orthotics?

[cvcalhoun]

@peterw_diy 130541 wrote:

Here we are just days before Freezing Saddles begins and I’ve ridden myself to what seems a case of plantar fascitis. I suspect my fun 20-ish mile daily rides set me up and pedaling the cargo bike with both kids onboard finished me off. As I lay here resting my foot and planning to start BAFS with one-legged sleazing I wonder if it’s a good idea to give over the counter orthotics a try. Folks seem to like the SOLE footbeds that REI stocks.

I would appreciate any and all advice!

Thanks,

Peter

I have orthotics in my regular shoes, which I also use for biking. They are either PW Minor or Drew orthopedic shoes, which come with orthotics in them. I typically get them either on clearance or on eBay, since they tend to be rather pricey otherwise.

However, I’m surprised that biking would contribute to plantar fasciitis. When I had plantar fasciitis, I could barely walk at all, but could bike pretty much forever. Plantar fasciitis typically affects the heel, and pedaling is primarily with the front of your foot. Are you sure what you’ve got is plantar fasciitis?

If it is indeed plantar fasciitis, do check out stretching exercises for it. Those can both give immediate relief, and help it to heal.

Strassburg socks at night can also help to keep your calf stretched, and avoid the early morning pain (which tends to be the worst). I found them less cumbersome than braces, and easier to deal with if I had to get up at night. Get two, because if you have plantar fasciitis in one foot, you are virtually certain to develop it in the other before you get better. (Trying to favor the bad foot puts stress on the other one.)

Anyway, hope you heal quickly!

[peterw_diy]

Thanks. I’m not sure it’s plantar. The pain is entirely in my arch, not my heel, and biking is fine, it’s walking that is uncomfortable. But the symptoms match what I’ve read about cycling & plantar on cycling websites.

[cvcalhoun]

@peterw_diy 130549 wrote:

Thanks. I’m not sure it’s plantar. The pain is entirely in my arch, not my heel, and biking is fine, it’s walking that is uncomfortable. But the symptoms match what I’ve read about cycling & plantar on cycling websites.

Well, that does sound like plantar fasciitis. (The pain can be anywhere from the arch on back, but typically not forward of there.) But if biking isn’t hurting, I’d think you should be okay to continue biking. That certainly worked for me. However, take that with a grain of salt, inasmuch as my doctorate was only in law.

I will say that in my case, the pain was bad enough at one point that I was using one of those motorized wheelchairs to get around the grocery store. They always used to look at me funny when I arrived on my bike and requested a wheelchair.

[vvill]

I’d never considered insoles until I had a fit done. I ended up with Specialized ones in my road shoes, although I discovered on my own that what’s comfortable for me is different in one foot vs the other. My other (2-bolt) shoes have Shimano heat moldable inserts that came from a higher end shoe, again customized by me with one arch taller than the other, and I move the inserts across to my other 2-bolt shoes. At least, when I’m not lazy. I did a 2-hr ride last night without doing that and noticed some underfoot pain! Not worth being lazy.

I’d say try the footbeds if you don’t want to try anything more formal (fitting, doctor, etc.).

[trailrunner]

Most cycling shoes have poor arch support. It may not be as important in cycling shoes as it is with shoes that you walk in or run in, but I have insoles in all of my biking shoes (and I have a few pair). I have both Sole and Superfeet insoles, and would rate them both about equal.

I had a bad case of PF last year from running, and filled my running downtime with cycling. Not sure if orthotics or insoles will help in your case, but if your problem is in the arch, it’s plausible. Good luck – PF can be a tough injury to eradicate.

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