Foot Pain

[Bill_Simpkins]

My big toes and top of my feet hurt after running for a while, and a little while walking the next day.

Could it be my shoes? I'm about 15 pounds overweight at 210 lbs right now, could the added stress be causing the pain? My big toe is pointed inward a little from rock shoes, could that be it?

I've been running for years but have taken the last three months off because of a tailbone injury and a video game that has taken over my life. I can easily knock out 15 miles when in shape, but hurt after 2 miles now. Could it be old age? HELP! I need to run again!

[DPS]

It could be old age, how old are your shoes?

[Trundle]

Fun site, not too in-depth, but I've found it useful for self-diagnosis on stuff like this.

 

Sports Injury Tool

[Jim]

Possibilities:

 

old shoes & weight

overuse injury from trying to go your old mileage too soon

metatarsal irritation cause from above or from getting old.

 

It was quite revealing to see how much my bones in my feet have spread out over 30 years of running, and that was noticable while I was in HS.

 

There are some ways to tape or put padding under your toes to change the foot pressure. But the book I use is out of print Runners First Aid. Also as you get older and your feet change folks sometimes need orthotics to help imbalances.

 

Go the cheap route first. Ice, Vitamin I, don't run every day, newer shoes, and very gradually increase milage.

[Bill_Simpkins]

Thanks for your input and that website!

I'm 30 years old and run and hike a lot.

It appears to be my shoes and overtraining.

My shoes are Nike Scramblers. They have a thin sole (width-wise) and probably allow my feet to rotate more than usual when I run. This may be leading to the knee pain I have in the same side. Also, the laces have a slight almost un-noticeable pressure point on top of the foot.

I never had problems with my old $20 pair of New Balance, which I wore for 2 years! They were hard as a rock, but NEVER had any foot, knee problems. Just proves that fit is almost everything. I guess I never thought it was the shoes because they "feel" comfortable and squishy.

[Jim]

Though a bit pricey compared to the on-line places, I'd suggest going to Jock and Jill on Green Lake. The place is run by, well, runners. They can watch you run to determine your gait - pronate, supernate, neutral - if you don't already know, and can make suggestions for shoes.

[Stefan]

I know this sounds a little off, but try bicycling for straight for about 4 hours on a road.

 

This way you could see if it is the pounding on your joints. It could be a slight tendon/ligament tear versus miniscus.

[K_Y_L_E]

Yeah, my guess is that your muscles and tendons are pissed off at you because you are running again. Although not likely, other things to concider would be stress reactions of the long bones in your foot. But I would suspect that more if you ran 10 miles a day for the past year. I don't think you tore anything, and I would highly doubt any meniscal damage since.... well.... thats you knee and it is your foot that hurts. I would back off the running a bit. Try some biking or elliptical running for a while. Use ice and advil to control pain and inflamation. Definitely check out your shoes. But remember, if you get new ones don't just start running 15k a day on them. You have to break them in. Also make sure you are stretching several times a day, especially your lower extremities.

Good luck.

K

[Bill_Simpkins]

Thanks for all the info!

I'm getting on my bike tonight.

[Bill_Simpkins]

Went for a very long walk with some joggin here and there last night and did great. I think I'll do that for while and then try running again.

My goal right now is consistant long periods of daily exercise, not really speed, so this will work out ok I think.

I also tied my shoes looser and had no pain.

I also discovered that I take slighlty longer strides with my right leg. I don't know why I developed this bad habit, but it felt better when I consiously made the strides more even.

Thanks for your help!

[glassgowkiss]

like we talked about. proper footbeds, and muscle balancing.

[Bill_Simpkins]

 

My running shoes kind of forced my knee to roll more than normal. My toes point inward a bit which causes rolling, but these shoes just made it worse.

I started wearing a wider shoe to work. That has been helping a bit.

Bob, is ultimatly right about this, that is the root cause.

[Chad_A]

My running shoes kind of forced my knee to roll more than normal. My toes point inward a bit which causes rolling, but these shoes just made it worse.

I started wearing a wider shoe to work. That has been helping a bit.

Bob, is ultimatly right about this, that is the root cause.

Footbeds would probably help, for sure. Might want to visit a podiatrist if the pain persists. Orthotics really helped me out.

 

Also, might help to just start over with a new set of shoes. (I think that, on average, a set of running shoes are only good for 300 miles.) Like someone else mentioned, check out a store with trained personnel who can put you in a pair of shoes, have you run in them, and be able to tell if they fit your stride (pronation vs. supination, and the like).

[Duchess]

These are all symptoms of bunions - big toe pointing inward, pain in big toe, pain on top of foot...

 

My b-f has had serious problems with bunions, and they are truly debilitating. You should see a podiatrist, and one specially trained in sports medicine, too. Toss any shoes that cause those symptoms...

[Bill_Simpkins]

I've been thinking about that, thanks.

Rock shoes can cause this too.