Wide toe box shoe/boot for men?

[zandar]

Hi,

This is my first post to ShoeForum. I was glad (and quite surprised) to find a forum devoted to shoes on the web. I've got questions- hopefully someone here has some answers...

I have kinda difficult feet. My feet are pretty wide- my normal size is a US 12 EEE. Sometimes I have to go up to a 13 to get the right width. My feet have spread out over time- When I was 18 I could get into a size 11 Chuck Taylor with no problems, now (I'm 43) it seems every Chuck I try is way too narrow.

Compounding this problem is my case of Morton's Neuroma- squeezing my foot into a too-narrow shoe is no longer an option as that causes shooting pain in my toes and the ball of my foot. I've received the alcohol injection treatment which has eased the pain some, but now I'm really only comfortable in sandals or my very wide New Balance tennis shoes.

I need a nice brown or black shoe/boot for fall and winter and feel a little nonplussed. I would try Birkenstock but the closed toe Boston is what gave me morton's to begin with- constant banging of my second and third toes on the front of the shoe. It seems Birks are wide enough, but not LONG enough. The same is true of crocs- they hurt every bit as much as birks. I used to have a pair of Alpine boots made by Simple that would work for me if I hadn't worn them out years ago, and if Simple hadn't stopped making them... And there is one NAOT oxford that accomodates my feet, but it's one pair, I really need to alternate shoes to avoid causing problems with other parts of my feet.

Anybody have any ideas? Thanks!

[jitterbugbaby]

Well, I can't sympathize with the hunt for men's shoes, but I can certainly sympathize with having feet that are wider than many shoes. And my mother had Morton's neuroma (also from narrow pinching shoes) and went through this some years back.

I would have suggested Birkenstock, but if they've given you problems, obviously don't go there. You could try Mephisto, which makes a variety of really great walking shoes and dress shoes. Some tend toward the narrow side, but I think that's more of an issue in their women's shoes than their men's, so you might be all right.

Mephisto would be my top recommendation, but other brands to try: ECCO, Clarks (which has a bunch of different lines that fit in different ways), Stonefly, Geox, Rockport. I don't have firsthand experience of their men's shoes, but I do have experience with most of those brands' women's lines and they've all been positive. I can only imagine that the comfort and support in the women's shoes from these brands is equalled by the men's.

Another thought (if you haven't already) is to see an orthopedist and ask if there's an option for you to get some custom orthotics that might help. Obviously, you'd still need shoes that the orthotics would fit in, and I'm not sure about the specifics, but I know my orthotics have helped me greatly. Plus, it's like making every shoe you were a custom-fit shoe. Even if you don't get a custom orthotic, it might help to check out some supportive insoles. Again, an orthopedist should be able to tell you what to look for in inserts to best help your feet.

Finally, here's a link to the Zappos results of men's oxfords that come in EEE widths. Some of them are quite stylish, too! Checking the major shoe sites like Zappos where you can search by width might help. Plus, with free return shipping, it doesn't cost you anything to try out some different pairs and see which ones work.

Good luck with the hunt, and keep us posted on how it all goes.

[zandar]

Thanks a lot for the ideas! You mention a couple of brands I don't recognize. And the link to Zappos is very nice. I'll be sure to follow up here when I find something.