Do New Shoes Have to Hurt?

How to Identify Hidden Pain Points; the Best Time to Shop

Published in: The Wall Street Journal by Ray A. Smith

The new shoes feel tight around the toes, they rub at the heel, and they pinch with every step. They felt great at the store. What happened?

It's the dreaded break-in period, when a new shoe rubs against tender feet, causing blisters and abrasions, until shoe and foot find a way to conform to each other in harmony.

While shoe brands are reluctant to discuss it, dress shoes—even well-fitted ones—generally require some breaking-in for at least the first few wearings. L.L. Bean includes disclaimer cards with purchases of its "hand sewn" footwear series. The "initial fit of a hand sewn style shoe should feel snug in the fore foot," the cards say, but shoes will stretch to a correct fit "within a short period of time."

Even Queen Elizabeth II, the U.K.'s Sunday Times reported in May, employs someone to break in her shoes to save Her Majesty from discomfort. (A spokeswoman from the Queen's press office declined to comment.)

Now, some men's and women's shoe brands are trying to reduce the breaking-in time. Their fear is that people will just relegate their shoes to the back of the closet, never to shop that brand again. While women may joke about wearing killer heels that are uncomfortable, most still cite comfort as a main reason for not buying a brand repeatedly.

A prime zone for discomfort is the forefoot—the area between the ball of the foot and the toes. Cole Haan plans to launch a men's dress shoe this month that protects the forefoot by placing a layer of foam cushioning technology called Lunarlon in the shoe before the sole is attached. The shoe also features a Lunarlon sock liner that runs the full length of the shoe's bottom. In traditional leather dress shoes, sock liners usually only cover the heel area, says Gareth Lewis, Cole Haan's men's design director. In addition, the label designed the outer sole with "flex grooves," lines that help the sole bend with the movement of the wearer's foot.

Johnston & Murphy's XC4 shoe collection, launched in 2010, uses foot beds—the inside part of the shoe that runs under the bottom of the foot—that contain polyurethane and are molded to conform to the foot. The shoes also have a layer of memory foam. In addition, Johnston & Murphy developed a molded polyurethane outer sole with injected rubber inserts in key spots, which the company says offers more flexibility in the forefoot area than an all-leather sole.

"If there's any break-in time at all, it's a couple of wears at the most," says Jason Jones, vice president of design and development at Johnston & Murphy.

Rather than adding technology, Allen Edmonds subtracted: About six months ago, it took away an inner layer of leather near the top of the instep as part of its collection of "unconstructed shoes." Removing the liner creates "less layers and a softer shoe that wraps around the foot," says Colin Hall, chief marketing officer.

Some women's shoe brands have also been adding features aimed at reducing or eliminating the breaking-in process. Stuart Weitzman uses malleable uppers, flexible soles, and soft-tanning processes for leathers in its high-heeled shoes. The label began using sponge like latex fillers between the shoe's lining and upper in 2007 to provide more comfort in the forefoot area. Some Manolo Blahnik shoes have padded insoles.

While men tend to complain about shoes being uncomfortable across the upper toe area, women complain more about the ball of the foot and the heel, podiatrists say. The foot needs to flex at the ball of the foot, but that is difficult in high-heeled shoes. "When you walk, if there's no bend there, they will be very uncomfortable," says Howard Davis, a professor of footwear design at Parsons the New School for Design.

Stuart Weitzman Arise shoe: Stuart Weitzman uses sponge like latex fillers between the shoe's lining and the upper to provide more comfort in the forefoot area.

In the store, a shopper should, using two hands, bend the toe portion of the shoe toward the back of the shoe, Mr. Davis recommends. If the shoe bends easily, it will likely be more comfortable from the start.

Women tend to have higher arches than men, so the shoe's upper can feel tight, says Andrew Shapiro, a podiatrist and a spokesman for the American Podiatric Medical Association. But because women have less muscle in their feet than men and less cartilage around the bones of their feet, they may not face as long a breaking-in period, he says.

For both men and women, the shopping challenge is to distinguish shoes that need breaking-in from those which will be uncomfortable in the long term. Most consumers still buy shoes in stores rather than online, according to a new report by market-research firm Mintel. About 13% of the more than 1,500 adults surveyed who bought footwear in the 12 months ended February 2012 had bought shoes at an online shoe retailer.

Podiatrists say the best time to shoe-shop is in the afternoon, when the foot has had time to swell. "The ideal time to try on shoes is 3 p.m.," says podiatric surgeon Suzanne Levine, who is based in Manhattan. Fluid retention, age, health issues and even gravitational pull are among the factors that cause feet to change sizes throughout the day. "The difference can be half a size in width by the end of the day, compared to the morning," says Joshua Kaye, a Los Angeles-based podiatrist.

The type of leather in a shoe will affect how easy it is to break in. Calfskin, a supple leather that conforms to the shape of the foot, generally breaks in faster than full-grain or top-grain leather. Expensive shoes tend to have thinner leather and to stretch more as you wear them. Dr. Kaye suggests that shoppers flex various shoes' leather between their fingers to compare thickness and flexibility. Suede is generally a softer material, comparable to finer leather in terms of thickness and ease of break-in.

If your shoes remain consistently uncomfortable, take a hard—and truthful—look at your size. Your foot may have gradually widened or lengthened over time.

Often-cited strategies for breaking in new shoes include walking around the house in a new pair of shoes, sometimes in thick socks, before wearing them out in public. Another home remedy involves putting rubbing alcohol on the part of the shoe that might need stretching.

Some people take new shoes to repair shops to get them stretched. The Shoe Service Institute of America, which represents shoe-repair shops, calculates that Americans spend a little more than $2 million a year on shoe stretching, according to Jim McFarland, a spokesman.

A shoe-repair shop will typically spray a stretching solution on shoes that are too tight. The solution penetrates the leather, relaxing the leather fibers so they expand. The wet shoe is then placed on a stretching machine for hours to dry into its altered size. Machines can stretch the width, the length, the toe-box area, and some will do "spot" stretching.

Mr. McFarland, owner of McFarland's Shoe Repair, in Lakeland, Fla., charges $12.95 to stretch a pair of shoes. He says consumers can try to stretch their shoes at home using an over-the-counter stretching spray. "When they spray that on their shoe, they need to walk around with it while damp maybe two or three times," he says. "If it doesn't stretch by then, you probably need to take it to a shop."

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When pain or injury occurs, you deserve highly personalized treatment using the most advanced techniques.  At the Foot, Ankle & Lower Leg Center (FallCenter), you’ll enjoy an unsurpassed level of quality care.  Dr. Ricciardi, Dr. Shalev and Dr. McLeod are proud to provide comprehensive solutions for all types of foot and ankle problems. 

Your quality care begins the minute you arrive, as our staff greets you by name and answers your questions.  Our team of foot and ankle specialists will inspire your confidence and their genuine warmth and compassion will earn your trust.

You’ll receive a prompt and thorough assessment, including on-site diagnostic ultrasound and digital x-rays.  Your treatment plan is designed to resolve your condition without surgery whenever possible.  When surgery is needed, your feet are in the hands of leading physicians with expertise in the latest minimally invasive techniques.  As a result, you’ll be back on your feet and back to your active life as quickly as possible.

Without proper treatment, an injury or chronic condition can keep you from performing even the simplest everyday tasks.  To meet patients’ most critical health needs, Dr. Ricciardi, Dr. Shalev and Dr. McLeod have developed the following “Center of Excellence” treatment programs: Bunion Solutions, Heel Pain, Diabetic Foot Care and Sports Performance Center.