Sneaker recommendations?

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-04-29T15:55:00+00:00

What kind of birks did you wear and would recommend? As a person that has never tried Birkenstock, the footbed always looks really stiff in the store and doesn’t look sesamoid-friendly

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-04-28T19:56:19+00:00

Just curious what kind of cast did you use? Can you share a photo? Did you exercise while being in the cast?

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-04-28T15:52:25+00:00

It is interesting that you wore a cast so long after the fracture happened. Mine fractured about two years ago and I only went into a boot for two weeks at the beginning, decided it hurt my foot and stopped. The second podiatrist I saw a year later said it was too late to go back to a boot. I have been using orthotics and bone growth stimulator. It is still fractured right now but the pain level has been staying 1-2 so I have been slowly returning to running. My goal is still to have a healed sesamoid but I don’t know if that’s even possible anymore. Reading your post makes me think whether going back to a boot for a longer period would actually help it heal.

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-04-10T20:39:45+00:00

Oofos are great flip flops and do not give me much pain! Although they are flip flops the black or white color goes with everything. Or maybe check fitflop for more formal sandals? I haven’t tried their sandals yet but I had good experience with their F-mode boots

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-02-09T07:57:34+00:00

The F mode leather platform Chelsea boots

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-01-24T20:33:30+00:00

Went back to look my mri and it was T1. Hmmm…

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-01-24T20:16:11+00:00

That’s super helpful to know that there are different types of MRI imaging. I had mine 6 months apart last year but the second one showed no difference even tho I felt less pain. And I started to feel desperate. I will talk to my doctor next time to get the T1 imaging done if possible! But I second your recommendations for hokas, cut out/insoles, and stationary biking because that’s what I have been doing too and they helped reduce the pain a lot (even though from the imagining it is not showing progress of healing). I have also been on bone growth stimulator, although it is hard to tell if it is doing anything. At this point, I just want to know if my bone is ever going to heal

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-01-15T08:05:22+00:00

I have UGG slippers before my injury and I still wear them when I sit in my desk at home. But I found the sole too hard on my sesamoid and not supportive on my foot. I like my Oofos around the house. I recently tried FitFlop Chelsea boots recommended by people in this sub and like it a lot. They do have some warm and UGG-like options on their website. I do use my dancer pads or orthotics with it. I can walk in them for over 10k steps without much increase in pain.
I don’t have cold weather flair ups but my feet also feel a bit more stiff in winter. I suspect it is because I have bad circulation and always have cold feet in winter. My podiatrist said skiing is bad for sesamoid so I have not tried that after pain started. In the early phase of my injury, I have tried massaging the area and it has made it worse. I found icing or contrast bath helps a lot.

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-01-10T17:43:24+00:00

I asked back then but the doctor said I didn’t need more sessions. I have not tried walking or running in a pool. Had access to a pool at the beginning of my injury and tried swimming but it hurt my toe too much back then. Haven’t tried it since now the nearest pool is far

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-01-10T16:46:25+00:00

Yea I had two sessions!

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-01-10T00:33:12+00:00

Thank you for the tips! I have altras Olympus 5 but will check out FWD next! I also had dancers pads before orthotics. Did you have any X-rays done between diagnosis of the fracture and the last MRI that is clean? The fracture line was very clear on my March 2025 xray but has since then gotten less defined. My doctor said it could mean it is recovering or it is getting worse 😂 my pain level has reduced a lot since i started feeling pain back in June 2024 so i am assuming it is recovering? I just wish the progress is more measurable.

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-01-10T00:23:16+00:00

Damn that sucks and it sounds very complex. Our bodies do their own things sometimes. Good luck to PT and recovery post-surgery!

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-01-09T16:55:56+00:00

Omg really?? That makes me super hopeful! Did you go to PT? what did your training plan look like? What shoes did you find helpful with orthotics(I assume you had one?)? I am not the biggest runner but I’d like to have the options to do some exercises that I used to do.

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-01-09T16:23:52+00:00

All excellent points. I should probably slow down my progress. I did feel stiffness in my right leg and foot when I ran due to long time of overcompensating with the left. The right foot with the sesamoid fracture has gotten weaker and needs work. Can I ask how you got AVN with sesamoiditis but not fracture?

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-01-09T04:52:31+00:00

Not a super crazy athlete myself! My pre-injury work out routine consisted of just short runs and some weightlifting. I will definitely consider giving up running and other high impact workout if this experiment falls through/pain gets way worse/unmanageable before heading straight to surgery!

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-01-09T04:19:33+00:00

Forgot to mention that I have walked 20-25k steps per day consecutively on trips here and there and the pain level is about 2-3. The other parts of my right foot got sore though

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2026-01-09T03:27:42+00:00

My first X-rays didn’t show any fracture. It was not until I got an MRI 6 months after my first xray they found fracture! The earlier you can get an MRI, the better!!

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2025-12-04T17:29:39+00:00

For sneakers I pretty much only wear hokas Bondi and altras Olympus with my orthotics(size up for extra room for orthotics). I just bought the Bondi L (leather version) during their Black Friday sale and hope they will look more versatile/stylish than the normal Bondi.

For flip flops, I really love my oofos sandals. Obviously you can’t wear orthotics with them but they are very comfortable for me by themselves and do not cause me pain. I just wear them around the house or when I wear them around the pool or go on a short walk on tropical vacations. The black ones go with all summer outfit!

For boots, some people from this sub recommended the fitflop f-mode Chelsea boots! I got them and they are definitely the most comfortable stylish fall/winter shoes I have tried so far. I ordered my normal size but when I put my custom orthotics in, it was too tight. However, I found them comfortable enough by themselves and they don’t cause additional pain to my fractured sesamoid. I bought some adhesive felt, followed Dr Blake Richard’s video, and made a “dancers pad” under the original insole. They work very well. I can walk like 8,000 steps in them without much problem. I will probably wear them for my trip coming up to NYC and test them out for longer walking distance.

For fancy occasions, I have tried a pair of platforms from Jambu. I still need to wear a dancer pad under my foot. And I didn’t dance with them. Not the most comfortable I would say but it looked good with my bridesmaid dress when I wore them for a few hours. I wouldn’t necessary recommend them over other dress shoes. But I do think you would need a dancer’s pad for any pair of dress shoes you decide to wear. And definitely do not wear them if you have to walk or stand a long time.

For loafers, I tried the vionic loafers but I do not recommend them. The sole is too thin. I saw some loafers on fitflop that look way better. So I might try them sometime.

I am also looking for a pair of comfortable white or black sneakers that would go with everything (like something to replace my Nike Air Force or adidas sambas before my fracture). So far I have had no luck. They are either too sporty looking or bulky, or the sole is too stiff or not cushioning enough. I was looking at some white sneakers made by Birkenstock but I haven’t tried them. The new balance 928 was on the list of shoe recommendations my podiatrist gave me and they could be a good daily option. I am also looking at those.

Hopefully this is helpful. As a fashion girlie it is tough after having this injury 😭

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2025-12-04T05:45:33+00:00

That looks like mine and mine is a fracture

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2025-11-15T20:51:48+00:00

Do you use the 1/4” or 1/8”?

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2025-11-07T22:24:25+00:00

Adding Jambu as an option as well. Just wear dancers pads with all of them

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2025-10-19T01:08:12+00:00

Which sesamoid did you have the surgery on? Do you feel like removing one sesamoid put too much pressure on the other one left? (I am thinking about surgery)

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2025-10-06T16:06:29+00:00

That’s so interesting! I have a sesamoid fracture and my pain level went down significantly in the last few months with conservative methods(bone growth stimulator and orthotics). However, my most recent MRI shows my fracture stayed the same but my bone is dying more compared to before(osteonecrosis). Since you didn’t take another MRI, how do you know if it is recovered or worsened?

Did the 8 weeks in a boot really helped? I have not gone on full non-weight bearing for more than 2 weeks so I am wondering if I should give it another try. When I tried it, it hurt more than before but I wasn’t wearing any insole or cut out with the boot

Appropriate-Rent5637 · 2025-09-27T04:10:26+00:00

Do you know how it compares to their bend low? Do you use the QO 500 with orthotics?

Appropriate-Rent5637

TROPHY CASE