Superfeet from somewhere like REI.

Trust me on this. .they are great.

Yes you should. I use Dr. Scholls.

paging paulsc!!

I put them in everything. But I have super-high arches.

I'd also recommend some moleskin around the upper part of the heel/ankle area, but that may just be me. The first few wearings always kill me RIGHT THERE with Docs.

"paging paulsc!!"
posted by chewatadistance 20 November

Many people I know who buy Dr. Martens swear by them, at the same time they look for ways to make them comfortable to wear. I don't understand that, as in my experience, well made, well fitting shoes don't hurt your feet, or change normal stride mechanics. About half the customer reviews on Zappos for Dr. Marten shoes mention comfort or fit issues (often while giving 4 stars for comfort! - now that's customer loyalty!!), and many retailers won't carry the line because of excess returns.

Dr. Martens are well known in the shoe retail trade for having a stiff sole construction that fails to flex easily at the ball of the foot, which causes many people's feet to become sore under the arch. The problem has nothing to do with lack of "arch support," but is the healthy foot's reaction to having to apply unusual patterns of force to work as it normally does. Some stiff soled shoes will eventually "break" at the ball, becoming significantly more flexible with wear. Docs, not so much. You can try sitting around and flexing your new Docs by hand at the ball for several thousand flex cycles, to "break" them in, but frankly, compared to other shoes of similar construction and materials, Dr. Martens will generally remain stiff. Their customers, at this point, seem to demand it, as a (perverse, to me) hallmark of quality.

Putting "arch supports" in won't alleviate the issue, other than provide a source of placebo affect. Maybe, if you think arch supports make your feet hurt less, they don't hurt as much, and if that works as well as 2 Aleve tablets, mazeltov! But buying shoes which flex easily at the ball of your foot, and only at the ball of your foot, prevents the problem in the first place (assuming that there isn't a pattern problem with the fit of the shoe for your foot, like an incorrect heel-to-ball length, which will put the flex point of the shoe in the wrong place for your foot, which is inherently uncomfortable, no matter how flexible the shoe).

One "tip" that is made concerning fitting Docs, that tries to overcome the stiff sole construction, is a recommendation that Docs should fit looser in the heel of your foot (the part of the shoe called the foxing/counter) than standard shoes, allowing the heel of your foot to move a bit. There's a kernel of truth underlying that recommendation, as Western boots, which don't lace, have to have a looser heel fit than a normal shoe, or they'd be impossible to put on and take off. But in a boot with gores, or any pattern of tongue and laces, that pattern adjustment isn't made by the pattern maker, so it doesn't really apply to Dr. Martens. And, of course, if your foot can slide back and forth due to the extra room, the flex point of the sole is more likely to be in the wrong place for your foot, more often, in more steps, which actually exacerbates the original problem, rather than helps solve it!

It's also sometimes recommended, for high top lace up Doc styles, to leave the lacing loose below the ankle, to give the foot more freedom of movement. This recommendation seems to be aimed at reducing "arch support" complaints, and the commonly reported blistering across the top of the foot, actually caused by the vamp seam on blucher styles. While these "tips" are frequently quoted to new wearers by shoe salesmen, I don't recommend them, even to people wearing thick woolen socks with their Docs, as they set up situations where blisters are likely. The real problem is the stiffness of the sole of Doc Martens, and how little it flexes in wear, combined with how little comfort details, like skiving seams to reduce thickness and pressure points in the uppers, aren't really part of the Dr. Marten "style" book.

It's also not uncommon for new Doc wearers to complain of lower back pain, and if they walk much, of pain in the front of their shin. For many wearers, this has to do with the way the Dr. Marten heel pattern in many styles works to slightly change the normal stride, but that's another topic.

I didn't intend to "diss" Dr. Martens, but reading back, I can see how it might sound like that's where I was headed. Lots of shoes are style choices, more than wear choices, and if you buy shoes to go with an outfit, or get a look, and don't mind comfort issues, I see nothing wrong with making that choice. But I do hate to see people doing things that can potentially make their feet feel worse, 'cause we all only get 2! So, I hope these comments help, based on what I could infer from Specklet's short question. If you lurves your Docs, enough to smile through some pain, great.

For those who've been following all my shoe talk in the last several days, here's a fun 5 question quiz to test your knowledge.

Damn. I was 3/5. Shoes ain't simple.

My feet aren't hurting at all, I just wondered if, because they have no arch support, I should get some.

Thanks for all the info, though!