I was scheduled to get foot surgery to fuse the bones in one foot because of severe arthritis (with the other foot to follow, eventually). The podiatrist who I discussed the surgery with mentioned that the shoes I was wearing were too flexible, and suggested I get some with a thicker, more rigid sole.

I doubted that shoes would make a lot of difference, but I was in the market for white walking shoes anyway. These shoes satisfied my podiatrist's recommendation, so I tried them. The difference was amazing!  I wore them on vacation and was able to walk all over with no pain -- no pain while walking; no pain in the evening when I took them off; and no pain the next day. I was so happy, I bought them in black as well. And cancelled my foot surgery.