Sore feet?

Hey, I'm sure this has been brought up before, but I am curious. Are there any hiker secrets to helping ailing feet. Mine have been sore after almost every hike since my 48th. They are sore primarily towards the toes in the front (Tarsal) area. Any suggestions?

i would look at three things:

1 - enough protection on shoe/boot bottom
2 - does shoe/boot flex in same place as foot (it should)
3 - if all else fails try some different/better inserts (esp. if you have a high arch)

FWIW - i have found that shoes/boots that are too "cushy" underneath are a sure recipe for sore feet. OTOH - ya gotta have some cushioning. And most importantly, they gotta flex in the right spot. there seems to be a "balance point" that is different for every person as to the correct amt of support vs. cushion ...

good luck

Sherpette ! How sore is sore ? mildly sore for a day or two is probably tight boots, you may need to review your actual foot size and width - something I didn't really get around to until I was about 30.
Severly sore - multi day pain - maybe something more that real prescription orthotics may help. And then there's this;

"Tarsal tunnel syndrome results from compression of a nerve that runs through a narrow passage behind the inner ankle bone down to the heel. It can cause pain anywhere along the bottom of the foot. It is often associated with diabetes, back pain, or arthritis. It may also be caused by injury to the ankle or by a growth, abnormal blood vessels, or scar tissue that press against the nerve. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and the dorsiflexion-eversion test are being used to diagnose this syndrome.

Treatment for Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome. Pain from tarsal tunnel syndrome may be relieved by treatment with orthotics, specially designed shoe inserts, to help redistribute weight and take pressure off the nerve. Corticosteroid injections may also help. Surgery is sometimes performed, particularly if symptoms persist for more than a year, although its benefits are under some debate. Tarsal tunnel syndrome caused by known conditions, such as tumors or cysts, may respond better to surgery than when the cause is not known. Recovery from this surgery can take months before a person can resume normal activity. It should only be performed by experienced surgeons."

But it's probably not that complicated. Start with the simple solutions first.

i have to do this after long hikes, for general soreness, though not exactly your ailment of sore in the front:
1.get something you can bathe your feet in.
2.put HOT water in it, with about a cup of epsom salt and mix
3.put your feet in it
4. YELL
5. soak while you watch tv or read or something for 20 minutes or so. sometimes i soak em for longer, adding hot water from the kettle when it starts cooling off. the epsom salt draws out the nasty. my feet feel MUCH better after and especially the next day.
6. the healing seems to go much faster if you let everyone watching know how much the hot water hurts your feet.

I second the foot bath with epsom salts for general soreness. That's where my feet are right now, hoping to alleviate a bit of ache in one toe.

I've found i'm particularly prone to sore feet. I'm always the one hobbling around after a long hike. I've got kinda bad and unflexible ankles.

I've found the BEST preventative is the right boot. IMO A nice stiff boot helps immensely. They seem to provide the most support and act kinda like a cast. Sure they're heavier but that where I sacrifice.

Hi Sarah,
I just asked my wife who is a Diabetes educator and she just responded.

"It could be diabetes related....wondering if she has been checked for diabetic neuropathy."

Hope this helps.

Inserts??

Hi Sherpette,

I've had my share of sore feet too. This year though I finally took the plunge and bought a pair of inserts (I think they were around $30)...and what a difference! My feet are so much happier now!

Good luck.

-MEB

MEB said:

I've had my share of sore feet too. This year though I finally took the plunge and bought a pair of inserts (I think they were around $30)...and what a difference! My feet are so much happier now!
-MEB

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I recently purchased a new pair of hiking boots at EMS (Concord NH store) and went along with the boot fitters recomendation for a pair of inserts. I did not expect that he would actually measure for the insert as well. I learned that peoples arches can be located differantly so you may not take the same size insert as your boot size. In my case I have a sixe 9 boot, but a size 9 1/2 insert that was then trimmed at the front to fit. It felt significantly better that a size 9 insert.

The bottom of my feet have a tendency to get real sore if I get lazy and dont replace my inserts after they have gotten compressed. Two things that keep my feet happy are hiking socks with good "loft" (changing to fresh ones half way through a long hike helps too!) and as stated earlier, inserts with ample absorbsion and cushion....

I have several pairs of boots/lowtops/trail runners with varying lengths of shanks and degrees of rigidity. For the longer hikes my feet are WAY more comfortable when I use a stiffer 3/4 length shank. It makes for heavier foorwear but who cares when your pain-free.

Thanks!

Hey thanks for all of the great ideas guys. I don't think it is too severe as of yet but I would rather nip it in the butt now then wait and find out otherwise! I will be sure to have my mother (Also a diabetes edumacator) check my feet this weekend! I check my feet on regular basis but it would be nice to have my mom check them out for me.
The pain isn't multi day or even more than a few hours. But the pain is getting worse the longer I'm on them. I think inserts may be the route to take. We'll see how it goes. If you have any more ideas then keep 'em coming! Thanks again guys!

Hi Sherpette,
A few years ago I was diagnosed with Morton's Neuroma, which sounds a lot like the disease mentioned in an earlier post. The nerves running through the metatarsals get irritated and swell, then get pinched between the bones. It is killer painful, happens when I hike or run or bike, anything with lots of foot pounding. Walking never seems to make this happen. When I hike I take motrin every 3-4 hours, use inserts, just Dr. Schols, and good socks. I finally broke down and bought some birkenstock hiking boots, they seem to help too, but I still use the inserts in them as well. I am not pain free by any stretch, but doing all these things has made it posible to keep hiking. I made the mistake once of taking the boot off and rubbing my foot. YOUCH, I nearly went through the roof of the car. I think that was the longest recovery time yet, maybe the massage made the swelling worse, but I do not recommend it. Lots of places sell little inserts that are supposed to go under the ball of the foot where the pain is located, i have tried them but with little or no results for me. Good luck!

chinooktrail said:

It is killer painful, happens when I hike or run or bike, anything with lots of foot pounding. Walking never seems to make this happen. When I hike I take motrin every 3-4 hours, use inserts, just Dr. Schols, and good socks.

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You might try one/some of the higher end insoles such as Superfeet (medium foam and hard plastic) or Sof Sole (elastomer rubber--great cushioning). Both give some arch support (I know, not the primary issue for Morton's neuroma, but still a fit issue). I have both, and either reduces the pounding for me.

Doug

Hopefully the answer will be something simple, like this.
I took a week off in 1988 and painted my house, using a ladder most of the time. At the end of the week, my feet were killing me, two toes were numb and it felt like there was no fat cushion under the balls of my feet.
The doctor said it was a neuropathy and recommended stretching exercises. One of the most effective was laying a 2x4 down and elevating the front of my feet onto it, then slowly lean forward, stretching the backs of the calves as well as the muscles of the feet.
I still get a minor version of this ailment when I hike. This exercise works well for me. Standing against a curb, heel on ground and toes about 3-4 inches high, and leaning forward works well too.
It also gets me walking more upright, as opposed to the slight forward hunch I adopt as I tire.

I'm reading this thread with interest. The major thing that prevents me from doing long mileage hikes is the pain in my feet (not after the hike but during... generally, after seven to 10 miles my feet hurt so much it's difficult to walk.) The pain does not correlate to the weight of my pack or the distance as I've had them hurt after just four short miles.

I see a lot of people mentioning inserts, but what brand are we talking about? I've used Superfeet in the past but they didn't make an appreciable difference. Is there another kind of inserts I should be looking for?

- Ivy

jjmcgo said:

Standing against a curb, heel on ground and toes about 3-4 inches high, and leaning forward works well too.

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This is a dangerous way to stretch the calves--you can strain your achilles tendon. It is much safer to start with your heels on the ground and your toes either on the ground or on a small lift and lean forward. Frequently done leaning on a wall giving the name "wall pushup" to the stretch.

Doug

poison ivy said:

I see a lot of people mentioning inserts, but what brand are we talking about? I've used Superfeet in the past but they didn't make an appreciable difference. Is there another kind of inserts I should be looking for?

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There are a number of different manufactured inserts (insoles) that you can try. It may take trial and error to see what works for you.

You can also get prescription custom inserts. There are runner's clinics that sell them. You see a podiatrist, and he prescribes them, and a technician makes a custom set. (Or maybe you can get them through your health care provider.)

(There are also non-prescription molded inserts. These are heated and molded to fit your feet. But they have no correction for problems in them.)

My first set was prescription. From those I learned what kind of support I needed and have been able to use selected manufactured insoles ever since.

Doug