Hot foot

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
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mjr
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Re: Hot foot

Post by mjr »

pwa wrote:If I understand you correctly you are saying that hot foot is caused by having one small part of the foot taking the pressure without relief.

Not just taking it, but repeatedly in a very similar way, however many thousands of times it does to pedal the distances we do. At least, that's how I've understood descriptions like this, which was posted earlier:
http://www.active.com/cycling/articles/causes-and-prevention-of-hot-foot-in-cyclists wrote:"Hot foot": a condition affecting one or both feet, otherwise known as Metatarsalgia, where the nerves and joint tissues close to the ball of your foot are repeatedly squeezed and aggravated by the long metatarsal bones which run down through the feet to the toes, leading to a burning sensation in the base of the foot.
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Tigerbiten
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Re: Hot foot

Post by Tigerbiten »

I wear sandals when I ride so my feet aren't constricted but I also suffer from hot foot once the weather gets hot enough, around 30C.
My thinking is the constant pressure on the ball of your foot slows the blood flow through it by a little.
This lets the heat build up in it a little, once the heat has built up enough it causes pain.
Once you let the heat dissipate by relieving the pressure and improving the blood flow then the pain goes away.

I think it's the opposite effect to cold feet on a recumbent.
The recumbent position lowers the blood pressure in your feet.
This lower blood pressure slows the blood flow in your feet and in cold weather they get cold faster.
Once you unclip and put your feet down, blood flow improves and your feet warm up.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Hot foot

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
pwa wrote:
mjr wrote:
pwa wrote:
We are all guessing based on our personal experiences. My carbon soled shoes (I have others) are so stiff in the pedal contact area that effectively the sole acts like a wide pedal. My feet are pressing down on a wide surface with no pressure point at the cleat. It's a bit like having clogs on.

Exactly - what I'm trying to get at is that the pressure distribution on your foot inside the carbon clog remains identical and moving it doesn't change it enough (unlike on a wide - but not whole-foot solid - pedal) so you can't vary it over time and get any relief.


If I understand you correctly you are saying that hot foot is caused by having one small part of the foot taking the pressure without relief. If that is true, and I think it may be, I'd see that more as an issue to do with overly restrictive shoes, done up in a way that stops the foot moving around in them a little. I certainly think that was behind knee problems I had some years ago.


Its my belief that any restriction that hampers a natural deforming of the arch / whole of foot along with natural ankling will cause knee pain / discomfort.
If you have worn ice skates or full mountain boots, you get can get numbness in the sole of foot, this might be part of the foot not flexing partly but wanting too.
Also any exercise that does not allow natural deformation of the foot, restricts the blood flow through foot due to the large veins in feet not compressing and pumping blood back up leg.

Unlike walking and running where the mind expects the force to roll from heel to toes, cycling is foreign as force always goes through the ball of foot.
Feedback to the brain of what the foot should feel is muffled and distorted.

Its true that some cycling shoes are not ergonomic, not enough work on design is being done here I.M.O.
On top of that, doing this exercise daily (eccentric heel rolls) will help with natural ankling which is always needed in leg exercise in keeping the calf muscles subtle, especially if you are over 50.
https://runnersconnect.net/achilles-ten ... n-runners/
This site deals with Achilles tendentious , but the exercise maintains subtle calves.

Exercise 1 - Straight Knee Eccentric Heel Drop.
Fifteen reps then wait five minutes before doing other foot.
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cyclop
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Re: Hot foot

Post by cyclop »

Had this on the Richmond sportive,warm day,lots of climbing.My remedy is to put the feet in a stream,works most times.
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Re: Hot foot

Post by pwa »

cyclop wrote:Had this on the Richmond sportive,warm day,lots of climbing.My remedy is to put the feet in a stream,works most times.


Do you dunk your hair in too, like I do?
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Hot foot

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
pwa wrote:
cyclop wrote:Had this on the Richmond sportive,warm day,lots of climbing.My remedy is to put the feet in a stream,works most times.


Do you dunk your hair in too, like I do?

Did that once, never again, gave me a headache for two hours :(

Went through a phase last year of over heating feet (may feet are always warm anyway but feel the cold more now I am nearly sixty) had to put my feet out of the quilt overwise I could not sleep, seems better now.
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NUKe
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Re: Hot foot

Post by NUKe »

I am reinvigorating this topic again after a weekend of Foot purgatory,, when I rode a 300K Audax. It is new shoe time. My feet were hurting from a about 70k and I then spent most of the rest of the ride wetting my feet to cool them down
Looking for other people’s thoughts on how they have cured hot foot. A bike fit specialist might help if they can understand recumbent riding and shoes. I get similar problems on standard bikes as well.
I have tried different insoles without much success including the Specialized ones that I was measured for.
My thoughts are at the moment.
1 go to road shoes ( I would prefer not to )
2 better foot beds definitely need a specialist.
3 Should I just see a Podiatrist and check for other abnormalities.

Has anybody resolved the problem and how.
NUKe
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mattheus
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Re: Hot foot

Post by mattheus »

NUKe wrote:I am reinvigorating this topic again after a weekend of Foot purgatory,, when I rode a 300K Audax. It is new shoe time. My feet were hurting from a about 70k and I then spent most of the rest of the ride wetting my feet to cool them down
Looking for other people’s thoughts on how they have cured hot foot. A bike fit specialist might help if they can understand recumbent riding and shoes. I get similar problems on standard bikes as well.
I have tried different insoles without much success including the Specialized ones that I was measured for.
My thoughts are at the moment.
1 go to road shoes ( I would prefer not to )
2 better foot beds definitely need a specialist.
3 Should I just see a Podiatrist and check for other abnormalities.

Has anybody resolved the problem and how.

YES! well - mostly anyway - I certainly don't dread 600k+ rides in hot weather any more!

Say NO to road shoes. This "size of platform" myth is nonsense. I tried SPD-SL on one foot, my crappy old shoes+SPD on the other - hot-foot started a little earlier with the ROAD SHOES!

SPD shoes can be really stiff - this gives as much support as wider cleats. My podiatrist said that ladder-workers get the same pain as cyclists - ladder steps are a lot wider than all pedal systems :)

Looser/wider shoes - esp ball area - helped a lot.
Moving cleats back helped a lot. Stiffer in-soles helped.

Stopping and massaging your foot makes it go away, but is an annoying time-suck (rolling over glass bottle or cricket ball is ideal).

Matty
p.s. do not bother with "ROAD" pedals!!! :P
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NUKe
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Re: Hot foot

Post by NUKe »

[
mattheus wrote:YES! well - mostly anyway - I certainly don't dread 600k+ rides in hot weather any more!
Say NO to road shoes. This "size of platform" myth is nonsense. I tried SPD-SL on one foot, my crappy old shoes+SPD on the other - hot-foot started a little earlier with the ROAD SHOES!
SPD shoes can be really stiff - this gives as much support as wider cleats. My podiatrist said that ladder-workers get the same pain as cyclists - ladder steps are a lot wider than all pedal systems :)

OK thanks that make sense
Looser/wider shoes - esp ball area - helped a lot.

Which shoes do you use?
Moving cleats back helped a lot. Stiffer in-soles helped.

I think I am back as far as I can go
Stopping and massaging your foot makes it go away, but is an annoying time-suck (rolling over glass bottle or cricket ball is ideal).

Good tip
Matty
p.s. do not bother with "ROAD" pedals!!! :P

Do you do any excerises in between rides such as the rolling over the ball ?
NUKe
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Tigerbiten
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Re: Hot foot

Post by Tigerbiten »

For me it's definitely temperature related.
I use SPD sandals so there's no width restriction across the balls of my feet.
But once the temperature goes over a critical point then I can suffer from hot foot, a burning feeling across the balls of my feet.
It also tends to only happens when I'm hill climbing, so maximum pressure and minimum air cooling.
The only thing I can do is stop, get off for a min or so and walk around to help the blood flow in my feet.

Luck ............. :D
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NUKe
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Re: Hot foot

Post by NUKe »

I have a pair of Shimano Spd, which I do use, but I too get it with those .
Have found this .
https://naturalfootgear.com/blogs/educa ... oe-surgery
Interesting.
I am going to keep adding to this anyone tried crank brothers dh pedals , they seem to be reported as being good for hot foot.

Next think to try for me is toe socks as theses separate the toes slightly. Bought a couple of pairs from the barefoot shop.
NUKe
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NUKe
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Re: Hot foot

Post by NUKe »

I have bought new Shoes and new pedals. Basically starting again
Pedals are the crank brothers Mallet DH to give a firmer platform. They also have a slightly longer spindle which helps

Shoes are Shimano ME3 which are a wide foot. Feels better instantly, my old shoes had seen better days, and may or may not have been slightly too narrow.
Still dialling in but So far both feet are better, still a slight tingling in the toes of the left foot, which is the precursor for me to notice that I have Varus gait , So I am going to add wedges to the cleat.
NUKe
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gaz
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Re: Hot foot

Post by gaz »

Reviving a thread just to add some recent experiences.

Very bad case of hot foot kicked in about 40 miles into a 65mile ride a couple of weeks back. Already on the way home I continued, dropping my pace and taking breaks along the way.

Did a bit of googling and tried a few changes:-

Loosened lacing around the toe box. Changed insoles from some plain flat Shimano to something contoured from Specialized. Wore hiking socks (my winter norm) rather than cycling ankle socks (my summer norm). Next 75-80 miler was much better.

With hindsight changing three things at once was the wrong way to research the issue.

At a glance I was happy with the wear on my shoes. I was aware the cleats were skating on the ground when walking. One foot would also release very easily. Closer inspection revealed a cracked sole plate on one shoe, cleat wear that is perhaps more advanced than I'd anticipated and soles that are no longer offering support on the pedal platforms on both, all the pressure is coming through the cleat.

I'm used to riding shoes to destruction rather than simply the point where they are worn out. Since I seem to be shifting from lots of short and a few medium rides to a few short rides, lots of medium rides and a few long ones I need to review that strategy.

New shoes broken out of storage, early results encouraging. Worn shoes will be relegated to short run duties with some Massi insoles labelled 'anatomic'.
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NUKe
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Re: Hot foot

Post by NUKe »

Still suffering hot foot on longer rides, and whilst it occurs less, still painful when it occurs,
Have done Pedals, change to a wider fit shoe, cleats and wedges and I find massaging helps when it comes on all have helped a little. Have tried the Specialized insoles, but really didn’t get on with those. I think that my feet are odd shaped, so I am thinking next stage is probably custom foot beds.

I am At the stage of seeking Professional help, but who is best to consult? local cycle fit, is less knowledgeable than myself, not unhelpful, just not researched as much, Would a podiatrist or cycling physio, be the best to help?
NUKe
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burroc
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Re: Hot foot

Post by burroc »

Obviously it might not be in the least bit relevant to your problem, but you may wish to look in to "Morton's Neuroma". It can manifest itself in many ways. Whilst it causes me significant problems, a hot foot is not one of them. A friend of mine also has Morton's Neuroma and for them, the "hot foot" is the main symptom. Neither of us can wear cycling shoes anymore.
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