[pct-l] Insole-nt Question

[GottaWalk]

Hi Michael,

My story is similar to yours in that my feet hurt on the tops (probably referred pain or muscular imbalance). Podiatrists suggest inserts, shoes with more control, padding, etc. I did all that and still had pain. After reading Born to Run I am convinced that my shoes need to without all the extra padding, controls, stabilization, etc.

Then I found Nike Free, but my foot shape is not the same as Nike lasts. (Straight vs curved). New Balance came out with minimus. I wear them without socks so there is very little between my feet and rocks. For a while I picked my way along the trail carefully. Then I started training on gravel fire roads. If I hit a rough patch the ball of my foot got tender so I put duct tape on my foot. I also tried a small piece of plastic like a credit card for a short term. Either the trails have smoothed out over the past year or my feet have adapted, I don't seem to feel the rocks like I used to.

I also tried a thin piece of clear plastic cut from a produce clam shell but that seemed to create friction and heat. 

So the short answer, for my feet, is tape when and where My feet feel the rocks. If you go with tape as a solution maybe someone on this list can suggest a better tape than duct tape.

Do you wear cushioned socks?

Marcia







On Feb 6, 2014, at 1:03 PM, Michael Slusser <michael.slusser at gmail.com> wrote:

Here's the short version of my story (no, really):

About a decade ago, I started having trouble with heel, toe, and knee pain
and swelling (plantar fasciitis, metatarsalgia kinds of issues)--not
constant, but too often. I tried out Superfeet and had a good results with
only occasional bouts of trouble, maybe once a month. As I started prepping
for the thru-hike this year, the incidents started to worry me more, so I
tried out half a dozen orthotics. A trip to the orthopedist later, I still
hadn't found a great solution. I've had Montrails, Solomons, New Balance,
and Brooks, all of which performed about the same.

In frustration, one day I took out all the trappings and walked around in
shoes with no insole at all.

That was four months ago, and since I haven't had a single issue. I'm
afraid to be hopeful that this is a solution, but I'm willing to try it out.

The only concern is that, without an insole, I feel a lot of the rocks and
other detritus on the path. So the question is, does anyone have a good
suggestion for some sort of very, very thin padding to take the place of
the missing insoles?

Muchas gracias,

Professor Errant

-- 
*Quid sum? Nil. Quis sum? Nullus. Sed gratia Christi, quod sum, quod vivo,
quodque laboro, facit.*
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