Dead / hot spots on ball of foot.

nawty

At longer distances (around 60+ miles) the ball of my left foot gets really numb/dead/painful (I know that doesn't make sense but hopefully you know what I mean!) and I'd like to do something about it.

I have Look Carbon Blade pedals and my cleats almost as far back as they can go to avoid calf strain and the cleats/pedals sit directly below the dead spots. It only happens in my left foot (does this mean I'm not putting equal power through each leg?)

I thought it could be due to shoes being too narrow so I bought new, much roomier shoes and it still happens.
I thought it could be due to the pedals so I tried using my MTB shoes / pedals and that too had the same problem
I haven't moved the cleats much as I like them where they are from a not knackering my calves point of view.

Is there anything else I can try, maybe a different pedal system (Speedplay?), insoles or should I try moving the cleats forward? Or, should I just harden up and stop whinging?

Edit: oh to add, I'm a high cadence rider (90+) and have had a good bike fit which is otherwise very comfy.

Having had a read up on t'web it seems I have covered most of the common recommendations so any other off the wall ideas are welcome!

mrbrightside

I'M in the same position as yourself.

Specialised BG insoles have helped but not resolved the issue fully, more move it to my toes. However I was measured by specialised to have a high arch which could lead to bigger issues without support.

My riding partner advised that wedges/shims solved the problem pretty much over night so I will be trying those next, these resolve an issue with the foot pronating.

nawty

My normal shoes are Specialized with inbuilt 'shims' (as all of their BG shoes do) and the new ones are Northwave which have arch support too. I had this checked when I had my biomechanical test at the bike fit and I do need shims/support like 95% of the population.

My understanding was that pronating lead more to knee problems than hotfoot but these things are so finicky it's worth trying anything!

Lookyhere

I have had this with A: too high a tire psi, clinchers and B: it completely goes away if I use carbon tubs, at any psi...within reason, for me, its the stiffness of modern frames and crappy road surfaces, so, 450miles in Mallorca, over 6 days and no numb feet what so ever.
Who says 95% need shims etc? just marketing BS, how an earth did anyone manage to do anything before someone decided we need this or that under our feet? which someone somewhere makes money out of

cswitch

I'm guessing its insufficient arch support. The Spesh footbeds may have helped because the arch support increased slightly thus helping to spread out the forces when applying pressure to the pedals. However all Spesh footbeds offer little arch support regardless of which colour they are. Do you have high arches?

I recommend trying out esoles (there are now similar other brands too...cheaper though no experience of them) that offer a customisable product without moulding. These solved my ongoing footpain / hotspots. They are expensive but if you ride a lot they're worth it...and they last plenty.

Custom footbeds are on option but once they're heat moulded theyre pretty much done as far as any further adjustments (bar some more expensive carbon options). They are also not the best for high arches (as stated by several respected fitters I've spoken to) Esoles (and similar) allow ongoing tweaking and the kits should accommodate the majority of arch types.

cswitch

Lookyhere wrote:

I have had this with A: too high a tire psi, clinchers and B: it completely goes away if I use carbon tubs, at any psi...within reason, for me, its the stiffness of modern frames and crappy road surfaces, so, 450miles in Mallorca, over 6 days and no numb feet what so ever.
Who says 95% need shims etc? just marketing BS, how an earth did anyone manage to do anything before someone decided we need this or that under our feet? which someone somewhere makes money out of

I respect that is your experiences and I don't care for the 95% required marketing stuff. However regardless of marketing crap shims did contribute to comfort. Also felt much more 'planted' on the pedals. Hard to describe really. I should add though this was in-shoe heel wedging which in my experience is more effective than cleat shimming.

marcusjb

3 thoughts:

The cleat positioning could well be the cause. Is the calf strain something you have done outside of cycling? Cleats all the way back may well cause further issues.

You have tried two pairs of shoes - same result? Again this might point to cleat position (and away from shoe fit etc.). What exact shoes were they? Cheaper shoes can cause me issues (my commuting shoes for instance, a fairly cheap shoe, I tend not to do big distance in them, but the odd 100km ride in them and whilst I don&'the suffer from extreme hot foot, they do strain my foot more than a pair of high end sidi shoes (I can sit and pedal for a ride of 1000km plus without issue in my Dragon 2s)).

Arch support can make a difference for sure. I have a high arch and Superfeet blacks have been good for me.

I am not really sure what your calf strain is - whether it is an existing injury or something you are trying to avoid. You may have positioned the cleats to solve one issue and created another with the bad hot foot.

Good luck solving it.

BillyMansell

marcusjb wrote:

The cleat positioning could well be the cause. Is the calf strain something you have done outside of cycling? Cleats all the way back may well cause further issues.

This was my first thought when I read the OP. Having the foot too far back will cause pain in the balls of the foot, having the foot too far forward will cause pain in the arch.

Try to start with the balls of the foot over the axle and then tweak fore and aft to suit. I find insoles with arch support also help spread the load across the foot.

nawty

Thanks for all your thoughts, to answer some questions.

The cleats are right back because I was getting calf pain, putting them back solved this but I can't remember about hotfoot with the cleats forward (I was new to cycling at the time). Also, I'm fairly prone to calf cramp anyway, I run too and my calves are always first to feel tight so I try and avoid this if at all possible, I should probably stretch more...

Exact shoes are:
Specialized Elite: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec043379
Northwave Torpedo S3: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/nort ... prod113216

I chose the Northwave after trying on about 10 pairs of Fizik, Bont and a few others, they are a size up than I'd normally use especially to give me extra room in the front, they also have arch support which I can feel and like. Funnily enough, I got a little bit of hotfoot in my RIGHT foot too in these shoes' first outing in a recent hilly 40 miles.

I guess the thing to do is to try and move my cleats forwards a bit, my only concern is that I have some big hilly rides coming up (Dartmoor Demon and Wiggle Dragon) and changing setup this close could not be the most sensible thing to do. Maybe I'll try some small changes.

nevman

All good advice but it sounds like its a pressure problem.Try to rub some Vaseline on the area before riding and dont have the shoes too tight over the forefoot.Taking the shoes off when you stop for controls/cafe breaks will help as well.

popularname

+1 for cleat position….

mmacavity

Mortons neuroma?

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/09/ ... oma_238366

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/08/ ... ion_234538

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPoFfBr_Mj4

nawty

Hey everyone, thought I'd update.

I moved the cleats forward about 2mm and also turned them slightly to allow for my slightly in-turned heels and it worked a treat around the Dartmoor Demon this weekend.

I still got slight hot spots but they were moved forward a bit such that it didn't really hurt at all (it almost felt like the hotspots were in the space between my feet and toes) - a wiggle of the toes and it went away.

So, thanks for all the advice.