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2005-07-31 8:30 PM

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Champion
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Evergreen, Colorado
Subject: Cycling Hotspot

Okay...as if my crappy knees weren't enough   Just kidding.  I'm trying to tweak out a funky hotspot on my right foot while cycling and I am looking for opinions and suggestions.  The background:

I have had two surgeries on my right foot.  The more important one was for turf toe about 6 years ago.  I don't do so well with surgeries, so my big toe now doesn't really bend and the joint is fairly arthritic (lots of scar tissue).  As a result, my right foot is slightly bulkier/wider/bigger than my left.  I also have the world's worst body mechanics...flat feet, knock knees, etc.  I had similar pains on my old road bike with SPD's.  LBS tweaked the cleats and it never bothered me again.  Wish I remembered what they did   Got a new bike back in April...Dura-Ace pedals.  So I needed new shoes.  I bought SIDI size 40's since that's the same brand/size I had been riding on my old bike.  I figured...go with what works!  Now...what happens when I ride?

The progression of events:
Around 9-10 miles I start to get a numb feeling between toes #3 and 4 (start counting with the big toe as #1) in my right foot and only my right foot.  It almost feels like my sock is stuck between my toes...but it isn't.  By about 30-35 miles, it turns into a sharp burning.  Very distinct, very centralized right in the same spot...base of the toes between #3 and 4.  Gets so bad I can't pedal effectively.  Also get a nasty ache right through the big toe joint.  Today after about 40 miles I was getting a SHARP pain through my big toe joint and it felt like it was popping.

What's been done?  After the initial cleat fitting and realization it was hurting, took the bike back to the shop.  They put some shims on the right side to try to straighten the foot out.  When he put the cleats back on, I think he put the cleat too far either forward or backward and my foot wasn't sitting right on the pedal.  Made it worse.  Took the cleats to another LBS (the one that fixed the road bike cleats two years ago).  He turned that foot slightly duck foot (since that's the way my feet naturally go) and moved the cleat so it was the same distance back as the left one.  Rode today and still had pain.  I even loosened up the shoe as much as I could which helped a little, but the numbness continued...

The following suggestions have been made:
1. Move the cleats again.
2. Need a bigger right shoe

Looking for more opinions, suggestions, or afirmation of any of the above....If anyone is STILL reading you are WAY too nice



2005-08-01 10:19 AM
in reply to: #212268

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Regular
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Milwaukee, WI
Subject: RE: Cycling Hotspot
Ide look for a way to rid yourself of that scar tissue in your toe. Ultrasound therapy maybe. I would imagine it might be causing increased pressure on all the others and possibly even becoming more inflammed when you ride due to irritaion. Just an opinion though. For the joint pain all i can suggest is that surgery has a way of complicating hing a lot and im no doctor, so ask yours.
Dan
2005-08-05 3:46 PM
in reply to: #212268

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Elite
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Texas
Subject: RE: Cycling Hotspot

One thing to think about, especially if your right foot is wider, is the possibility of your shoe compressing your metatarsals together. The nerve that runs between them can become compressed and inflammed, causing numbness and pain. A classic symptom of that is the fact that it involves 2 toes. Here are some more details: http://www.podiatrychannel.com/mortonneuroma/

The good news: If that's the problem, it can be treated with an injection of a corticosteroid (they mix it with a local anesthetic) and it feels better IMMEDIATELY. If the injection doesn't help, the next most likely thing in that area given the training you do is a stress fracture. But I'm betting it's a neuroma. Sometimes if the nerve damage is severe, they have to go in and excise it but I don't know how often that is the case.

The big toe sounds like osteoarthritis. If you go to a podiatrist they will more than likely shoot an x-ray of your foot. If you have arthritis in the joint it will show up.

Granted I'm no podiatrist. But as a medic in a Ranger Battalion for 10 years, I saw A LOT of feet. And we had the luxury of having one of the leading podiatrists in the country at Fort Benning. He was really into teaching. Good luck! Whatever you do, go get it checked out. I let my neuroma drive me nuts for months and it was just a matter of one trip to the doc to fix it.

2005-08-08 9:01 PM
in reply to: #217850

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Champion
8766
5000200010005001001002525
Evergreen, Colorado
Subject: RE: Cycling Hotspot

Well, if I ask to go to another doc the Air Force is going to think I am a hypochondriac (I've had a bad spell of needing specialists).  So that will have to wait.  But I'll keep the suggestion in the back of my noggin.  For now...UBER loosening of the shoe seems to keep the numbness and pain at bay...if I crash my shoe will go down with the bike now

The big toe on the other hand is still VERY troublesome.  Kicks in right around 45ish miles...and hurts like heck!  Yes, the joint is now artritic...lots of advil and someday surgery are about all I'll be able to do   I really doubt there is anything shoe/cleat-wise I can do to help the big toe joint.

thanks for the info...VERY helpful!

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