[at-l] my feets hurt

[Mara Factor]

Hi Amy,
 
On my thruhike in '99, my feet hurt most of the time.  The worst of it (heel pain) was alleviated when I got a pair of Superfeet at Trail Days.  Since my size is a women's 14+ with a 5A ball and 6A heel which doesn't really exist, I end up wearing a men's 13 2A.  For my hard to fit feet, I needed a pair of custom fit insoles.  Most people can use the off-the-shelf version and save some $$$.
 
Since my thruhike, I've reduced my pack weight and gotten out of hiking boots.  I primarily wear New Balance running shoes - either all terrains (800 series) or regular street runners (900 series) - because they fit my feet better than most of the alternatives.  As a result, I now have very little foot pain when I hike.  
 
Of course, there are always exceptions.  This year, I had foot pain on the top of the base of my big toe that I thought was because of an ill-fitting shoe.  I managed quite successfully by loosening the laces near the problem area.  
 
Only after hiking 400 miles when I got home, I realized that the pain was due to pressure on some swelling on the top of the base of my big toe caused by a minor break in a bone under my big toe.  The break never caused me any pain and the podiatrist sees no reason to do anything other than live with it if I can find a way to do so.  If I get to the point where I can't live with it, he can do surgery to reduce the swollen area but he'll leave the break itself alone because the break itself is a non-issue.
 
Since I found out what was wrong, I've switched to a shoe that doesn't have the same pressure point and so far, life is good.
I reiterate the suggestion to make sure your shoes fit right.  Talk to someone who knows how to fit shoes for hikers.  It's different than for in town.
 
Also make sure you're using the right socks for your feet.  Different weaves, different padding, and whether or not you use liners can all affect how your foot feels in your shoe.
 
If you're coming to the Gathering, I'll be giving a talk on Footwear (tentatively scheduled for Saturday morning) and will cover these and other options in more detail.
 
Mara
Stitches, AT99> From: amy at forinash.net> To: AT-L at Backcountry.net> Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:41:37 -0400> Subject: [at-l] my feets hurt> > I've only ever gone out for a month at a time. And by the end of that > time my feet hurt like a mother giving birth. 
 
...
 > Does everybody feel like this? Is there a secret to having feet not > hurt? It's so frustrating when my heart, lungs, and legs all feel > wonderful and my feet hold me back.> > And if there isn't a secret, how do people stand walking for months on > hurty feet?> > -amy (travelling this year as "missus joy")> > _______________________________________________> at-l mailing list> at-l at backcountry.net> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/at-l
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