Hot Feet Question

[Carlene]

Hi there! I know foot pain all to well. Mostly the cause is wearing those thin-soled, tight sandals and pumps. For many years I tromped the pavement in tight high-heels and paid for it by developing Morton's Neuromas. Riding became unbearable about five years ago and I had the affected nerve removed. I tried cortisone shots which became less and less effective and went for the surgery. In January, I decided to go with another surgery on the same foot (different toes) well before riding season got into full swing. I have not had any trouble since. Now if I could get my fanny surgically removed.

Besides trashing all your three-inch heels, I would suggest that if the pain gets progressively worse that you try not to wear any tight shoes or heels at work when you know you are going to ride later. That just gets that nerve so irritated. Mine would feel like stabbing redhot pokers going into the foot. Since my first surgery, I have invested in about 20 pairs of Dansko shoes (the spongy soled ones are better). They are magic to your feet. Also, I invested in some MEN'S Sidi Carbon shoes. The carbon disperses the vibrations instead of sending them straight to the ball of your foot. They are also wider than women's and can be easily loosened near the toe box when your foot swells during a ride.

Hope this helps. Good luck to you.

[KnottedYet]

You can also try having a professional shoe store (the kind physical therapists send patients to to get Danskos, Naots, Brooks, etc. Like "Shoes n Feet" in Seattle) put a metatarsal arch pad onto your Superfeet or Spectrum insole. Or if you're just using the floppy insole the shoe came with, they can put the pad on that. It will restore the arch across the ball of your foot. If you have a "dropped met head" (ie flattened ball of the foot instead of a gentle arch from pinky side to big toe side, and often a big callous under the 2-3 "knuckle") pressure on the forefoot will mimic a Morton's Neuroma or the heat and pain people get when they wear too-tight shoes.

Birkenstocks have the metatarsal arch built into the older models. The newer Birkis don't have it anymore.

Met pads are just little cookies of tough foam. The shouldn't cost more than $5 for the pair. The fitter should examine your feet, the wear on your shoes, and the wear on your insoles before they place the pads.