Pain in the feet

[weisan]

I have these hot spots under my feet during the ride, any suggestions?
http://alicehui.com/pics/foot_pain.jpg

[AngryScientist]

what shoes, pedal system are you using?

[Hawker]

I used to have the same problem with my left foot only, in exactly the same place and it only took about three miles before the pain set in.

After trying four different pairs of shoes in two years, I almost gave up riding. Then I tried LeMond Wedges in my left shoe only and the problem disappeared over night.

I think these wedges are marketed under a different name now? Of course it could be the shoes, the Q factor, etc. Good luck.

[ultraman6970]

U need wedges in the internal part of your feet, at the opposite side. The reason it hurts is because the internal part of your feet are not touching 100% the insole, so the external part is receiving all the stress. That's why it hurts.

This is when u can get ingenious an crafty with the solutions.

1 get specialized shims, inside of the shoe

2 get lemond shims, these ones go under the cleat.

3 use cardboard or pieces of an old insole and put them inside of the shoe

4 use what ever u want.

I have used balsa wood time ago, like 3 mm balsa wood, cut it in the shape of the front part of the shoe, use another insole as a pattern and sand it really well and one side so u have 3 mm and in the inside of the foot and almost nothing or nothing at the other side (external), U can use carboard also, 2 or 3 mm will do fine i guess.

The idea is to CANT the ball of the foot 2 or 3 mm in the internal side to level it.

Good luck.

[weisan]

Absolutely LOVE the responses so far...makes sense.

To answer Angry-pal's question:

Nike Poggio road shoes + Shimano Ultegra SPL-pedals

[mandasol]

I had similar problems. Tried the lemond wedges and it helped but I found that heat mold-able footbeds/insoles were a much better solution.

I use Sole but there are others now:

https://secure.yoursole.com/us/footbeds/thin-sport/

http://www.louisgarneau.com/us-en/products/305574/Insoles

http://www.archmolds.com/insoles/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=32


(not heat molded but looks interesting)
http://bontrager.com/model/08652

(previously mentioned)
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=57994

[dekindy]

A fitting, Lewedges and DeFeet Aireator's. Then I got Specialized inserts for the inside of the shoe to replace the Lewedges. The inserts are less hassle and just as effective.

[AngryScientist]

also consider custom moldable shoe inserts, i've not had the problem you do, but inserts that fit the contour of your feet perfectly certainly would be a step in the right direction.

[ericspin]

I have been fortunate yo find a podiatrist who seems to be a gift from heaven. My previous visits have been to solve a tarsal nerve issue. Very painful and LOTS of swelling. Next visit is to fit for orthosis. Cannot wait to get these. This guy really gets it. Maybe you could find such a doc in your area.

[RPS]

U need wedges in the internal part of your feet, at the opposite side. The reason it hurts is because the internal part of your feet are not touching 100% the insole, so the external part is receiving all the stress. That's why it hurts.

That makes sense to me – and had started questioning what you describe for a similar problem that isn’t directly related to cycling.

I had started to think the root of my problem was that in the past I always wore Nike walking/running shoes which had provisions for adding arch support. For the last few years they’ve done away with that (for the models I use) and I just don’t get enough support under the arch, so maybe that does place more stress on the outside of the foot.

Thanks, I’ll have to follow up on building up the inside of my shoes somehow.

[zap]

Ah yes, much experience.

Close to 20 years ago had major pain when we were hammering along during a fast century. Pain was so bad when I stopped Too Tall couldn't massage the outside of the right foot.

What I did many years ago was switch back to the larger Look pedals from original spd. Still had some problems so several years ago i moved the cleat back per Hoggs specs, Specialized insole w/ meta button (custom did not work for me in cycling shoes) and canted cleats (thicker inside). Worked like a charm, pain free for 4 plus years.

Not related to this but since I broke my 5th metatarsal the other day (see my earleir post) I've learned a bit more.

You should elevate and ice your foot after rides.

[Hawker]

U need wedges in the internal part of your feet, at the opposite side. The reason it hurts is because the internal part of your feet are not touching 100% the insole, so the external part is receiving all the stress. That's why it hurts.

This is when u can get ingenious an crafty with the solutions.

1 get specialized shims, inside of the shoe

2 get lemond shims, these ones go under the cleat.

3 use cardboard or pieces of an old insole and put them inside of the shoe

4 use what ever u want.

I have used balsa wood time ago, like 3 mm balsa wood, cut it in the shape of the front part of the shoe, use another insole as a pattern and sand it really well and one side so u have 3 mm and in the inside of the foot and almost nothing or nothing at the other side (external), U can use carboard also, 2 or 3 mm will do fine i guess.

The idea is to CANT the ball of the foot 2 or 3 mm in the internal side to level it.

Good luck.

Ultraman, you may be right. However, I tried all sorts of internal wedges and all of the different insoles that Specialized offers....to no avail. Someone told me that canted insoles often don't help because it still doesn't address the incorrect positioning between the shoe and the pedal. I know this probably opens a can of worms...but I do know what worked for me.

Ultimately when you are in pain you will end up trying everything. Swinging a dead cat over my head did not work.

[MRB]

Weisan Pal,

I had a similar problem, and I solved it by tweaking my cleat position. I moved my cleats back (as far as they could go, and rotated the front of the cleat outwards a few degrees.

HTH

[ultraman6970]

Hawker, I understand what u mean but this is just to get rid off the pain in the sides of the feet, thats it! Obviously if it hurts at the opposite side, the fix is just putting shims at the other side. This will alling the knees also.

Now, if the after doing this the pain moves to the ball of the foot or the fingers gets numb thats another issue. I'm and old dog and when u are young you can stand more pain but now after like 20 years pain simply get worse and almost unbearable.

My personal experience ok?

With the years feet tend to swell more than before, so if the ball of the foot or the fingers are hurting or getting numb but after 30 seconds of walking they pain goes away u have like 2 or 3+ mayor causes.

1 shoes are too tight, I'm like a 43 / 43.5.. had to go all the way to a 45, sounds just nutz, specialized have one of the best shoes right now besides the hell retention in the specs shoes is simply fantastic. After 30 minutes feet get bigger, like a whole size in my case. So i end up with a half size bigger after riding 30 minutes. Weird eh? Advice? go to get shoes with the thickest socks you have at home.

2 Morton neuroma, to ways to deal with it, operation or figuring out with custom insoles. Google this one. The pain is well localized on this one.

3 Related with number 2, to use an insole with a metatharsal button in it, search in google if you dont know what it is. Too long to explain.

4 Glue inside of the shoe, amazingly the bolts or whatever the name is, that are inside of the shoe to for the cleat use a darn glue that is hard like steel, if a drop is dried inside it will start pinching the foot big time and that could be cause of the problem.

5 cleat bolts too long, have seen this way too many times, if the bolt is too long the tip will get into the shoe and as with the glue , your foot will be hitting it big time with every stroke. U can brake a bone if you dont pay attention to this, no insole will isolate a bolt from your feet.

6 misc and combination of things, to solve the problems sadly u have to think what can be wrong, and then fogure it out but shoes is a good place to start sometimes, as me maybe go to a larger size helped a lot.

Arch support, that you have flat arches doesnt mean u have them while riding a bike, with the weight weak arches tend to flat (PRONATION), this doesnt happen in a bike, so seat in a chair , lift 1 feet and look at the arches, are flat? maybe not. Walking and pedaling are two different things. If you have this problem of flat feet while standing up and arches while not standing up, just find a insole with a lot of arch support, pedaling motion needs arch support. Specialized ones are good stuff and not that expensive, they have metatharsal button also. Other insoles people mentioned are good also but all depends.

The 1st thing i did was buy a 100 bucks shoe larger than the original (1 full size)i had, that helped me to realize i needed to go to even a larger size in better shoes. I started with a set of Scott ones, awesome shoe and insole for the money, then I move to specialized 1.5 number bigger.

Ok too long to read i guess...

cya :D

[scooter]

If you don't find relief with previous recommendations, you might check out advice from a local bike shop that offers fit sessions. I noticed Maplewood Bicycle in St. Louis is hosting a 2 day training course (BikeFit Pro) with Paul Swift's (designer of the Lemond Wedge) Bike Fit Systems March 27-28th. Perhaps you can arrange to get assistance from Paul or one of his instructors. Links to BikeFit http://www.bikefit.com/index.php and Maplewood Bicycle http://www.maplewoodbicycle.com/

[Louis]

Weisan,

I have some of the wedges if you'd like to try them. (three hole version)

I can either mail them to you (PM your address) or if Dave F will be seeing you soon, I can give them to him on Monday and he can get them to you.

Louis

[KeithS]

Maybe spelled it wrong, but I went to a custom foot bed specifically made for my cycling shoes. I wear a 50 so I can't be so very picky on what shoe I buy, there simply aren't many choices. I pronate like a bad thing, due to a tarsal coalition. They don't feel like bedroom slippers but they sure are comfortable.

Good luck, foot problems are no fun.

[Fixed]

Weisan Pal,

I had a similar problem, and I solved it by tweaking my cleat position. I moved my cleats back (as far as they could go, and rotated the front of the cleat outwards a few degrees.

HTH
cleats back +1 and i used to loosen my shoes after a couple of hour riding
cheers

[weisan]

Pals, thanks for ALL the suggestions, I really appreciate it!

I will try a few and see how it goes. Louis, you got mail.

[Bud_E]

Same hot spots showed up on any ride longer than 2 hours. Moved the cleat back and went to a wider shoe ( Shimano wide ) - fixed it for me.

[zray67]

Great thread!

[cnighbor1]

Lance got hot spots from using clip in pedals
That is why he had shimano increase size of pedal platform. to increase area supporting you feet It worked

[ultraman6970]

This kind'a prove one of my points about bigger shoes, it helps a lot.

Same hot spots showed up on any ride longer than 2 hours. Moved the cleat back and went to a wider shoe ( Shimano wide ) - fixed it for me.