Foot Pain

[Kevin Rooney]

There was an interesting piece on foot pain on NPR's Morning Edition which you can read/listen to. I found a related story, "Experimental Therapy For Sore Heels Has Skeptics" even more interesting.

 

[erugs]

Interesting and timely for me. I've just had a pair of defective boots replaced by the manufacturer with a different model, same size. They feel too tight. I stopped by EMS in Concord yesterday, as they are known to have a great shoe department staff and had my feet measured. They said I should be wearing an 8-1/2 or 9 and not the 10 I've been wearing for several years. Any thoughts here? Should I get a second opinion? Is that the reason I have trouble with morton neuroma type pain? I asked about black toes if the shoes were too short and he replied that the cause of black toe was too much movement in the boot. Now I'm really confused.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Interesting and timely for me. I've just had a pair of defective boots replaced by the manufacturer with a different model, same size. They feel too tight. I stopped by EMS in Concord yesterday, as they are known to have a great shoe department staff and had my feet measured. They said I should be wearing an 8-1/2 or 9 and not the 10 I've been wearing for several years. Any thoughts here? Should I get a second opinion? Is that the reason I have trouble with morton neuroma type pain? I asked about black toes if the shoes were too short and he replied that the cause of black toe was too much movement in the boot. Now I'm really confused.

Ellen - I have wide feet, and for those of us who do alot of hiking/running/etc - I think our feet have a tendency to get wider as we get older. Or at least mine do. One way to compensate for a too-narrow shoe/boot is to buy one a 1/2 or full size larger.

As for black toes - I think you're both right. In any case, it's caused by your toe banging against the front of the boot.

Kevin

 

[audrey]

The only time my Morton's neuroma stays quiet is when I'm wearing my Keens which I bought a full size bigger than usual. Maybe they run small. Any squishing of my toes, whether from the front or the sides, gives me pain within 2 hours or at best on the downhill when returning. And I haven't had a black toenail since wearing Keens for the last 3 years.

I'm suspicious of dogmatic sales staff...that foot-measuring thingie doesn't tell the whole story.

 

[erugs]

Thanks Kevin and Audrey. Coincidentally, EMS sent out an email about feet and pain. Here's the link: http://www.ems.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=3942291&emssrcid=Email:101810A

P.S. I am a long-time EMS fan, even after the quick dismisal I felt yesterday. I'm heading back to my Manchester store and my friends there for more advice, and armed with tips from my VFTT friends.

 

[SteveHiker]

I stopped by EMS in Concord yesterday, as they are known to have a great shoe department staff and had my feet measured. They said I should be wearing an 8-1/2 or 9 and not the 10 I've been wearing for several years. Any thoughts here? Should I get a second opinion?

Have them measure again.

They told me something similar. I've been wearing size 11 for around 20 years, and he measures my foot and says it's size 9. I protested. So he measures my foot twice this time. Heel to toe is between 9 and 9-1/2. Heal to the ball of my foot is between 11 and 11-1/2. He'd never seen anyone with that great a difference before. He calls over a couple others to measure my feet too. "Everyone come see the freak". In the end, I got size 11s and with superfeet inserts cut to fit it works out. When laced up right and with thick enough socks, my foot barely slides around at all.

 

[Stan]

The size of our feet is fairly constant except for the fact that there may be slow changes over time and our feet have a tendency to swell by the end of a day. Therefore, don't assume your feet are the same size as they were when size whatever was locked in your head several years ago. Also, it is best to try on shoes late in the day and with socks most like those you'll usually be wearing with specific shoes.

The other variable is the actual size of the shoe itself. Between variations in the size and shape of lasts (the form on which shoes are made) and variations in quality, the same size in one shoe or boot does not necessarily equate with another. What I do is try on the most likely size as well as the next size up or down, sometimes both.

I can be a real pain in the butt for some shoe salesmen but most who truly know what they're doing will be patient because they've been properly trained ... and that includes the understanding that proper fitting boots is so important to the long term comfort, safety and foot health of the customer.

Finally, if you do have a foot "problem", I suggest consulting a podiatrist. Their assessment of your foot, sometimes with the aid of xrays or MRI, can be helpful. You may be able to get a "prescription" for some qualities or specifications of the right footwear ... and prescriptions may be tax deductible but I don't think most medical insurance would cover it.

 

[audrey]

I met a couple of thru-hikers this year who said that they both (a man and a woman) had found that their feet had grown by 2 sizes in the 5 months they'd been on the trail.

 

[dug]

Your arches can "collapse" over time. Not as drastic as it sounds, but the arch can become less pronounced and therefore, as it flattens out, you can pick up a half size or so.

Sadly, I've had more than my share of foot issues, from extreme bunion surgery on both feet (they sawed off the bunions and broke my big toes to straighten them) achilles tendonitis, two broken feet (each foot), Morton Neuroma (right foot) and am currently battling plantar fasciitis.

When my hobbies are hiking and soccer, it's the worst possible combination....

 

[DougPaul]

I asked about black toes if the shoes were too short and he replied that the cause of black toe was too much movement in the boot. Now I'm really confused.

Too much movement could include sufficient movement that your foot can slide forward enough to hit your toes on the front of the toe box...

IMO, it doesn't matter why your toes press against the front of the shoe (shoe too short or foot sliding too far forward), the net effect is toe pain and black toenails.

Doug