Morton's Foot?

[nscrbug]

OakLeaf, I just got back from trigger point therapy. The therapist recommended using medical-grade felt as padding. I guess it's denser than foam and lasts longer. This web site http://eGeneralMedical.com has some in 1/16, 1/8, and 1/4 inch thickness, though you have to buy LOTS of it, so not cheap -- around $35. She gave me some to experiment with in my shoes...

Good luck!

Zia -

The met pads that I've been using are made of felt (don't know if it's medical grade, though). You might want to give these a try as a cheaper option to buying a boatload of medical grade felt padding.

http://www.hapad.com/hapadonline/pro...cat=278&page=1

[zia]

Ah, interesting, except I want something for just under my first metatarsal, though I suppose I could trim those down... Thank you!

[OakLeaf]

Neoprene's pretty darn dense, though not as dense as felt. I figure it has roughly the same amount of give as my shoes' outsoles, though more than my orthotics. Might be hard to find an old mouse pad thinner than 3-4 mm though.

[zia]

Might be hard to find an old mouse pad thinner than 3-4 mm though.

Giving my old, stinky, too-small, kayaking wetsuit a second look...

[NbyNW]

Oakleaf -- thought you and others watching this thread might find this article interesting:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/1...etter-for-you/

[OakLeaf]

So how are the exercises going, ladies?

My experiences so far:

(1) Oddly, it's the skin over the top of my foot that needs to stretch. The internal structures don't seem to lack flexibility, but the skin sure pulls when I stretch.

(2) My feet are weaker than I thought. I'm pretty good at picking stuff up with my toes - and I know wearing Crocs has strengthened my feet quite a bit - but I definitely get some fatigue with the exercises.

(3) The biggest impediment to doing the exercises is taking my socks off in late October - especially with my history of frostbite. Brrrrrrrr. Where are my wool Injinjis???

[jasmine]

I am so psyched to find these pages of discussion about metatarsal pain---I have morton's foot, hammer toe, and big ole bunions--SO I'm trying to get the whole padding idea down, i've read through all of these pages @ 3 times, ordered the pads--2 kind, one from Pro Tec and the the HAdpad ones---thanks everyone for all the amazing info. I still can't figure out where exactly to put the padding--and I can't figure out how to figure it out?? What exactly am I going for ( ob-vee pain reduction!!) in terms of sensation? My first met head is way out of whack so padding under that? My biggest pain issue is on my bike and I've moved around my Look cleats all over but haven't figured out what is best ( yet) Though it's tempting to get rid of the clipless pedals I can't imagine not being clipped in and being able to get any real power? I hope this thread keeps going, the more input the better!!!