldn't wear my Vibrams at all yesterday.  I felt like I was working out with blocks as my feet at the gym in a pair of New Balances.

[MCvet]

I required surgery on both big toes for that in 1991/1992. Never had a problem since.

[toh-shu]

My main problem with my Vibrams is that it puts pressure on a minorly ingrown toenail on my big right toe that I almost never notice when not wearing the Vibrams.  The night before last I made the mistake of trying to get rid of the ingrown part on my own and made it even worse to the point I couldn't wear my Vibrams at all yesterday.  I felt like I was working out with blocks as my feet at the gym in a pair of New Balances.

thats why you just go get it cut. They hardly ever go away on their own, and the pain from dealing with it is not worth the cost of having it cut out.

[sailorwind]

Well, I was only out of my Vibrams for two days cause of my handiwork on my ingrown toenail, however now I can wear them all day with no pain!

[RayKay]

I wear VFFs about 95% of the time, even at work, and always while running everyday and such. My feet have definitely changed over the 3ish years I have been wearing them! For me, I do not feel pain, but I do not like feeling like I am wearing very structured shoes. I also miss ground feel, flex and toe movement!

I have found some reasonable solutions for when I do need more regular looking shoes though. Corso Como Festive ballet flats (and certain Me Too flats which though have cushioning are fairly flexible and light) for the courtroom, dressier events where even my Jaya LRs won't quite cut it, and certain meetings as they are leather, feel like slippers, and come in many colours, crepe rubber soled moccasins and Cushe Manuka Fawns (stock insole removed which leaves a somewhat thick and semi-rigid sole for warmth but at least they have absolutely no support..they feel a bit like "duck boots" on my feet!) for winter commuting. Totally non supportive flip flops when I want a change in the summer. I do still have a heavier duty and structured pair of winter Columbia boots for snowshoeing, and really heavy winter use (they are heated!), but they are wide at least so my feet can wiggle and there is no cramped feeling. I also still need my cycling shoes since I wear clipless.

I have not worn Vivo Barefoot, etc. I tried the Pace Gloves, etc, but I did not like the fit really and do not see the point for me as for casual shoes, I still have my Five Fingers. For me, I just need options for more formal circumstances (and when it is freaking freezing!).

I never wear my heels anymore. They drive me crazy. I should really donate them all!

I do find I sometimes size up though to get a bit more room in the toe box. Though I have incredibly narrow feet, shoe manufacturers and designers tend to assume women like to have heir feet look as narrow as possible even if they are already narrow!

[Barefootin Family]

I didn't get the chance to read all of the posts, just the initial and a couple others. Has anyone felt disorientated when wearing another pair of shoes after your VFF's? I wore mine for a while and then one day I had to swap them out for a pair of hiking shoes for the winter and I felt almost dizzy, for the first 5 mins or so.

[Zafur]

I didn't get the chance to read all of the posts, just the initial and a couple others. Has anyone felt disorientated when wearing another pair of shoes after your VFF's? I wore mine for a while and then one day I had to swap them out for a pair of hiking shoes for the winter and I felt almost dizzy, for the first 5 mins or so.

Hmmm I think I actually may have. I switched from my KSOs to some heavily padded sneakers and everything felt a bit odd for the first minute or so while I got used to being taller and having padding again.

[climbingbubba]

I am in the same boat.  I work 12 hour shifts in a hospital and decided to try my old skate shoes out again and my feet were killing by the end of the shift. I was limping all over the place.  Now I wear my KSO's for workouts and road running, my NB mt10's for trail running, and my NB minimus life's and Sanuk's for everything else.  My feet and joints have never felt better too.  Crazy how less padding and support equals less pain and fatigue...

I really want to get some more vff's though.  Thinking some bikila ls and spyrion ls