Pain in the ball of my foot

[mstone]

May need stiffer shoes

[dkel]

Having gone through three different bikes in the last year, I would say that changes in geometry and ride characteristics can be telling in the old bones (and muscles, and joints, etc.), and the signs are not always immediate. Both times I got new bikes, it took a few months to really get settled in, and for me, going from a hybrid to a cyclocross frame has made the biggest difference, and been the most gradual process of getting used to. Also, being comfortable at one distance doesn’t mean being comfortable at the next (longer) distance. Meds can help, obviously, but one thing I’ve learned from folks here is that it’s important to listen to what your body is telling you, and go cautiously and gradually to adapt; meds can actually increase the risk of injury if you’re not cautious. I’m nowhere near being a physician, but it sounds to me like what you are going through is more like growing pains than the kind of injury that is telling you to quit doing what you’re doing altogether. Also, rule five is awesome and all, but rest days (or even rest rides) really are your friend.

[dkel]

@mstone 94941 wrote:

May need stiffer shoes

Or (to completely negate my last, very thoughtful post) lighter kids.

[jnva]

Sounds like plantar fasciitis.

[jrenaut]

Thanks, all. I’m hoping it’s just overuse, since that’s probably the easiest to fix (I’ve had these shoes ever since I started with clipless so I don’t think they’re the problem). I’ve had a cold this week and because of my pump problems detailed in another thread, the tires have been underinflated. So I didn’t do more miles than last week, they were just a lot harder.

I’m taking today off riding, and likely tomorrow, and we’ll see how it goes. My sister is a physical therapist and is coming to visit tomorrow, so I’ll see what she thinks.

[PotomacCyclist]

All sorts of things can go wrong when you add too much intensity/workload too fast. Adding 100 lbs. is a big increase in intensity. You would be turning an otherwise easy ride into a fairly tough ride. If you’re doing this 7 days a week, you are now doing 7 potentially hard rides a week (depending on effort level and so on). That would be far too much.

+1 on rest days or easy days. Manage intensity and ride volume (a combination of frequency, duration and total workload) carefully, especially when you introduce big changes, such as an extra 100 lbs. When something does go wrong, focus on taking care of the problem now, instead of letting it linger on. You don’t want a minor issue to become a long-term, chronic moderate to severe issue. If and when that happens, you could be forced to take a long involuntary break, or you could be facing long-term pain. If it is plantar fasciitis or tendinosis, keep in mind that some cyclists (and runners) have to deal with the issue for years. Once things get fouled up, it’s much more difficult to deal with than if you fix the problems completely at the beginning.

[TwoWheelsDC]

FWIW, it actually does NOT sound like plantar fasciitis to me…PF-related pain typically manifests itself in the heel and rear part of the arch , and the pain goes away a few minutes after you stand up and get moving, but comes back after you sit for a while. I had a pretty good case of it before I lost a bunch of weight (I think obesity is the primary cause for most PF cases among “normal” people), but it hasn’t come back since I started cycling, even with many various changes in routine/intensity.

[mstone]

@jrenaut 94949 wrote:

Thanks, all. I’m hoping it’s just overuse, since that’s probably the easiest to fix (I’ve had these shoes ever since I started with clipless so I don’t think they’re the problem).

Everyone’s different, and YMMV, but here’s my experience: I’ve had one pair of shoes for several years, since I started with SPDs. They’re the MTB type that’s stealthy enough to pass as a pair of sneakers, and easy to walk around in with the relatively flexible rubber sole. I did notice some discomfort in my foot on longer (60+ mile) rides, which makes sense when you think about it–all the force transmitted through the pedals is focused on a point less than one inch square. I got a pair of roady-style shoes with a carbon plate which has zero flex. Now the pedal force is distributed over 5 or 10 times as much area, and the sore foot issue on long rides is gone. I still wear the sneaker-style shoes on shorter rides, when I don’t want to go full-MAMIL, or know I’m going to be off the bike a lot and don’t want to walk like a duck. Like commuting, or when I’m out with the family–and here’s the thing: 10 or 20 miles towing a kid is like a metric in terms of wear and tear on the feet, IMO. There’s just so much mass that you need to get moving every time you stop. The other possibility is to switch to road-style cleats if you’re using something like SPDs, as they’re bigger and spread the force out more. (But then going stealth isn’t an option. ) Or, down-shift even more to reduce the pedal force, but it’s so tempting to mash the heck out of the pedals to get going when you’re carting around another human.

[jrenaut]

Mstone, that sounds about like me, though I’ve never had this kind of pain on long rides. My toes hurt after my two centuries (though not nearly as much after the second when I was making a better effort to wiggle them regularly (Thanks Dirt)), but never the ball of my foot.

And the pain goes up and down – it was definitely worse when I first woke up and has gotten better over the day (we took the bus instead of the cargo bike when we went out this morning).

As for increased intensity – it’s fewer miles with the kids than I was doing in July for camp (And fewer hills), but because of traveling for vacation and no camp, I almost didn’t ride the cargo bike at all in August. So it’s an increase from last month, but a decrease from the prior month when I had no issues.

I’m going to stay off the bike today and tomorrow and see where I am. If it’s overdoing it then I’d expect it to feel a lot better after two days off. If it still feels like this I’ll probably go to the doctor.

[KWL]

@jrenaut 94958 wrote:

If it’s overdoing it then I’d expect it to feel a lot better after two days off. If it still feels like this I’ll probably go to the doctor.

Good decision. If it persists, possibilities to consider are Morton’s Neuroma and peripheral neuropathy. For me, it was the latter. I’ve been dealing with this kind of pain for 5 years now. Stretching helps.

[jrenaut]

You know, I’m really not excited by the fact that the pain in my foot may have a fancy name.

It’s currently feeling better but not great. This is a crummy week to find time to go to the doctor, too.

[jrenaut]

@KWL 94961 wrote:

Good decision. If it persists, possibilities to consider are Morton’s Neuroma and peripheral neuropathy. For me, it was the latter. I’ve been dealing with this kind of pain for 5 years now. Stretching helps.

Talked to my sister today and that was her first thought, too. She suggested making sure the muscles around that bunch of nerves were stretched, which she helped me do, and my foot feels much better. Hopefully keeping it stretched will keep it all under control.

[dasgeh]

Other things to try: sleeping with feet elevated and/or compression socks; stretching (or getting a foot massage, if you have a supportive spouse) before bed; modifying your route to prioritize flat over short; gear down, gear down, gear down (I know someone else suggested it, but as someone who rides both kidical and non-, I often forget to gear down enough when stopping with kids on the bike).

[jrenaut]

Making sure my feet are stretched is so far taking care of it for me. I may reassess my shoes in the near future. I have really, really narrow, flat feet, and it’s really tough to get shoes that really fit me well. But since the shoes I have now are my first bike shoes, when it’s time to replace them I’ll have a better idea of what I want and will be better equipped to get the perfect pair, if such a thing exists.

[jrenaut]

Just wanted to put in a plug for the PT place where my sister works – Doyle and Taylor (though either work is blocking them or their website is down). They’re in Annapolis, so that’s a hike for many of you, but I can’t believe how the pain in my foot just went away. I was scared that this was something that I’d be dealing with for a while, or would keep me off the bike, but the pain is completely gone. And my sister, ever self-deprecating, even claims that she’s no good with feet.

Anyway, if you have pain and you can’t make it go away with bike adjustments, try a physical therapist. Sometimes a few stretches are all you need.

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