Pain in ball of foot

Sb4rly

Hi all, recently swapped from my old sidis to a pair of bonts. Shoes seem to fit fine but after 4hrs on the bike today I got pain in the ball of my foot. Tried loosening shoe but made no real difference. Anyone had a similar issue and how did you solve it? Considering some Specialized footbeds but thought I'd check others experiences first.
Thanks

webboo

Hot foot it’s called usually caused by your shoes being too tight. However there is a more serious condition called Morton’s Neuropathy which is an inflammation of the nerve, which needs a medical opinion or three.

Andymaxy

I had that problem when I switched from a not very stiff pair of shimanos to a very stiff pair of giros, had that problem, but got used to it over about a week or so, pretty much never felt it again.

sungod

try the footbeds

the bont insoles are pretty flimsy and lack a metatarsal bump/button, the specialized bg ones have this (as do a few others), it helps reduce/prevent pressure on the nerves that can lead to pain in this area

Sb4rly

Thanks guys, didn't think the shoes were too tight but I guess you never know. Felt like the cleat bolts were too long. Will have a look at some footbeds.

zefs

1) Let your feet get used to the new shoes
2) Try moving the cleats back a bit

You can mark where the first and fifth metatarsal is on the shoe, the cleats should be placed on the center of the 2 points as starting point or a bit more to the back.

The Specialized BG insoles are great based on people using them, if you get them make sure to buy the ones that fit your feet (blue ones would be for flat/normal arch for example).

sungod

Sb4rly wrote:

Thanks guys, didn't think the shoes were too tight but I guess you never know. Felt like the cleat bolts were too long. Will have a look at some footbeds.

irrespective of footbed, if the ends of the cleat bolts are sticking out above the level of the nuts then they are too long, it's very easy to check

if they're too long either get shorter bolts or grind enough off the ends to stop them protruding

LeeDa

G8 performance footbeds are the best I’ve found as they allow some modifications. Expensive but they last for years. Also check out Steve Hogg arch support articles. Through lots of experimentation I’ve found that once I have sufficient arch support no wedges are needed. If you have a high arch (I do) then you’re applying significant force through the remaining small amount of your sole leading to increased pressure in smaller areas. Spreading that pressure through the arch via a footbed with a slightly invasive arch support resolved this for me.

naavt

You're probably suffering from plantar fasciitis.

Has LeeDa told you, G8 footbeds are the best and will definitely help you with that. Besides using them, open up some time in you schedule to do some plantar fasciitis stretching exercises every day.