hallux metatarsalphalangeal joint arthritis

[beccaB]

Those bike shoes I have are the mountain bike shoes that go with spd pedals. I used to use a fairly flexible shoe that looked like a hiking shoe and then I switched to a pair of specialized bg Comp? I think that's what they're called. The sole is fairly unmovable, but the cleat is recessed and there is some stuff on the bottom that is a little grippy, although I think better for pushing a bike up a hilly trail than anything else. The pedals are flat on one side with the clip- in part on the other side. So would a road shoe with a different pedal system have an even more spread out surface? At this point I think I would switch just to be able to keep on biking. Right now biking is actually more comfortable than walking because the shoe is so stiff.
The good news is that the guy who's going to make the orthotic is a cyclist and he knows some stuff. Pretty much if you ask him what time it is he'll tell you how the watch works!

[grey]

I don't have this problem, but I did think it interesting to note that harder soled shoes cause less foot pain. My hubby thinks I am nuts - I prefer my bare feet or wear hard or thin soled shoes because sneakers kill me. Specifically, my arches hurt more when there is 'support' in place, I also am in pain for a few days on the inside of my right ankle if I were to say, walk the dog in sneakers. I even had a heel spur for a year - finally realzed it improved if I went barefoot, not in sneakers like conventional wisdom says. Go figure. I have very high arches and ran around barefoot my entire childhood.
Personally I think shoes are torture devices for your feet. They do not allow your feet to function as they should- causing some of the many muscles to atrophe and create
more problems. The foot is a complicated structure. I love flats but they don't permit your toes to spread out while pushing forward. I also notice how walking changes depending on the shoe - how I put my foot down, how I push forward when walking. In sneakers it's a forced near- violent heel-strike then a rocking push. Barefoot, sometimes he foot hits the ground almost all at the same time, or even ball first.

Shoes need re-evaluation.

[beccaB]

The MBT brand of shoes (Masai Barefoot Technology) is based on the way Masai people walk on the surfaces they walk on, barefoot, and how they have nearly no orthopedic issues. If you look at the shoe, and they don't call it a "rocker" shoe for nothing, it looks like a lot of shoe. The sport 2 model has a carbon fiber layer in the sole. I've been wearing a new pair I bought for a couple of days now, and there is definitely some improvement. The doc said I should try a pair of those first, because I thought I couldn't afford the orthotics. I'm going to get them soon anyway just because I have been in some pain. The only problem with biking has been the swelling and inflammation on the insides near the ball of my foot. Up until it starts to hurt though, biking actually feels better than walking. I iced the foot and took some Advil for the inflammation last night and it seemed to help. After I have the orthotics I will have more choices in the shoe area, albeit a larger size to accommodate the orthotics. In the spring I will probably start using road shoes with spd-sl pedals, but I have to research that a little. Right now I'm using a rigid mountain bike shoe, and doing more dirt road rides than paved.