Foot Pain on side of foot - quickly fixed

VTech

As this is a topic various people have questioned I thought it better to have a thread dedicated to it instead of replying to various threads with advice.

I have had serious pain on the right side of my foot since cycling, both on the turbo and the road and tried the usual, new shoes, cleat position, cleats, seat position, loosening, or tightening shoes etc etc etc.
All of these didnt do a thing to help, it was always the same and was starting to pi$$ me right off but when I went for a fit at Cadence Sport I told Adrian about this and within 1 minute he diagnosed me as having angled feet (the bottom sole part).
He got me to stand up, then kneel on a bench and viewed my feet angle.
He took away my shoes, came back 5 mins later and said put them on, I did as asked and then started to cycle and INSTANTLY the pain was gone, he then told me what he had done (did this to remove placebo effect).
I needed around 3 wedges on the right cleat and with these the pain is no longer there, I have credited this to me passing the 20km range without pain as before this was around my limit where the pain become so uncomfortable that I wanted to stop yet now, even at 40 or 50km my legs may hurt but my feet dont.

They are not obstructive, in fact you dont even know they are fitted but the difference is night and day.
Im not sure how anyone would self diagnose the need for wedges as I had read countless posts and always the same advice, new shoes, loosen or tighten etc but this is the only thing thats worked for me and Adrian had told me that so many people have the same issue and always blame shoes but so often this isnt the case and with the cost of shoes its not a cheap loss.

Anyway, hope this helps.

goonz

Thanks for this.

Can I pick up these wedges without the bike fit? Or are they specifically made? What do they look like and where do they fit?

VTech

Here, they are the yellow bits beneath the cleat and you can buy them for little money from various places. You could make your own for free with plastic.

imposter2.0

how would you know what size/thickness to make youself, without understanding some of the biomechanical science that comes with it ??

VTech

VTech wrote:

As this is a topic various people have questioned I thought it better to have a thread dedicated to it instead of replying to various threads with advice.

I have had serious pain on the right side of my foot since cycling, both on the turbo and the road and tried the usual, new shoes, cleat position, cleats, seat position, loosening, or tightening shoes etc etc etc.
All of these didnt do a thing to help, it was always the same and was starting to pi$$ me right off but when I went for a fit at Cadence Sport I told Adrian about this and within 1 minute he diagnosed me as having angled feet (the bottom sole part).
He got me to stand up, then kneel on a bench and viewed my feet angle.
He took away my shoes, came back 5 mins later and said put them on, I did as asked and then started to cycle and INSTANTLY the pain was gone, he then told me what he had done (did this to remove placebo effect).
I needed around 3 wedges on the right cleat and with these the pain is no longer there, I have credited this to me passing the 20km range without pain as before this was around my limit where the pain become so uncomfortable that I wanted to stop yet now, even at 40 or 50km my legs may hurt but my feet dont.

They are not obstructive, in fact you dont even know they are fitted but the difference is night and day.
Im not sure how anyone would self diagnose the need for wedges as I had read countless posts and always the same advice, new shoes, loosen or tighten etc but this is the only thing thats worked for me and Adrian had told me that so many people have the same issue and always blame shoes but so often this isnt the case and with the cost of shoes its not a cheap loss.

Anyway, hope this helps.

trooperk

I’m surprised that a few mm shim makes that much different, it works then money well spent,

(did this to remove placebo effect)

By gone for 5 minutes and came back with your shoes and ask you to try them on, you’ll already knew he change something so how is that he remove to placebo effect ?

VTech

He said to try them, I didnt know what was done but the transformation was instant and dramatic.
Im not sure what to say with regards to convincing people as it doesnt effect me either way but it does work and works well.

Legobrickman

By "right side of my foot " do you mean the "Outside"...Away from the crank arm?
Asking because this is where i have the pain. Outside of my right foot about an inch back from the ball and im wondering if this may help?

goonz

So basically those wedges simply shorten the distance between your leg and the pedal?

These do not help with the arch issues right? Are those foot moulded footbeds worth getting for inside the shoe?

VTech

Legobrickman wrote:

By "right side of my foot " do you mean the "Outside"...Away from the crank arm?
Asking because this is where i have the pain. Outside of my right foot about an inch back from the ball and im wondering if this may help?

Yes, exactly as I had.

The wedges are nothing to do with leg length, they are to make the foot flat to the pedal which for people like me is not the natural way as I was pedalling with the right half if my foot which was putting stress in it where if my foot was flat the joint of the foot to the pedal is better if completely clean.

goonz

So basically its worth buying those wedges simply to experiment and see whether it makes any positive difference even if I do not really suffer at all?

VTech

I suppose you could ? It would be feasible to think that many cyclists cycle in discomfort and simply put up with it.

imposter2.0

VTech wrote:

Im not sure how anyone would self diagnose the need for wedges

VTech wrote:

You could make your own for free with plastic.

hmmm

VTech

Imposter wrote:

VTech wrote:

Im not sure how anyone would self diagnose the need for wedges

VTech wrote:

You could make your own for free with plastic.

hmmm

Doesnt being an ar$e ever get tiring for you ?
If you dont like the advice or info I gave why take part ? I know, because your an ar5e, thats why !

I quite clearly stated that I dont know how anyone would self diagnose but I also suggested that they could be made from plastic for free, that was aimed at someone who may well be more skilled in such matters than me.

You are what is horrid about this and probably so many other forums in that you pick at things to either provoke or to annoy which is neither big or clever. I could do the same but why ?
I feel for you man, I really do.

imposter2.0

Thanks for your sympathy. I was just pointing out an inconsistency. I won't embarrass you any further as you clearly can't cope with it.

TOM14S

Nice!
This is something I experience, but i'd realised it was the way I was applying force and foot position so if i feel the outside of my foot going numb I've always found I've been able to easily counter it by consiously thinking to adjust my foot position / how I apply the pressure for a short time and it all becomes comfy again.
Like wise it's only in my right foot which I've always though is strange.
So... My Question...
Pain in the outside of your foot.... Do the wedges tip the shoe outwards or inwards towards the crank arm?

goonz

I appreciate your commets vtech.

Are the wedges suitable for SPD cleats?

VTech

I dont think the type of cleat matters ?

Here is an image I just made, I hope it makes sense

Strith

I have custom insoles which amount to the same thing. So I have wedges in the heal part of my shoe but none at the front. Wedging the entire shoe like this is one of a few different solutions to adjusting the angle of your foot.

I've never suffered foot pain, but I used to suffer from knee pain after longer or more intense rides/races. During my fitting it was discovered that my knees didn't track straight either. All of these problems were solved with some wedges and other small adjustments.

You could try and have a go yourself, but there's nothing like having someone with experience doing this for you.

It's well worth spending the money having a fitting if you're suffering.

goonz

I am considering a fitting although I do not really suffer much pain thankfully. Although I havent had a long ride for about a year now so I cant tell if I will be in pain or not!

sloppyschleckonds

I've just heard from Adrian 'looking at bikes and people on bikes in Pollensa plenty could do with a bike fit'!

sungod

footbeds/wedges/shims/arch support can all be a factor

from experience, self-diagnosis can do a lot but has limits, for me it took a physio with specialist knowledge of cycling issues to finally fix a couple of years of intermittent knee problems

along the way i managed to figure most of the solution out, but i'd never have been able to figure out what the physio did (nor could two very experienced bike fitters, it was the second one who said i was 'complicated' and referred me to the physio)

to experiment, a good option is the specialized bg footbeds, these can help in a few ways...

- the footbeds are good, unlike the pieces of thin tat that can be found even in some high-end road shoes
- there's a metatarsal 'button', on long rides it can eliminate foot pain caused by pressure on nerves
- the arch support is good, three options: red - normal, blue - more, green - lots
- they come with a set of in-shoe varus wedges to adjust foot angle

...there are basic instructions with the footbeds

lef

When it comes to footbeds esoles is all you need to know. spesh footbeds do not compare, in fact after trying blue green and red I would go as far as calling them crap but thats just my experience, they clearly work for some.

Excellent reading on wedging and arch support from the guru himself.

https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bl ... h-support/

https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bl ... 2-wedging/

hopper1

VTech wrote:

I dont think the type of cleat matters ?

Here is an image I just made, I hope it makes sense

Don't think this is correct!
I have the varus wedges, fitted by Adrian, also the custom footbeds. Very happy with it all.
But, the wedges are used to counter the angle and level your foot, not fill the gap, if you see what I mean.
IMHO, those thinking of self diagnosis are potentially heading for more pain. It is an easy fix to those in the know, but if you put a wedge in the wrong way, and exaggerate any injury/pain.
Go see Adrian, it is money well spent

lef

if the illustration is varus then its the right foot whilst looking forward. Crude but looks correct to me. Majority of people are varus, valgus is pretty unusual. if your normal shoes wear on the instep then possibly valgus.

Cleat Eastwood

I use these wedges - theyre angled so you cant really make them yourself - you get 2 in a pack

these are the ones I use - the white shim is about 3mm thick - but you can make that yourself - infact if you go into a shop an dget some of the health lottery cards they make ideal shims.

http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/item/Bikefi ... ok-3mm/S1Z