Safe Crocs stretching

6 months ago

last modified: 6 months ago

First i'll preface by saying that because my feet i don't fit any of the boilerplate categories dictated by podiatrists and shoe designers, i've had to learn to be very resourceful.

(For example, see attachment)

More examples: Though i'm female, i wear youth-size 8-9 socks. (Whereas diabetic socks would relieve my varicose-swelled ankle, go find diabetic socks my size...) And as captioned in my above photo, I've had to repurpose Asics Gel-Contend sneakers to become slippers (by hacking off their backs) because their ultra-firm-overstuffed collar dug into my swelled ankle too much. And BTW Hoka-Clifton & Fresh-Foam also had collars that were too firm or abrasive.

Finally now, I acquired some Canadian-Made size XS (4-5) Crocs. However much they're ugly, they're saving my life as house-slippers but only after cutting off their toe-boxes to enable wiggle room. (It's also why i wear Altra-Escalante2.5 for wiggle-room)

Yet even after cutting off their toe-boxes, my prominent varicose veins hurt me because of the non-roomy instep, similar to a high-clearance truck that's jammed into a "Crocs" tunnel.

Which leads to the title of my question: People use various methods to stretch Crocs, but i absolutely don't want them to rip on me. I'm afraid the dryer+socks method might make them brittle, thus vulnerable to tearing.

So would the following strategy make sense:

Immersion one at a time in very hot water (NOT boiling), then insert my vintage wooden stretcher into a plastic bag to protect the wood from wetness, and stretch each Croc via the plastic-enveloped shoe-stretcher. While i realize some people wear 4 sets of thick-socks inside freshly-boiled crocs, unfortunately, that would probably worsen my already-varicose+neuropathic feet and ankles by cutting off circulation.

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Comments (5)

Kendrah
6 months ago
Sorry I know nothing about crocs, but holy smokes - I thought I was the only one butchering my shoes to such extremes. I guess I'm not alone.

On Friday, in effort to make comfortable a pair of snow boots (which I have not had a need to wear in three years) I took the fresh foam inserts from my NB, stuffed them in the boot, took a gel heel cup, stuffed in my sock, and my husband and I both worked to cram the boot on to my foot using a gigantic stainless steel spoon I bought on vacation in Mexico.

I also have a pair of hokas from which I cut out the tongue and inserted a piece of foam flooring cut to the shape of my insole.

Good luck with the croc experiment.
Sigrid
6 months ago
There are plenty of shoes companies that cater to all sorts of foot problems. The shoes aren't cheap, but most allow free returns. My podiatrist recommended Hoka, Orthofeet, and Vionic, although this was for plantar fasciitis, not swollen ankles. Orthofeet allow you to change out the insole for your preference, allowing you to have a thinner one to accomodate swollen feet.
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girlnamedgalez8a
6 months ago
last modified: 6 months ago
I put my Crocs in the dryer for a couple of minutes to warm them up. Then with a couple of pairs of socks on I put them on until they get completely cool. Repeat if needed. It works very well. I own at least 20 pair of Crosc.
jally
Original Author
6 months ago
last modified: 6 months ago
I'm scared to try the dryer method (did you see what i posted above, including what layers of socks would do to me??

After all, it's a BigShot podiatrist's ACE bandage that he insisted in putting on my ankle, which caused me permanent ankle swelling. Yes, indeed, a podiatrist who actually owned an expensive PedScan damaged my ankle permanently. He was no different than that BigShot endodontist who owned CEREC, yet caused me TMJ-D.

Again, can someone please reply to my Last paragraph?

Sigrid & Kendrah for crying out loud, your experiences are not mine!

Hoka's humpy arches KILL my sensitive arches. So do FreshFoam (humpy arches & abrasive collars). Also i own Orthofeet, and unlike Altra (see below) their toeboxes are cramped. They certainly are NOT like authentic orthopedic shoes of the past. Once upon a time NB made TrueWide shoes in leather. Those were true orthopedics. Nowadays they crank out the YUKKY FreshFoams, that are torture-chambers.

See, they all copy each other. It's why today's "professionals" are POISON for me, because if you DON'T fit the standard categories the "professionals" are copying each other over (due to competition) you are in trouble. That's why i'm in trouble.

Please don't pour extra salt into my wounds. I was looking for a response based on where i personally am at. Skeptical?? Then see the below, from my files.
jally
Original Author
6 months ago
Back to my OP.

No answers that won't risk either feet or crocs?