Morton's Foot?

[OakLeaf]

an INCH??? wow.

I don't actually have any trouble on the bike. I've used Look-style pedals, and toe clips before that. Before I learned about all this stuff, I put the intermediate Specialized arch supports in my shoes, just because they were available and I had custom orthotics in all my athletic shoes; but in my first incarnation as a cyclist, I didn't have any arch trouble or arch-related knee trouble. It's likely I still put more weight on the second met head on the bike, but it doesn't seem to cause the kinds of trouble it does for me on the ground. But the difference in length in my metatarsals isn't near what yours is.

Knot, I really want to make barefooting work. I know it won't happen overnight, but I've struggled for almost a year now in Yoga. In all the standing poses, they're talking about "four corners of the feet" and "creating the arch with your big toe mound" and meantime, I can have my ankles in neutral, or I can have my big toe mound on the mat, but not both at the same time, no matter how hard I try. I can't even take my hands and force it down to the ground without my ankle caving, it just doesn't reach. So that's why I asked about stretches.

[Bike Chick]

Well, Oak, your reaction made me go measure the xray........don't have me guess your height or weight because I apparently suck at guesstimates. It was actually between 1/2 and 3/4 of an inch.

Do the custom orthontics help? I'm getting some next week.

[OakLeaf]

Do the custom orthotics help? I'm getting some next week.

As I said in the other thread (or maybe at the top of this one ), they relieved the arch pain and some of the knee pain, but caused all manner of other issues.

I'm transitioning gradually to padding the first metatarsal heads. In the meantime I'm still using the orthotics intermittently. I can't wait to be rid of them! If I didn't have this half-marathon coming up before I've made the full transition, I wouldn't even be using the orthotics at all. I just don't think it's a good idea to do a long race in the pads before my muscles and tendons have had a chance to adjust completely.

If I can then transition to unsupported barefoot, I would really love to do that.

[Bike Chick]

Thanks for the help and good luck on your half!

[zia]

. Do the custom orthontics help? I'm getting some next week.

I developed a stress fracture in my second metatarsal in ~1992. I am now on my third pair of custom orthotics since that time. As I mentioned before, not! one! podiatrist/sports medicine doc/physical therapist ever paid any attention to my feet beyond the arch/ankle area. NONE of those orthotics had any type of forefoot padding. And I have experienced knee pain on pretty much every single run since 1990 (I am good at ignoring it, and it never lasts long) -- until I self-diagnosed Morton's Foot last weekend and added my own little pads. No knee pain!

My arches are horribly flat, and I think the orthotics were good for them at a certain time and place, especially when my knees were at their worst. My mentor has a pair of customs and she successfully off of them (after 10+ years) about a year ago and I would like to do the same!

Now off to go hook my bike up to the trainer and play around with padding in my bike shoes.