will my old shoes ever fit?

[Nanc]

I've been back for about 5 weeks and none of my precamino shoes fit
I am still wearing trail runners purchased for the "Camino spread"
but I have a lot of nice more social shoes that just don't work anymore
Will my feet go back to the old size since I had only done the one Camino? (900km all said and done)
sigh
Nanc

 

[GettingThere]

I've been back for about 5 weeks and none of my precamino shoes fit
I am still wearing trail runners purchased for the "Camino spread"
but I have a lot of nice more social shoes that just don't work anymore
Will my feet go back to the old size since I had only done the one Camino? (900km all said and done)
sigh
Nanc

Hi Nanc
I think the answer is "maybe"! I'd heard about this phenomenon before my Camino, didn't really believe it of course... Then I came home and - oh. Right. Unfortunately I was due back at work and trail runners wouldn't do, so I had to buy new. Kept the old ones because from what I'd read on here, it's a temporary thing. Well no. Not for me. A year and four months later I still can't wear my old shoes - I reckon my feet are about a half size bigger than they were, permanently!

So you may be lucky, or you may be like me!

 

[C clearly]

Will my feet go back to the old size since I had only done the one Camino?

I'd guess "no." I think it is not only that your feet might have spread a bit, but also that you have developed new standards of respect for their needs.

 

[SYates]

Another no in my case, SY

 

[JabbaPapa]

Before my first Camino I was European size 45 -- 48 now, and likely heading 49-wards

Sorry, but I think your answer is a no.

 

[Scarlet Fez]

I'm suffering the same problem. My boots were great on the Camino but my feet swelled and spread during the trek and my boots accommodated it. Most of my shoes now feel like I've put some else's on and tight and uncomfortable.

 

[Mike Trebert]

I've been back for about 5 weeks and none of my precamino shoes fit
I am still wearing trail runners purchased for the "Camino spread"
but I have a lot of nice more social shoes that just don't work anymore
Will my feet go back to the old size since I had only done the one Camino? (900km all said and done)
sigh
Nanc

Hi Nanc,

I suggest that You see a doctor about this. I'm back 5 months from a full CF. I have a very mild version of this swelling which persists. My shoes all fit. Interesting that others are experiencing this too. One possible cause is damage to very fine blood vessels which prevents efficient draining of swollen areas. It could be temporary or permanent.

Edit: damage to small blood vessels most likely caused by foot strike.

Let me just say, before everyone jumps on me: Everyone is different. Seek expert medical advice.

P.S., Everyone is different.

 

[Lmsundaze]

No for me. My feet are bigger.

 

[HeidiL]

My feet are wider. A lot of barefoot training (tae kwon do) probably hasn't helped either...

 

[Deleted member 12253]

Hi Nanc
I think the answer is "maybe"! I'd heard about this phenomenon before my Camino, didn't really believe it of course... Then I came home and - oh. Right. Unfortunately I was due back at work and trail runners wouldn't do, so I had to buy new. Kept the old ones because from what I'd read on here, it's a temporary thing. Well no. Not for me. A year and four months later I still can't wear my old shoes - I reckon my feet are about a half size bigger than they were, permanently!

So you may be lucky, or you may be like me!

You should see doctor. After 14 caminos and 8000 km my feet still same size 9

 

[GettingThere]

Hi Nanc,

I suggest that You see a doctor about this. I'm back 5 months from a full CF. I have a very mild version of this swelling which persists. My shoes all fit. Interesting that others are experiencing this too. One possible cause is damage to very fine blood vessels which prevents efficient draining of swollen areas. It could be temporary or permanent.

Edit: damage to small blood vessels most likely caused by foot strike.

Let me just say, before everyone jumps on me: Everyone is different. Seek expert medical advice.

P.S., Everyone is different.

As you say, everyone is different. In my case (and I think most usually) this is not swelling but actual expansion of the foot. I gather it's a common phenomenon with very long distance walking - the foot bones actually spread. So my foot is now longer though not wider. But this doesn't happen to everyone, of course.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

I am in the camp of 'your feet didn't change, your understanding of your correct shoe size did.' This phenomena happens in both genders, but in my very tiny sampling of helping people get the right shoes for marathons, it is more pronounced in women, who for some reason grow accustomed to shoes hurting all the time. I'm not short, but definitely not tall, and usually wore 3-4 inch heels until I started to wear a flight suit and boots to work every day. After a while, my feet protested getting back into heels, even if I bought them a bit larger...and I think some women have shoes in their closet that are actually too small for their feet, with or without heels.
edit: again, no one yell, I said it was a tiny sampling. but invariably when their feet were actually measured for the shoe (prior to them starting a training program) most would insist there was something wrong with the measure device, because it said they needed an 81/2, and all the shoes in their closet were 61/2 and 7)

 

[wayfarer]

@Nanc, my feet gained in width as well but slowly returned to their "normal" size over a three year period. I was told this is normal for people who walk the kind of distances we walked on the Camino day after day. Your choice, but I don't think you need to see a doctor unless you are experiencing pain or discomfort.

 

[vgen5122]

I've been back for about 5 weeks and none of my precamino shoes fit
I am still wearing trail runners purchased for the "Camino spread"
but I have a lot of nice more social shoes that just don't work anymore
Will my feet go back to the old size since I had only done the one Camino? (900km all said and done)
sigh
Nanc

My answer to your question is that your old shoe Size will probably not come back. I completed my Camino 10/01/2013 and my feet has yet to go back to their pre-Camino sized. My feet are now longer and not wider. Most likely you will have to go shoe shopping for more social shoes. Give your old shoes to charity and bring in new shoes for yourself. Think of it this way, it will be a win, win situation. Buen Camino.

 

[Nanc]

Interesting divetse thoughts
My heal strike foot ankle issues are beautifully controlled with orthotics from a podiatrist. With no other symptoms, I agree with wayfart that, for me, furthet doc visits aren't needed

However I have noticed a return to increased peripheral edema (priot thread) . Interestingly the edema was gone on the camino. My belief is that it was a combination of walking (rather than standing as I do on my 13 hour work days, and a low inflammatory diet while in Spain. I ate fruits, veggies, meat and little sugar ( ok coffee). Food intoleranes kept me off of bread and grains, desserts
My bloating was gone! Edema mostly gone. All came back when I was starved for carbs in the last week in Spain and ate bread and pasteries. Though I'm home off wheat etc , my sugar and grain consumption is up again and the edema had returned. Just my personal observation, just as Mike Trebert says
Hmmm when will I learn!?

 

[poogeyejr]

My feet are larger - my pre Camino hiking boots (heavy winter ones) do not fit anymore. I have just spent the weekend struggling with this reality! Now I need new boots for my February Camino.

 

[Lori Elgin]

I've been back for about 5 weeks and none of my precamino shoes fit
I am still wearing trail runners purchased for the "Camino spread"
but I have a lot of nice more social shoes that just don't work anymore
Will my feet go back to the old size since I had only done the one Camino? (900km all said and done)
sigh
Nanc

Nancy have been home almost 6 months and my shoes fit again! Not all of them, it took about 90 days.
welcome home Pellegrina!!!!

 

[C clearly]

I agree with wayfart that,

I'm sure @wayfarer would agree that this was an unfortunate typo!!

 

[wayfarer]

I'm sure @wayfarer would agree that this was an unfortunate typo!!

Some people may think that I'm full of hot air...

 

[Nanc]

Ok ok ok
Yes bad finger , so sorry
hopefully Wayfarer had a sense of humor?

 

[SYates]

He must have, he is a moderator here ;-) having a sense of humour is kind of the job description or, should I say - moderator survival strategy? ;-) Buen Camino, SY

 

[Kanga]

Sorry @Nanc but my feet have never gone back to their pre-camino size. My feet are longer and wider by at least a size. It's not swelling, I think the weight and constant downward movement causes the foot to flatten and spread forward and out. Perhaps it does not happen to people who already do a lot of running or hiking, but before my first camino I did not, and the re-sizing of my feet was quite a surprise.

The good news is that my feet have now been this size for years - so at least they don't keep growing!

 

[Likin]

That happened to me also! I only did 310 km but it was pretty high kilometres each day. My shoes that had been previously so comfortable felt like they were two sizes too small. I had to wear my hiking shoes if I wanted to walk anywhere significant.

I think they are beginning to feel normal now, 5 weeks down the track!

 

[Karen2017]

Interesting divetse thoughts
My heal strike foot ankle issues are beautifully controlled with orthotics from a podiatrist. With no other symptoms, I agree with wayfart that, for me, furthet doc visits aren't needed

However I have noticed a return to increased peripheral edema (priot thread) . Interestingly the edema was gone on the camino. My belief is that it was a combination of walking (rather than standing as I do on my 13 hour work days, and a low inflammatory diet while in Spain. I ate fruits, veggies, meat and little sugar ( ok coffee). Food intoleranes kept me off of bread and grains, desserts
My bloating was gone! Edema mostly gone. All came back when I was starved for carbs in the last week in Spain and ate bread and pasteries. Though I'm home off wheat etc , my sugar and grain consumption is up again and the edema had returned. Just my personal observation, just as Mike Trebert says
Hmmm when will I learn!?

Hi Nanc, can I ask if your wore compression socks or knee high compression tights?. I get Edema ( little bit every work day) and paid dearly when went skiing earlier this year with swelling up the shins I effectively could not wear the ski boots (excruciating). So I am contemplating compression socks/ stocking went I fly but also walking.

 

[LdnWalker]

So interested that this has happened to other people too! I didn't notice it immediately after my first Camino four years ago (there was swelling, it went down when I stopped walking). But I have noticed over the last year or two that my feet are slowly expanding, maybe by about half a size. I do a lot more walking now and it's the area around the front of my foot that has spread making the toe box on my previously comfortable hiking shoes just that little bit too tight. The boots themselves are on the way out with cracking uppers and the next pair will definitely be at least a half size bigger.

 

[Mike Trebert]

I've been doing some reading. The most common cause of some feet changing shape is elephants. Specifically, the one standing in the room. Its name is "aging". Older feet get wider and flatter according to a Harvard article and the NYTimes. Other factors compound the negative effects. Circulatory/heart issues, nerve degradation, as well as other factors. Feet take a lot of wear and tear, especially when crazy people walk thousands of kms across Spain. Feet wear out with age, become less springy. And strangely, a source of delusion for many of us, I gather. And of course. We're all different. Seems to me that it's kind of tricky making sweeping generalisations when there are so many variables in play - variables called "people."

Well, there are "likes" flying around all over this thread. I've had to wear a helmet while close to my computer screen. There weren't any directed at me, of course. My numbers have cobwebs on them. Never mind, I'll just carry on being thorough(ly annoying).

 

[LdnWalker]

I had considered the ageing aspect but the minor delusion that it might be exercise related is slightly more buoying. (Even though I have family members whose feet grew in size with age and weight gain...)

 

[poogeyejr]

My feet are larger - my pre Camino hiking boots (heavy winter ones) do not fit anymore. I have just spent the weekend struggling with this reality! Now I need new boots for my February Camino.

What I didn't mention is that my feet changed size after my first Camino in 2011 and have remained a size larger ever since. I was a 8-8.5 NA size and when I returned I was a 9-9.5

I didn't really notice - not really a shoe person, and I had switched to clogs and European sizing and I missed the fact that I have been wearing larger shoes for the last 5 years. Aging feet possibly, but I was 42 at the time.

 

[november_moon]

Perhaps it does not happen to people who already do a lot of running or hiking, but before my first camino I did not, and the re-sizing of my feet was quite a surprise.

I think this is a key difference Kanga. My feet didn't change, but I've hiked most of my life and I spend a lot of time barefoot and always have. I think that the spread that many see post-Camino happened to my feet over my life time. I also think that the natural narrowness of your feet may have something to do with it - people with narrow feet generally don't have to squish their feet into shoes, whereas people with wide feet often do. So if someone has wide feet, I think their feet are probably more likely to spread on the Camino because they finally have room to do so.

Now, I DID have a foot issue when I returned that prevented me from wearing shoes with a heel for a while. But that's healed up and its fine now, thank goodness.

 

[Kanga]

@Mike Trebert nooooooo! I understand that ears get bigger too.

 

[trecile]

I had heard that this could happen, and was horrified, because I already have big feet! Specifically, they are long and narrow. A little increase in width would be okay, since I have trouble with sandals often being so wide that my feet slide through them. Fortunately, I haven't noticed any difference in the way my shoes fit since I've returned from the Camino. Phew!!

 

[Mike Trebert]

I had heard that this could happen, and was horrified, because I already have big feet! Specifically, they are long and narrow. A little increase in width would be okay, since I have trouble with sandals often being so wide that my feet slide through them. Fortunately, I haven't noticed any difference in the way my shoes fit since I've returned from the Camino. Phew!!

From now on, just in case, save all shoe boxes so you have some options.

 

[trecile]

From now on, just in case, save all shoe boxes so you have some options.

I'm not sure how comfortable or fashionable shoe boxes are.

 

[Claudia Stephens]

I've been back for about 5 weeks and none of my precamino shoes fit
I am still wearing trail runners purchased for the "Camino spread"
but I have a lot of nice more social shoes that just don't work anymore
Will my feet go back to the old size since I had only done the one Camino? (900km all said and done)
sigh
Nanc

I finished in July, and have given up all pre-Camino shoes. No hope. Sorry.

 

[Csutak]

Hi Nanc, the same happened to me. Now I am (European) size 38, before the (ten) Caminos I wore 37. But don't worry, your feet probably won't get any bigger after each Camino.

 

[Shades of Narnia]

Took three Caminos (and three years aging) for me to notice but since I am a Thrift Store supporter, full circle, I have no qualms in donating my 'outgrown' shoes.........My generously sized trail runners, on the other hand, are so precious to me that I celebrate them every day as I head out the door. Ah....comfort!

 

[Jan de Kaper]

Hi Nanc,

I suggest that You see a doctor about this. I'm back 5 months from a full CF. I have a very mild version of this swelling which persists. My shoes all fit. Interesting that others are experiencing this too. One possible cause is damage to very fine blood vessels which prevents efficient draining of swollen areas. It could be temporary or permanent.

Edit: damage to small blood vessels most likely caused by foot strike.

Let me just say, before everyone jumps on me: Everyone is different. Seek expert medical advice.

P.S., Everyone is different.

I've been back for about 5 weeks and none of my precamino shoes fit
I am still wearing trail runners purchased for the "Camino spread"
but I have a lot of nice more social shoes that just don't work anymore
Will my feet go back to the old size since I had only done the one Camino? (900km all said and done)
sigh
Nanc

My problem is I cannot walk anymore on "ordinairy"shoes.
I now always walk on hiking shoes,not a problem though !