Foot Pain and Gravel Cycling
Foot pain is a common complaint among cyclists often in the form of burning, tingling and numbness. Go into any running shoe store, and you’ll find dozens of variations of shoes for every type of issue a runner might encounter, but in cycling the options are limited to regular and carbon plated shoes with a few orthotics thrown into the mix.
The difference between men’s and women’s shoes.
Since shoes have been on the market, any sort of performance shoe has basically been a smaller version of men’s shoes. Actually, no one even thought to study women’s feet and how it impacts performance. Let’s be clear, every foot is individual and you can’t just put a woman’s label on things. But there is now substantial evidence (because someone finally decided it was a good idea to study women’s feet) that women’s feet differ in a number of shape characteristics, particularly at the arch, the lateral side of the foot, the first toe, and the ball of the foot.
Why the ball of the foot matters
When we recently chatted with Lindsay Glassford HBA Kin, C.Ped(C), she told us that the most common area of pain for women comes from the fact that bike shoes are made more narrow (this is for performance), which can compress the nerves in the foot and leads to numbness and tingling through the ball of the foot and the toes.
Here’s what’s happening. The metatarsal arch runs across the ball of your foot, from the big toe to the pinkie toe. When that arch is compressed, it collapses, which pinches the nerves and leads to those sensations of burning or tingling.
Because we don’t know what’s going on, the common solution for this is to loosen our shoes or try to find a wider shoe. But cycling is all about the ability to generate force through the bottom of the shoe into pedal stroke (which is also why the stiffer the sole, the better it is for power generation). Rather than doing that, Glassford recommends you add support to your shoe.
You’ll want to find a metatarsal pad or custom or off-the-shelf orthotic with metatarsal support. The location of the support is also important. Often people place it too far forward and you want to place it behind the pain. It may take a few tries to find the right support and location.
You can also adjust your cleats if you’re feeling pain in this area. If your cleat is too far forward, it can lead to more compression in the foot. Try moving it back slightly and see if that brings relief.
Finding the right fit
The best way is to use the stock insole as a guide. Remove it from the shoe and stand on it barefoot. That will give you a good visual of how it matches the shape of your foot. In the front, you want to have about half a thumbnail length at the end of your longest toe.
As far as width, if you’re standing on the insole and you can’t see any of it, the shoe is too narrow. If you see too much, it’s too wide.
Keep in mind that it’s common for people to have one foot that’s slightly larger than the other so make sure you always start with your larger foot when trying on shoes.
Women may also find that their feet will grow with hormonal changes associated with pregnancy or menopause. Estrogen affects the elasticity of the ligaments and tendons which can cause noticeable changes in foot size for some women.
Investing in the right pair of shoes
You don’t have to break the bank on bike shoes. Glassford iterates that the fit of the shoe is more important the type of shoe you purchase. But keep in mind that a cycling show will never feel as comfortable as a running shoe. That’s because the soles of cycling shoes are meant to be stiff to help you transfer power through the shoe. If you’re doing an event that will have a lot of hike-a-bike, make sure you test the shoes with some walking to assure they don’t cause other foot problems like blistering or hot spots.
And often, when we see the price tag on cycling shoes, we have a bit of sticker shock. The good news is, unlike your running shoes, cycling shoes don’t tend to break down. As long as you care for your shoes, they will last quite a while.