Foot pain? Arch pain?

Hi all,

Around mile 65 of the Apple Cider Century, I noticed a pain around the inner side of my foot, near the arch, top of the ankle bone.  At the last rest stop I stopped at, I took my shoes off and walked around.  I didn't (and don't) have any pain walking.  Or standing.  Or doing anything that does not involve pedaling.  And honestly, after that rest stop, the pain was about 1/3 of where it was when it started.  I took two days off the bike after that century (no pain) and went to a spin class last night where I noticed the pain was back - not as bad as it was on the century ride, but still noticeable.

Anyone have any idea what this could be?  I wear Specialized S-Works Road Shoes, so I don't think stiffness is an issue.  I'm a little baffled that this pain is only present when pedaling, when there's little to no impact on the foot.  Maybe it's a tendon thing?  Last night, I thought maybe it was the pull-up of the pedal stroke that was causing it.

I'm going to a chiropractor today and hoping that maybe he can help too, but any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Gopher Biker on October 4, 2012 at 2:02am

What type of cleats are you using? It could be your cleats are not aligned properly or you don't have enough float.

Permalink Reply by Dana on October 4, 2012 at 2:06am

Shimano SPD cleats, yellow.  I thought about that too.  I may need to push them rearward.  They're more aligned to the ball of my foot right now.

Permalink Reply by Gopher Biker on October 4, 2012 at 2:38am

Hmmmm...It doesn't sound like Sciatica (at least not the type I've experienced biking - burning sensation in my toes and feet).

Permalink Reply by Dana on October 4, 2012 at 2:40am

Hmm, no probably not.  I just looked it up and the pain is only present when pedaling.  I haven't tried running on it yet, but walking, sleeping, bending, flexing, etc. doesn't bother it.

Permalink Reply by JeffB on October 4, 2012 at 4:28am

I don't have your exact problem, but I've developed plantar fasciitis in my left foot and have had some relief using the Specialized Footbeds.  I got mine at Kozy's.  You stand on a pressure/heat sensitive mat to deterimine the contour level you need and then follow the instructions in the package to determine if you need to add any of the included shims to adjust your forefoot angle.  They're a little pricey ($50), but they helped me.

Permalink Reply by Dana on October 4, 2012 at 5:06am

I'm wearing 2012 Specialized S-Works shoes now.  I think they already have a BG footbed in the them.  But I think adjusting the insole might definitely help me.  Thanks!

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on October 4, 2012 at 11:42am

I would contact a podiatrist.   I'm a big fan of chiropractic but when it comes to feet I think that a good podiatrist is the way to go.

You DO NOT want to get messed up feet.  Plantar fasciatis is nasty, and you want to avoid that at all costs. Proper footwear, arch support, proper positioning, and enough float with your choice in clipless pedals/cleats are all very important.  

A chiro that specializes in sports/bicycling may be OK, but in your situation I'd go directly to a podiatrist.   A little injury to the feet can take months/year to fix. It's nothing to fool around with.   Been there, done that.  Don't want to do it again. 

Permalink Reply by B. Ren on October 4, 2012 at 5:44pm

It sounds very much like you're getting hot spots.

(http://triablog.naturevalleybicyclefestival.com/tag/cycling-hot-spots/).

Look up hot spots and cycling in any of the road biking forums and you'll find lots of info and tips about what to do about it. It's a very common problem.

The bad news is that the same solutions don't seem to work for everybody, but the good news is that it is beatable. For me, it took a pair of stiff carbon-soled shoes and a pedal with a broader platform (SPD-SL) than what I had been using.

Permalink Reply by S.Presley☠ on October 5, 2012 at 6:48am

A similar pain happened to me on "bike the drive" I think it was because I was wearing the wrong shoes that allowed my foot/ankle to flex too much. The pain went away after a day of two and I haven't experienced it since.

Permalink Reply by Dana on October 5, 2012 at 6:51am

I've started looking for a podiatrist that takes BCBSIL.  And I don't think this particular incident was hot spots, although I've had those before too.  This feels more like a tendon that's been overstretched or something similar.  I did a circuit workout in my living room last night - with walking lunges, and burpees.  My foot was fine after, and it's fine today.  Not sure how it'll perform on the bike tomorrow, but I guess we'll see.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on October 5, 2012 at 7:23am

I have very high arches, WIDE feet, and have always had issues with off-the-shelf shoes.   I've owned a few custom orthodics over the years but the thing that worked wonders for me was a pair of these in my Shimano R077's

Money well spent!

The R077's are fairly wide (although nothing is quite wide enough for my tastes) and the arch support really helps.  I've not had any foot pain even after a Century.  This is using EggBeathers that aren't exactly wide like many other clipless pedals. But they do have a ton of float and are super fast to get in and out of. 

But it is too bad that New Balance doesn't make bike shoes!

Permalink Reply by magomawe on October 5, 2012 at 9:27am

I had a similar pain and had no idea what it was.  I was listening to http://thesprocket.podbean.com/ and someone there mentioned that they had their seat too high and it was causing pain.   Basically the high seat was causing my foot to stretch too far in the downstroke.  I lowered my seat a little and that pain disappeared.  See if that could be your issue. 

I'd also make sure your cleats are aligned since that's caused me pain in the past.  Make sure the cleat is slid in the slot closer to the heal.

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