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Mama to Many (TN) on 03/03/2026: 
Last week I put on a pair of shoes to wear to an event. I hadn't worn them in a long time because they gave me nerve pain in my feet. I wore them twice last week (occasionally fashion wins over practicality.) I was shocked to realize that my feet and toes were not hurting or going numb. (In the scheme of things, these were sensible shoes - Skecher's Mary Janes with a good sized toe box, but historically they caused pain anyway.)
I got to wondering why these shoes did not cause a problem. And I am pretty sure it is because my feet are much stronger than they were last time I wore those shoes a couple of years ago. It was nearly 2 years ago that I took up ballet for improving my posture and balance. It has improved those things and also my core strength and leg strength. My feet are also a lot stronger. And I think that is why my shoes are not hurting my feet this time around.
My feet muscles do get tight sometimes and I have found that silicone toe spacers (like you would use for a pedicure) help to stretch the muscles in my metatarsals, in addition to other stretches.
You do not have to take up ballet to improve feet strength. There are so many youtube videos with all sorts of ways to do that. My favorite is heel drops and heel raises with my heels hanging off of a yoga block. (A stair will work for this as well.)
Stretch and strengthening pair well for many pain problems!
~Mama to Many~
