It happens sometimes. You find a pair of shoes that is just gorgeous, but after you buy them you find out that they aren’t as comfortable to wear as you might like. Sometimes just trying them on in the store doesn’t really show you this, since some shoes only become uncomfortable once you have worn them for a short while, or after walking in them. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you won’t be able to wear the shoes, or that you will have to deal with pain if you decide to wear them. These days there are lots of ways to turn uncomfortable shoes into more comfortable shoes.
One of the main characteristics of comfortable shoes is the padding that they have in the soles and the toe boxes. This helps to keep your feet from feeling the stress of walking and any small items that are on the ground. If your shoes lack the proper padding, there are a wide variety of inserts that you can purchase. In the past it was hard to find inserts that would work with women’s dress shoes, but now they make some especially for this purpose. They include cushions for your toes, inserts for the front part of your foot, or inserts that cover the whole bottom of the shoe, depending on which will help best with your problem. You can also get inserts for the heel area of your shoe that help to keep your foot from sliding forward so your toes are less likely to get squished. Many of these inserts can be attached to your shoe with velcro dots or double sided tape so they do not slide.
Sometimes it is best to get slightly larger shoes if you are going to be using inserts to turn them into more comfortable shoes. Although the inserts are generally not too thick, if the shoe you are putting them in is already tight you might end up with comfort issues and your feet might get sore or damaged. Consider bringing the insert with you when you try on the shoes. This way you will be able to better tell whether the insert will provide enough extra padding and support to make the shoe more comfortable, as well as which size of the shoe would work best. Keep in mind that the size and shape of your foot matter as well, and unfortunately some shoes just will not fit well and be comfortable shoes no matter what you do.
