Does Finding Shoes That Fit Get Harder As You Age?

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teej1985

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Has anyone else had issues with their shoe size no longer fitting? I turned 40 not too long ago I'm trying to get new shoes and literally all the brands for what has been my size the past several years just aren't comfortable. I went to two shoe stores that digitally scanned my feet and according to the scan, my foot size is smaller than any shoe I've ever had as an adult - but my issue with the shoes I've been trying have been that they are too snug not too loose. At this point, I just ordered a bunch of shoes from Amazon, some wider and some a half size up from all the ones I've tried so far. I'm hoping one of these work.

I did order more of my current shoe but it breaks down so fast and isn't any cheaper than all these other shoes that are more durable. I feel like I'm going crazy and have thought about seeing a podiatrist, not that I'm sure if they can even help me figure out what type of shoe I should actually be wearing though.
 
My shoe size has been stable for years but I 'stepped out' of dress shoes 20-years ago when I retired. My shoe of choice these days is SAS...white for everyday and black for weddings and funerals. 😁
 
I noticed must be 15-20 yrs ago that I had to start buying shoes a size to 1 1/2 sizes bigger than I had always worn since I was 17. I just concluded that there was an industry-wide "conspiracy" to simply re-size shoes. I cannot come up with any reason for this except..... in most cases shoes (for people of my socio-economic ilk, not the Savile Row demographic) come mostly from China, Korea, or Vietnam and they've been making them sized for the average Asian rather than to "American" specs. i.e. if the shoe doesn't fit, buy the next size up.
 
rk911 said:
My shoe size has been stable for years but I 'stepped out' of dress shoes 20-years ago when I retired. My shoe of choice these days is SAS...white for everyday and black for weddings and funerals. 😁
Click to expand...
I loved the SAS Journey! I bought one 6.5 years ago for when I worked in TSA and needed a leather shoe and was on my feet all day. It was one of the most comfortable shoes I've ever had. I wanted to buy a replacement but I found the Journey II replacement shoe not comfortable at all- much more stiff.

I wear dress shoes as little as possible.

I wore 8.5 wide in SAS 6 years ago when I was like 9.5 wide in everything else. Is your expereince that SAS sizes are weirdly sized compared to other manufacturers?

I am going to try a SAS Journey Mesh in 8.5 double wide as I did try as 9 wide recently but it didn't feel right. Do their mesh shoes last as long as the leather ones?
 
if your weight changes, your shoe size will. Also width - regardless of weight, you might find a W or EE just feels better.

I actually weigh less than when I retired, but some of my favorite "power pumps" shoes from my career, well, cinderella would fail to win her prince with them now. Not even, ooh that's tight, literally cannot get them on my feet.

However, when I buy new shoes, I'm an 8W, where I used to be 8.5 or 9. (depends on the maker and style, they are all different.)
 
teej1985 said:
Has anyone else had issues with their shoe size no longer fitting? I turned 40 not too long ago I'm trying to get new shoes and literally all the brands for what has been my size the past several years just aren't comfortable. I went to two shoe stores that digitally scanned my feet and according to the scan, my foot size is smaller than any shoe I've ever had as an adult - but my issue with the shoes I've been trying have been that they are too snug not too loose. At this point, I just ordered a bunch of shoes from Amazon, some wider and some a half size up from all the ones I've tried so far. I'm hoping one of these work.

I did order more of my current shoe but it breaks down so fast and isn't any cheaper than all these other shoes that are more durable. I feel like I'm going crazy and have thought about seeing a podiatrist, not that I'm sure if they can even help me figure out what type of shoe I should actually be wearing though.
Click to expand...
Two things to consider: Use slip-ons. I have them in work boots, casual and dress. Also get yourself a shoes stretcher and apply it on the necessary shoe. In lieu of a stretcher, you can use a freezer bag with water, place water bag in the shoe (filling in the toes-and if you can't get it into the toe region you have too much water); then put the shoe in a plastic store bag, into the freezer for a day or two. Thaw; and you should have a looser fit.
 
Ir seems like I have a right foot 11 and a 10 1/2 left. In most cases 11's get the job done.
 
My shoe size has been gradually increasing all my life, both length and width.
In college I wore 10B and now it's 12D.
Pretty normal, I think.
 
While I don't think my shoe size has changed, being part of the "vertically challenged class" (not currently a protected class but I'm working on it :ROFLMAO: ), and the accompanying smaller shoe size (7.5 to 8 depending brand), I've always had trouble at stores.

Flieger
 
I wore 9 1/2 when I was younger....then 10 and now 10 1/2. I went to 10 just because my feet got bigger (I think). I went to 10 1/2 because I have peripheral neuropathy/numbness in my feet (due to cancer treatments 10+ years ago) and I can't stand cramped feet because it makes my feet feel even more numb than they are already. I'm guessing 10 1/2 is as big as I'll go though.
 
Yep. When I got out of high school, I was 12 D. Now either 13 wide or 14. Salesman at the running shoe store says that it is because I weigh more and I'm older.
 
Not for me. I wear slightly larger sizes now, and I basically don’t wear dress shoes anymore if I can help it. I do appreciate cushioning more than ever though. :blush:
 
Ronstar said:
Yep. When I got out of high school, I was 12 D. Now either 13 wide or 14. Salesman at the running shoe store says that it is because I weigh more and I'm older.
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Exactly the same with me except that the size is now a 13 D not wide. maybe the feet widening will come as I get older.
 
It's been known for decades that shoe size are not equal among different manufacturers.
It's also known that many older people have wider and maybe longer feet than when they were younger.
That's because the foot arch gets flatter with age.

Several years ago, I started having pain in the bottom/side of my left foot. I spent several years looking for a solution and seeing several podiatrists and orthopedists. I also made special orthotics, $400 per pair, and still had this pain.

2 years later, I read an article by a podiatrist near me in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) where it said there are new options. I paid him a visit, and he told me he knew exactly what I had. The only solution is a surgery that he doesn't recommend because it's not a guarantee and healing takes at least 6-8 months. His other offer was new orthotics because he works with a special lab. I was doubting, but this time it worked.
All the specialists I saw recommended NB and/or Brooks wider sizes. The second piece of advice I got was to try many shoes until I find something I like. Chances are this shoe will be different in 2-3 years.
Luckily, I found Brooks Ghost. I have been wearing them already for 7-8 years, and the newer models are still great.
The best 2 store I found were
1) The Best Running Shoes and Gear | Road Runner Sports If you go to the their store, they have great, knowledgeable staff, and with VIP, you can keep trying new shoes for up to 90 days. They have a wide selection.
2) REI is another store with great, knowledgeable staff; you can keep trying new shoes for up to 1 year. The selection is much more limited.

The first time I used Road Runner. Since then, I have used the cheapest shoes I can find in different stores, many times last year's model.
 
YellowSubmarine said:
Use slip-ons. I have them in work boots, casual and dress.
Click to expand...

I'm fighting the slip-on thing. Slip-ons are for Old People.

My shoe size hasn't changed. What has change dis that I find dress shoes that I've had for years less comfortable because their soles have no cushion. I think it's circulation issues due to my mitral valve prolapse; I first noticed tingling in the soles of my feet 10 years ago and thought it was my shoes, but buying gel insoles and trying various different workout shoes didn't help. Maybe next month's surgery to repair the valve will.
 
I wear 15s now, up from the 14s I wore most of my life. I have more shoes now than I ever did have in my life, maybe 15 pair or more. But I have walk zillions of miles on them, especially as an underground coal mine supervisor, it's a wonder I don't have stubs!
 
I think in HS I was a 12. I have been a 13 for the last 20 years.

I thought the arches in the feet slowly collapse as one ages resulting in longer, wider feet.

Regardless, if the shoe don't fit don't wear it.
 
I've been wearing the same Wide size Skechers for years. Just because they fit. The size has not changed. Narrow sizes are no good.
 
I've gone from 10 to 9.5 to 9. But the width hasn't changed.

A young kid once told me that Crocs are for people "under 6 or over 60". So, I'm now eligible!
 
I'm 65 and have gone from size 10 1/2 regular to a size 13 wide since my early 20s.
 
My feet keep getting wider in the toe box. Newbalance used to make shoes that were perfect, but stopped in 2023. I've returned Orthofeet, Hoka, SKS, and more that looked promising, but didn't work. The latest frustration was having to return some 12EEEEEE shoes as too narrow in the toes. I am wearing badly worn out New Balances from 2021-2023.
 
Ronstar said:
Yep, you're not old enough for widening yet. Give it 5 to 10 years and you feet will start to spread.
Click to expand...
My dad (69) said he used to have to wear wide shoes, but now he's in normal width shoes. Makes no sense!
 
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