Foot pain with cleats on one foot - any advice please?

Thebigbee

Hi - as the title really - have been using cleats for about 6 months - great invention - unfortunately I suffer from foot pain sometimes only on the right foot?!

I ensured they were both at the same place on the shoe. It is kind pain in the arch of my foot - any ideas or advice which way I should be moving the cleat or what else I can do to eradicate this pain?

Effieciancy wise great but obviously not so great when you suffer from pain in ya feet!

I suspect I have one leg longer than the other.

Any helpful advice received with thanks.

Cheers

ratsbeyfus

Are your shoes too tight? Especially in winter with thick socks on - tight shoes can cause the problem. Try loosening off the straps on the right shoe a tad next ride. This worked for me, but there seem to be a whole range of reasons for foot pain, so be prepared to try a few remedies. Good luck.

sungod

perhaps you need more arch support, specialized bg footbeds are quite good, the degree of support varies from red - a bit, blue - medium, green - tons, also they've got a shape designed to prevent the bones squishing the nerves in the forefoot, i use the blue ones in both specialized and sidi shoes

Thebigbee

ratsbeyfus wrote:

Are your shoes too tight? Especially in winter with thick socks on - tight shoes can cause the problem. Try loosening off the straps on the right shoe a tad next ride. This worked for me, but there seem to be a whole range of reasons for foot pain, so be prepared to try a few remedies. Good luck.

Thanks for the response but no - the shoes fit me very well. They are Shimano MTB shoes and only bought them because I usually walk around on a road ride at the halfway point and also use them for commuting.

Went the size up as recommended and they fit me great, even after long rides allowing for swelling.

I genuinely think I must be a bit lopsided. Actually I know I am because in the past I have kept certain comfy trainers for years and when it got to saying goodbye to them the sole was always noticeably more worn on the right shoe.

It's quite annoying as I have gone through most of the other "usual suspects" for bike pain - lower back, back, bum, shoulders, wrists etc and think I have got my bikes pretty optimum for my build and size.

Cheers anyway - will keep trying

Thebigbee

sungod wrote:

perhaps you need more arch support, specialized bg footbeds are quite good, the degree of support varies from red - a bit, blue - medium, green - tons, also they've got a shape designed to prevent the bones squishing the nerves in the forefoot, i use the blue ones in both specialized and sidi shoes

Thanks for the advice. It could simply be down to me choosing a jack of all trades shoe simply because of cost and practicality as I use a different bike to commute with.

Then again, I have dual pedals on my commute and happens on that. Pedals are brand new on that and shoes are about 6 months old.

I am sure I must be doing something fundamentally wrong or there is probably a simple fix - it's probably one of those things that once it gets pointed out embarrasses you as to how simple it is. E.G. - pumping up Presta valves after coming from only ever having used Shraders. And learning that it was as simple as actually letting the first bit of air out! - DOH!

I'm used to that!

This is a beginners thread after all

Cheers

EarlyGo

Tbb,

I agree with sungod. I suspect that you need BG insoles that will support the arch of your foot better. You can self-refer yourself directly to your local NHS physio and they'll instantly tell you if you are over or under 'pronated'. This will help you get the appropriate insole straight away without having to waste cash on several pairs. Gotta be worth a go?

Regards,

EarlyGo

Thebigbee

EarlyGo wrote:

Tbb,

I agree with sungod. I suspect that you need BG insoles that will support the arch of your foot better. You can self-refer yourself directly to your local NHS physio and they'll instantly tell you if you are over or under 'pronated'. This will help you get the appropriate insole straight away without having to waste cash on several pairs. Gotta be worth a go?

Regards,

EarlyGo

Really helpful, cheers! I haven't a clue what Tbb means nor how to "self refer". Do you just get your NHS no and try finding a psyhio?

Great advice though. I know I must have some kind of irregular gait evidenced by my realisation that my "trainers get knackered on one side" more than the other. Not that medical though!

Cheers

EarlyGo

Tbb = Thebigbee!!!

In our area you can just ring up your local NHS physio and make an appointment. It's called self-refering because you don't need a GP to refer you to the physio, you just by-pass the GP.

Cheers, EarlyGo

Thebigbee

EarlyGo wrote:

Tbb = Thebigbee!!!

In our area you can just ring up your local NHS physio and make an appointment. It's called self-refering because you don't need a GP to refer you to the physio, you just by-pass the GP.

Cheers, EarlyGo

Makes sense - Tbb!

Am not too au fait with all the internet etiquette and and abbreviations. Will be now!

Thanks for your advice. Will go for it on Monday.

Don't know what to expect, if I even get an appointment, but would be good to get an educated diagnoses.

Cheers

wishitwasallflat

I genuinely think I must be a bit lopsided. Actually I know I am because in the past I have kept certain comfy trainers for years and when it got to saying goodbye to them the sole was always noticeably more worn on the right shoe.

If it is the whole sole of one foot worn more than the other it could well be leg length discrepancy - that is very common - and a shim can be used to correct that. If it's only part of the sole - outside or inside edge for example - that suggest more likely an over pronation or supination problem which would be corrected with orthotics (arch supports and bg footbed wedges are orthotics). Or it could be both. There is also a condition to called plantar fasciitis - most common under the heel but can extend along the arch. All options are eminentely treatable and any good physio with a decent background in biomechanics and gait analysis (which all should have) should be able to id your problem and correct it.

xpc316e

My right shoes always wore out faster than the left for many years, but the cause was driving an automatic car for a large annual mileage. Now that I drive fewer miles in a manual, my shoes wear out evenly. The moral of this tale is to not jump to conclusions.

lef

arches in the bg footbeds are pretty soft and not that high (even the highest version) so IMO not that great but definitely better than a flat insole. They did nothing for me though. I have high arches so maybe that was why. esoles are great but expensive and you may not want to drop £60 on an insole.
Some other things that could be causing the pain...

- lack of cleat wedging - valgus / varus. Lots on the internet about cleat wedges if you do a search
- foot stance, is it wide enough on the bike
- toe out, toe in. This should reflect to some degree how you stand / walk.
- overuse, if you're not used to long miles, or hard efforts it could be you're just putting unusually high stresses through your feet which your body hasn't adjusted to. I remember when I first started cycling I had arch pain for a while it did ease after a while but then started getting outer foot pain.
- turning too big a gear. You could look at increasing cadence.

andrewjoseph

I was having a lot a pain along the outside of my left foot when I started on a road bike, never had it previously during years of mtb'ing. Tried lots of things, different footbeds (the spesh bg ones for dropped arches are the best for me).

However, the biggest single thing that improved (and still improves for me), is a faster cadence. I realised that i was using too big a gear and really pressing down hard on the pedals.

the reason this didn't happen previously on the mtb was the gearing, and the fact that i'd never tried grinding up hills. On the road bike with longer climbs and harder gears, trying to climb faster in a bigger gear caused me to think I had broken my foot.

I know that this is the solution for me, because if my cadence drops below 50 and I push hard, the pain comes back, over 60 and I never get it.

So give it a try, it may not be the solution for you but it's free to try.

As others have said, most people don't have symmetrical feet, my cleats are in different places and different angles on both shoes.

jonny_trousers

I'm suffering a similar problem to the OP.

Having come from commuting very comfortably using SPDs and basic Specialized recessed cleat shoes (Tahos I think) for a couple of years, I wanted to build up my road bike riding and as I tended to suffer hot spots from the SPDs over longer periods in the saddle, I thought it might be time to go road specific. I bought a pair of Specialized BG Road Experts, which seemed to fit me beautifully, but after about twenty minutes on the bike I would suffer a dull ache on the outside of my right foot just below the ball. It was a kind of cramp - the sensation you get when you are holding a heavy weight in one position for a length of time - the kind that is not relieved until you relax the strain (or in my foot's case, until I unclip and allow it some movement). I messed around with every cleat position imaginable with no noticable difference before deciding I would just try to flog the shoes and go back to something SPD based.

I was then in the Specialized store looking at something un-shoe-related when I thought I would mention my problem to the assistant who promptly checked my feet on that heat thingy of theirs. He was very excited to see that I had arches badly in need of support and flogged me a pair of the green footbeds with the assurance that my pain would be no more. I then ended up selling the bike I had back then with the Look pedals on it so never got to try out the footbeds until today where I discovered... that the pain/cramping is even worse than it was before. Just before my ride ended, I did loosen the right shoe and that did seem to relieve some of the discomfort, but it did give me a fair amount of up and down movement within the shoe. I'm not convinced by the massive longitudinal arch either. I don't feel like my arch is supported; I just feel like my foot is being pushed into a position it's not normally in.

I'm a bit stumped as to what to do, to be honest. I could pay for some custom footbeds, but it's a £90 gamble that might not pay off. Part of me wonders if the very stiff nature of carbon soles means that the muscles/tendons in your foot don't get chance to relax by regularly altering their position, which is fine provided they are not over strained to begin with, but if they are...

I'm going out for a decent ride in a couple of hour's time and I will experiment with loosening the grip and maybe even trying no footbeds whatsoever, and will report back if I find anything. Failing that I'll go have a chat with Specialized and see what they come up with.

giropaul

Some people don't get on with carbon soles - I'm one. There are quite a few pros and ex-pros who have found the same ; I'm told that Ullrich was one.

My advice would be to go to a well-recommended bike fit expert who has the knowledge to produce footbeds and set cleat positions. I would recommend that you check the feedback for the bike fit expert on here first, people's experience varies. Good advice will save you a fortune in the long term.

jonny_trousers

giropaul wrote:

My advice would be to go to a well-recommended bike fit expert who has the knowledge to produce footbeds and set cleat positions. I would recommend that you check the feedback for the bike fit expert on here first, people's experience varies. Good advice will save you a fortune in the long term.

Sounds like good advice to me and no doubt worth every penny. Just out of interest, what quality shoes are available without carbon soles?

Anyway, I did my 4 laps of Regent's Park outer circle, 2 with no footbeds at all and 2 with the green Specialized ones and all were fine. I discovered pretty early on that I was tensing my toes (the foot equivelant of balling a fist) for some ridiculous reason, which was perhaps causing the cramping. It did feel pretty weird with the footbeds in, but perhaps I will give them some time while I save up for a custom pair.

Maybe people like me and the OP need to concentrate on keeping our feet relaxed.

noisemonkey

I had the same problem as well, really excrutiating pain in my right foot. I adjusted the cleat position so it was further forwarded on the shoe which sorted it.

essjaydee

I have just gone from using DHB MT1 shoes and SPD's to Shimano R077 shoes and Look Keo pedals and cleats. Been out on several short rides to check cleat positioning and get used to the shoes, and all fine. Been on a slightly longer 45 miler last weekend, and again all was good. The Shimano's have loads of room for my toes, more than the DHB's which feel a bit tight on the toes now (using them on my commuter).

However, today did a 75 mile sportive and after 50 miles started to get a pain in my right foot on the toes, which got worse and worse! Stopped and loosened the shoe, but pain returned quite quickly again. Had to stop and take the right shoe off, do some toes wriggling, before refitting, but still got painful again!

noisemonkey wrote:

I had the same problem as well, really excrutiating pain in my right foot. I adjusted the cleat position so it was further forwarded on the shoe which sorted it.

Will give this a try, thanks.

jonny_trousers

Just a quick follow up. I kept the SPD SLs on for the commute today, as I wanted to practice the kick-flip-click thing a bit more, and again, after about 20 minutes the cramping began. This time I just quickly loosened my little dial thing a touch and immediately things began to relax. Hopefully that's it sorted.

essjaydee

After a bit of internet researching on causes of this, I moved the cleats as far back as possible.
Been out and done 72 miles today and although I didn't suffer any pain, my right toes still started to go numb and felt uncomfortable :!:
Next up will try the cleats fully forward
If that doesn't solve it, I'll swap my pedals back to the SPD's and try the DHB shoes over a similar distance.
I'm thinking it's probably the shoes