How I use a shoehorn to help me live well with ALS

The other day, my husband spotted me putting on my sneakers while using a long shoehorn and asked, “Wouldn’t that be a lot easier if we got you a pair of those new step-in shoes?”

I’ll admit that living with ALS has me continually thinking of ways to make my life easier. But it’s also made me super picky about my shoes. So without looking up, I mumbled, “I don’t know, maybe. Let me think about it.”

My initial ALS symptom was weakness in my legs and feet, which made walking in slippers, heels, sandals, and cute-but-flimsy flats difficult and painful. Almost all of the shoes I owned at the time went straight into the donation box, and a pair of supportive walking shoes became my new fashion statement.

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However, my weak feet and ankles made sliding my foot into any shoe feel like I was wrangling wet noodles into a box. It was only when I began wearing ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) that I found the secret weapon to eliminate the frustration of coercing each foot into a shoe.

Finding a pair of shoes to accommodate the width and length of my newly issued AFOs was challenging. I wanted a modern style that didn’t look too “orthopedicky,” and my Goldilocks moment came when I found the perfect pair available online from a seller in the U.K. I quickly ordered them and crossed my fingers.

When the shoes arrived, I found tucked in the bottom of the box a 10-inch-long plastic shoehorn with a faux tortoiseshell hue. My first thought was to just throw it away, but boy, am I glad I didn’t.

My particular type of AFOs required shoes that were an inch longer and a bit wider than my regular shoe size, and although my newly unboxed shoes were certainly large enough, it still was a tight fit. In desperation, I grabbed the shoehorn. It worked like a charm, and I’ve been a shoehorn believer ever since. I even use that same shoehorn to help guide my feet into my regular walking shoes.

Shoes, shoehorns, and stretching

Readers of this column will know that I’m always looking for ways to add gentle exercise to my everyday activities. So I’ve made putting on shoes one such endeavor. Here’s how I do it:

Sitting on a chair, I cross one ankle over the opposite knee and pause to bend my body forward, taking a few seconds to stretch. This gives me the opportunity to grab a shoe lying nearby and place it on the front part of my raised foot. Inserting the shoehorn behind my heel, my hands and upper body give a heave-ho push to slide the foot into its destination. After a few range-of-motion ankle circles, I’m ready to repeat the entire maneuver with my other foot.

This is what my husband witnessed me doing when he asked me about an easier method. I’m sure I looked like a tangled mess. But from my perspective, I was merely performing a flowing “woman-puts-on-a-shoe” yoga sequence. Switch to easy-peasy step-in shoes? Nah, I’ll pass. For now.

That’s the thing about living with ALS: Every situation is unique, and it’s important to do what feels right for you. Be open to suggestions, improvements, modifications, and hacks. But stay true to you and what your body needs.

Let’s continue to learn to live well while living with ALS.

Note: ALS News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of ALS News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to ALS.